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- Title
Characteristics and outcomes of Canadian MD/PhD program graduates: a cross-sectional survey.
- Authors
Skinnider, Michael A.; Squair, Jordan W.; Twa, David D. W.; Ji, Jennifer X.; Kuzyk, Alexandra; Xin Wang; Steadman, Patrick E.; Zaslavsky, Kirill; Dey, Ayan K.; Eisenberg, Mark J.; Gagné, Ève-Reine; HayGlass, Kent T.; Lewis, James F.; Margetts, Peter J.; Underhill, D. Alan; Rosenblum, Norman D.; Raymond, Lynn A.
- Abstract
Background: Combined MD/PhD programs provide a structured path for physician-scientist training, but assessment of their success within Canada is limited by a lack of quantitative data. We collected outcomes data for graduates of Canadian MD/PhD programs. Methods: We developed and implemented a Web-based survey consisting of 41 questions designed to collect outcomes data for Canadian MD/PhD program alumni from 8 Canadian universities who had graduated before September 2015. Respondents were categorized into 2 groups according to whether they had or had not completed all training. Results: Of the 186 eligible alumni of MD/PhD programs, 139 (74.7%) completed the survey. A total of 136/138 respondents (98.6%) had completed or were currently completing residency training, and 66/80 (82%) had completed at least 1 postgraduate fellowship. Most (58 [83%]) of the 70 respondents who had completed all training were appointed as faculty at academic institutions, and 37 (53%) had been principal investigators on at least 1 recent funded project. Among the 58 respondents appointed at academic institutions, 44/57 (77%) dedicated at least 20% of their time to research, and 25/57 (44%) dedicated at least 50% to research. During their combined degree, 102/136 respondents (75.0%) published 3 or more first-author papers, and 133/136 (97.8%) matched with their first choice of specialty. The median length of physician-scientist training was 13.5 years. Most respondents graduated with debt despite having been supported by Canadian Institutes of Health Research MD/PhD studentships. Interpretation: Most Canadian MD/PhD program alumni pursued careers consistent with their physician-scientist training, which indicates that these programs are meeting their primary objective. Nevertheless, our findings highlight that a minority of these positions are research intensive; this finding warrants further study. Our data provide a baseline for future monitoring of the output of Canadian MD/PhD programs.
- Subjects
PHYSICIAN training; TRAINING of scientists; GRADUATE students; TRAINING
- Publication
CMAJ Open, 2017, Vol 5, Issue 2, pE308
- ISSN
2291-0026
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.9778/cmajo.20160152