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Department: Department of Medicine

Contacts

Office: Medical School Office Building (MSOB), 1265 Welch Road, Ste. 100
Mail Code: 94305-5404
Web Site: https://med.stanford.edu/
Office: MS in Medicine
Web Site: http://msm.stanford.edu/
Office: MS in Medicine in Biomedical Investigation
Web Site: http://med.stanford.edu/md/discovery-curriculum/BergScholarsProgram.html
Office: Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
Web Site: http://med.stanford.edu/md.html
Office: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
Web Site: http://med.stanford.edu/mstp.html

The School of Medicine seeks to attract students who are passionate about scholarship and wish to improve the health of the world's people through research, innovation, and leadership.

Mission of the Degree Programs in Medicine

The mission of the degree programs in Medicine is to educate and inspire leaders in medicine and science who will improve human health through discovery, innovation, scholarship, education, and the delivery of outstanding patient-centered care.

Stanford is committed to representing the diversity of the U.S. and California populations by seeking a diverse body of students who are interested in the intellectual substance of medicine and committed to advancing the field of health care, broadly defined. Provided an applicant to the school has completed basic courses in physics, chemistry, and biology, the choice of an undergraduate major may reflect other interests, including the arts and humanities. Course work in advanced biology such as biochemistry, molecular biology, or genetics and the behavioral sciences is recommended because of their importance in understanding health care. Breadth of interests and depth of experiences play an important role in the selection of students from among those applicants having superior academic records.

Learning Outcomes

The following competencies  serve as a guide for curriculum development and evaluation of the success of the training program and its graduates.

For additional information on the associated educational objectives please refer to the MD Program Handbook and Policy Manual Section 2.1 Competencies and Objectives for Medical Student Education.

  1. Patient Care: Provide patient-centered care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the treatment of health problems and the promotion of health

  2. Knowledge for Practice: Demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological and social-behavioral sciences, as well as the application of this knowledge to patient care

  3. Practice-Based Learning and Improvement: Demonstrate the ability to investigate and evaluate one’s care of patients, to appraise and assimilate scientific evidence, and to continuously improve patient  care based on constant self-evaluation and life-long learning

  4. Interpersonal and Communication Skills: Demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in the effective exchange of information and collaboration with patients, their families, and health professionals

  5. Professionalism: Demonstrate a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities and an adherence to ethical principles

  6. Systems-Based Practice: Demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness  to the larger context and system of health care, as well as the ability to call effectively on other resources  in the system to provide optimal health care

  7. Interprofessional Collaboration: Demonstrate the ability to engage in an interprofessional team in a manner  that optimizes safe, effective patient- and population-centered care

  8. Personal and Professional Development: Demonstrate the qualities required to sustain lifelong personal and professional growth

  9. Discovery: Explore scientific discovery and self-discovery

Degree Programs in Medicine

The School of Medicine offers a professional degree in Medicine (MD), a Masters in Medicine (MSM), a Masters in Medicine in Biomedical Investigation, and oversees a dual-degree Medical Scientist Training Program (MD-PhD). Additional School of Medicine graduate degree programs are available on the School of Medicine Education website.

The Master of Science in Medicine program admits current Stanford Ph.D. students who have a commitment to translational research, but are not interested in becoming clinicians. The goal of the program is to train researchers in human biology and disease to be better equipped to translate new scientific discoveries into useful medical advances. Students offered admission into any Ph.D. program at Stanford may apply for admission to the master's program.

The Master of Science in Medicine in Biomedical Investigation program admits current Stanford M.D. students who have a commitment to becoming physician-scientists. A major goal of the program is to address decreasing numbers of physician- scientists by shortening the training period without compromising quality of research – focusing instead on individualized career development of M.D.-only Physician-Scientists by placing them in outstanding research groups led by experienced faculty.

The Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) program provides education in biomedical and clinical sciences along with study and independent research through scholarly concentrations. Emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary learning, with streamlined content, interactive approaches, and melding of basic science and clinical instruction across the curriculum. Blocks of unscheduled time allow for individual or group study, participation in elective courses, research, and reflection. The flexible Discovery Curriculum supports student’s scientific discovery and self-discovery by offering multiple learning pathways at a more individualized pace and opportunities for pursuing a second degree, such as an M.P.H., M.B.A., Master's of Science in Epidemiology or Health Services Research, a Ph.D., or participating in longitudinal and global health research experiences.

The Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) M.D.-Ph.D. program provides a select group of medical students with an opportunity to pursue a training program designed to equip them for careers in academic investigative medicine. Individualization of the curricular and research programs of each trainee is the hallmark of the Program. Training for a combined MD-PhD includes the same content encountered by students who pursue each degree separately, but the total time of training should be less than the sum of the time normally taken for each degree. To this end, students must plan their training carefully and commit to a rigorous and intensive period of study. The flexible curriculum at Stanford Medical School allows each student to satisfy the requirements for the MD degree and to pursue an independent research program.
In addition to a variety of other dual degree opportunities, Stanford also collaborates with the University of California, Berkeley, to offer students opportunities for M.D./M.P.H. training. Details about these programs may be found at Stanford's Dual Degree and Multi-Degree Programs web site.

The M.D. degree requires 12 quarters of registration at full Med-M.D. tuition; the joint M.D./Ph.D. degree requires 15 quarters. Completion of the M.D. degree must be achieved within six years, unless a petition is granted to extend this time frame. For further details on the M.D. degree, including admission requirements, see the Stanford M.D. Program website.

Fellowships and Assistantships

Teaching Assistantships

The Office of Medical Education manages the Teaching Assistantships for the required M.D. courses. TAships provide medical students with an opportunity to develop teaching skills and enhance understanding of specific areas of the M.D. curriculum through teaching. Additionally, the work done by TAs enriches the overall curriculum and is an invaluable resource to the school.

In selecting TAs, all course directors consider each applicant’s expertise in the subject matter, prior teaching experience, academic performance, and overall enthusiasm and participation throughout the course. Past performance in the course is a factor in selecting most TAs. Please note that some course directors may decide to interview potential candidates while others may not; the interview process varies from course to course. Some course directors may also require their TAs to participate in additional training; that will be noted in this document. TAs are expected to be and remain in good academic standing. However, all first-time TAs in the M.D. program are required to attend the training hosted by the Office of Medical Education. This training is mandatory and cannot be made up. Students may be asked to re-take this training if they have not taken it within the last 3 academic years.

Medical Scholars Research Program

Since 1980, the Stanford Medical Scholars Research Program has supported medical student research, both locally and off-site. Students carry out research in an academic setting under the direction of faculty members here at the medical school, hospital and clinics, and throughout the University. The fellowships provide funding and units as Medical Scholars Research 370.

M.D. students enrolled at Stanford are eligible.

M.D. students who obtained a Ph.D. prior to matriculation may apply for a fellowship only for research that has focus substantially different from that of their prior doctoral studies.
Students who are pursuing a dual degree (e.g.. M.D./M.B.A.) are not eligible when they "step out" to pursue the dual degree. Stepping out means that they are no longer paying tuition under the School of Medicine for that period of time, and any Financial Aid support is handled through the other degree program. When you "step back in" to the M.D. program, you resume eligibility for MedScholars.

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