NIH Medical Scientist Partnership Program (FM1 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PAR-23-109

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Medical Scientist Partnership Program's (MSPP) overarching goal is to support highly promising predoctoral students during their mentored dissertation research and clinical training who are matriculated in (a) a formal combined M.D./Ph.D. program or other combined-doctoral degree training program (e.g., D.O./Ph.D., D.N.P./Ph.D., D.D.S./Ph.D., Au.D./Ph.D., D.V.M./Ph.D.), or (b) a clinical doctoral degree program plus a separate accredited Ph.D. program at their clinical degree school or other university.

MSPP Scholars will conduct their clinical degree education at their home institution and will conduct the Ph.D. portion of their education/experience in research laboratories in the NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP) through participation in the NIH Graduate Partnership Program (GPP). The students will receive their research degree from the home institution or one of the partnership institutions affiliated with the NIH. The IRP is the internal research program of the NIH, known for its synergistic approach to biomedical science. Its unique environment means the IRP can facilitate opportunities to conduct both long-term and high-impact research that would otherwise be difficult to undertake. With approximately 1,200 Principal Investigators and more than 4,000 Postdoctoral Fellows conducting basic, translational, and clinical research, the IRP is one of the largest biomedical research institutions in the world. Its unique funding environment means the IRP can facilitate opportunities to conduct both long-term and high-impact science that would otherwise be difficult to undertake.

Potential areas of research within the IRP include, but are not limited to: biological chemistry, biophysics, bioinformatics, cellular and molecular biology, computational biosciences, epidemiology, developmental biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, oncology, biomedicine, pharmacology, physiology, bioethics, and technology development. MSPP Scholars will conduct their work with sponsors who have relevant experience in these areas of research in any of the participating NIH Institutes or Centers with an IRP. 

The objective of the MSPP is to develop a diverse pool of well-trained clinician scientists, who will have the following technical, operational, and professional skills:

• The skills necessary to integrate research and clinical activities in support of a productive research career;
• The ability to utilize clinical experience and observations to identify important biomedical research questions and develop impactful research programs;
• A broad understanding across biomedical disciplines and the skills to independently acquire the knowledge needed to advance their chosen fields;
• Expertise in a biomedical scientific discipline and the skills to think critically and independently, and to identify important biomedical research questions and approaches that push forward the boundaries of their areas of study and that enable the translation of basic research findings into clinical practice;
• A strong foundation in scientific reasoning, rigorous research design, experimental methods, quantitative and computational approaches, and data analysis and interpretation;
• The skills to conduct research in the safest manner possible, and a commitment to approaching and conducting biomedical research and clinical practice responsibly, ethically, and with integrity;
• Experience initiating, conducting, interpreting, and presenting rigorous and reproducible biomedical research with increasing self-direction;
• The ability to work effectively in teams with colleagues from a variety of cultural and scientific backgrounds, and to promote inclusive and supportive scientific research environments;
• The skills to teach and communicate scientific research methodologies and findings to a wide variety of audiences (e.g., discipline-specific, across disciplines, and the public); and

The knowledge, professional skills and experiences required to identify and transition into careers in the biomedical research workforce (i.e., careers that utilize the dual degree).

Award budgets are composed of stipends, tuition and fees, and institutional allowance, as described below. Individuals may receive up to 4 years of extramural support at the predoctoral level for clinical degree education as part of combined doctoral degree training (e.g., M.D./Ph.D.). Track 1 Scholars will receive 4 years of support, while Track 2 Scholars will receive 3 years of support for clinical degree education.

Not required

August 8, 2023

NIAID Training Help Desk, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Telephone: 301-761-6203; Email: NIHMSPPQuestions@niaid.nih.gov