If you're weighing medicine, research, or both, you're facing one of the biggest decisions of your academic career. It's deeply personal, and there's no single "right" answer. Current MD-PhD students share the defining moments, mentors, and realizations that led them to commit to dual training.
What Inspired You to Pursue MD-PhD Training?
Kyutae Lee
MS3, MD-PhD Student
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine MSTP
Like many who enter medicine, my initial motivation was a childhood desire to help people like my grandfather who constantly struggled with health problems. While a bit cliché, that same foundational drive remained constant even as my understanding of healthcare evolved. As I grew older, it was clear that evidence-based molecular biology was at the forefront of patient care. I didn't just want to apply it, I wanted to be the expert and the one discovering new treatments and cures. This realization drove my decision to major in biochemistry during my undergraduate years.
During my second year, I joined a heavily biochemical cancer biology lab focusing on the ubiquitin-proteasome system in B-cell cancers. It was a rigorous introduction to scientific methodology. Surprisingly, I found that I loved being at the bench executing wet-lab experiments just as much as I loved the idea of working with patients in the clinic.
To be certain that basic science was my true calling, I took two gap years to work in an immunology lab studying VDJ recombination. This period was pivotal because I became so deeply invested in the research that I considered abandoning medicine entirely to pursue a traditional PhD.
My girlfriend, now my wife, pointed out that I didn't have to choose. She suggested I pursue both degrees, which gave me the push I needed to explore the dual-degree route. I spoke to my mentors and began connecting with practicing physician-scientists. After interacting closely with them, I realized they were living exactly the kind of career and life I wanted to build. One piece of unsolicited advice for any prospective student: If you are ever unsure of your path, look around and talk to people in positions you might want to emulate, and see if their day-to-day aligns with your goals.
Ultimately, the decision to pursue an MD-PhD was a blend of intellectual curiosity, guidance from loved ones, and practical financial realities. The reality of medical training is that it is incredibly expensive. Knowing I wouldn't have financial assistance from my parents, the MD-PhD path offered a fully funded medical education alongside a graduate stipend, making this long path a realistic possibility for me. Another piece of unsolicited advice, the funding helps make this path possible if you love it, but if you don’t love the research, it’s not worth the time simply for the financial benefits. It is a demanding journey, but for those who love both the rigorous, trailblazing inquiry of the lab and the human connection of the clinic, it is genuinely fulfilling and worthwhile.
Alex Reznik
G2, MD-PhD Student
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine MSTP
I came to college completely unsure of what field to pursue. I was partly interested in studying political science to eventually go to law school because I previously did competitive policy debate. Moreover, I did not find joy in high school science classes as I ultimately did in college, so I was a bit daunted by the prospect of pursuing scientific training.
I eventually joined a lab and had the opportunity to work with an amazing mentor who inspired me to pursue science. Through multiple projects, I saw firsthand that the work we do in the lab can have tangible impacts on people's lives — that was inspiring. One of our findings identified a specific protein that could help predict a person’s risk of developing a virus-associated cancer. My mentor could see how excited I was and told me about MD-PhD training, which I had never heard of before. I was in my second year of college at the time.
I began to explore medicine more. I loved the feeling of caring for real people and using our human connections with others. The cherry on top was the variety and excitement of pursuing new knowledge in the form of science.
I ultimately applied to MD-PhD programs and committed to the University of Miami.
Taryn McFadden
G2, MD-PhD Student
Penn State College of Medicine MSTP
I chose an MD-PhD because I know I am in love with research, the patient-provider relationship, and collaborations possible as a clinician-scientist. I know that by working to find new ways to help my patients at the bench as well as in the clinic, I will be constantly connected to both the question of "how can we do better" and "who we are doing it for." I feel this combination is a perfect match to help manage the frustration and burnout that may inevitably come with both MD and PhD.
Peter Forstmeier
G3, MD-PhD Student
Penn State College of Medicine MSTP
My father told me when I was considering accepting my MD-PhD offer: "There's no better way to give back all the blessings you have received." We both knew it would be full of challenges: long days in the lab, long nights studying, the frustration of failure, and much of the springtime of my life spent under incandescent bulbs thinking, working, improving, and studying. He spoke what I already knew— I had been given so many gifts and advantages in my life. The fullest expression of these gifts was to pour them out in their highest possible form to others. For me, that was training as a physician-scientist. Any time I received a grant, it would go toward the best science with patient-oriented approaches. Any time a patient walked into my room, they would be working with the best physician they could find. The inspiration to pursue an MD-PhD was the pursuit of the fullest gift of myself towards others.
Finding your “why” is an important first step. Continue your exploration and find more information about the MD-PhD pathway on the AAMC Student and Residents website.