The Pritzker School of Medicine

The University of Chicago School of Medicine was founded in 1924. In 1968, in recognition of the extraordinary support extended to the school by the Pritzker family of Chicago, the name was changed to the Pritzker School of Medicine. The School, through its M.D. and combined M.D./Ph.D. programs, offers a rigorous course of study designed to prepare its students for distinguished careers in biomedical research, teaching, public service, and the practice of medicine within the context of a strong foundation in the basic and the clinical sciences. The art of medicine as well as application of the fruits of modern biomedical technology and research combine in the medical curriculum to enable the graduate physician to manage human disease and suffering competently and creatively as well as to continue the lifelong learning process established during the medical student years. The school encourages students to explore innovative programs of study which may combine medicine with other disciplines such as law, business, public policy, and the humanities.

The Pritzker School of Medicine is unique in that it is part of the Division of the Biological Sciences. This situation offers opportunities for interdisciplinary research and collaboration between the basic sciences and clinical staffs and for faculty to teach in both the division and the medical school. Students and faculty also enjoy easy access to the rest of the campus and its programs of study. This is not the case at many other institutions, where the medical school is often separated, sometimes by many miles, from the university proper. The combination of basic research scientists and physicians in the division provides doctoral and medical students with the opportunity for access to an unparalleled array of biomedical scientists as teachers and mentors.

The University of Chicago medical center is a leader in research on and treatment of problems such as cancer, diabetes, lung disease, heart disease, urological disorders, and diseases of the intestinal tract. Within the center there are now over one hundred specialty clinics. Medical care of the highest quality is provided for over 300,000 patients seen each year. New discoveries and techniques that Chicago scientists develop quickly find their way into clinical practice.

The University of Chicago Hospitals currently have over 600 attending (or principal) physicians, as well as more than 600 residents and fellows (physicians working in advanced specialty training in medical science, leading to specialty board certification).

The Hospitals are the major provider of health care for the immediate neighborhood. They also meet community needs through shared service agreements, referral relationships with physicians and hospitals, and continuing medical education classes for five community hospitals. At the tertiary care level, the medical center draws referrals from the entire region, including northern Indiana. Patients with particularly complex or obscure medical problems often travel long distances to the University of Chicago Hospitals for treatment. The medical center includes the National Cancer Research Center; the National Diabetes Research and Training Center; the National Clinical Nutrition Research Unit; the Special Center for Research in Arteriosclerosis; the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Mental Retardation Research Center; the Clinical Pharmacology Center; and the Research Center for Studies of Drug Dependence and Abuse. It is also the site of two additional national clinical research units and has widely recognized research programs on digestive diseases, the biology of sickle cell disease, cell biology of cardiac and skeletal muscle, transplantation biology, lipoproteins-cell surface interactions, nuclear medicine and imaging, and receptors and response proteins in reproductive tissue. It has regional burn and perinatal units and an emergency care center augmented by a specially equipped and staffed medical helicopter.

The University of Chicago Hospitals serve as teaching hospitals for the Pritzker School of Medicine. The University's record in producing medical academicians is particularly striking. Surveys conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges over the last several years consistently show Chicago among the top three in the nation as a producer of teachers in the biological sciences, including medicine.

Combined M.D./Ph.D. Programs in the Division of the Biological Sciences

There are within the division several opportunities for medical students to combine their M.D. training with education toward a Ph.D. in one of the degree-granting units (see section on the Basic Sciences). The division is a major trainer of academic physicians. Each year, a large proportion of the graduating medical school class also has the Ph.D. (typically 15 to 20 percent). Among the many opportunities for combining graduate education with medical studies is the Medical Scientist Training Program supported by the National Institute for General Medical Sciences of the NIH and the Growth and Development Training Grant is supported by The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Medical Scientist Training Program

The Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) is a special, structured program leading to both Ph.D. and M.D. degrees. Eight to fourteen students are selected each year to matriculate directly into the program. Most trainees require eight years to complete both degrees.

The program is designed for students who wish to prepare themselves for careers in academic medicine. It combines the breadth of an excellent medical education with the depth of a rigorous graduate program in basic science. Graduate studies are normally pursued in the departments and committees of the biological sciences. Consideration may be given to students wishing to do research in areas in the physical sciences (chemistry, mathematics, and physics) and in the humanities and social sciences (economics and public policy).

Pritzker Requirements
The Medical Scientist Training Program seeks students with strong academic records and commitment to biomedical investigation. Interest and potential in medical science and in basic research (as evaluated from personal statements, research summaries, and letters of recommendation) are important criteria for selection by the MSTP admissions committee. While specific admissions requirements are kept to a minimum, successful applicants generally have extensive experience in under-graduate research or independent study. Eligibility for the MSTP requires U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status.

During the student's time in the program he or she is supported by the MSTP training grant, departmental or committee training grants and divisional support. Awards are usually made for twelve-month periods with renewal of support dependent on satisfactory progress in the program. Trainees are required to pursue MSTP studies on a full-time basis. Trainee support includes full tuition, student health and medical insurance fees, the stipend provided by the training grant and a supplement provided by the University. Support for additional years to complete the Ph.D., beyond the years of training grant support, is from other sources such as research grants of the student's sponsor.

Qualified students interested in this training program will complete the MSTP application included with the supplementary materials for the Pritzker School of Medicine. Letters of support from research sponsors should be provided if these have not already been supplied for the Pritzker application. Students admitted to the program begin their academic program in the summer quarter. MSTP students participate in general orientation activities with their entering medical school class in the week before the fall quarter begins. For further information about the MSTP, M.D./Ph.D. program, or the Medical School, write to: Medical Scientist Training Program, The University of Chicago, Office of Medical Education, Division of the Biological Sciences and the Pritzker School of Medicine, 924 East 57th Street, Suite 104, Chicago IL 60637-5416.

Growth and Development Training Grant

The Growth and Development Training Program (GDTP) offers students the opportunity to pursue both an M.D. and Ph.D. degree. Entry into the program is available for students who have completed one or (in most cases) two years of medical studies. Students wishing to be considered for the program generally acquire relevant laboratory experience, fulfill at least some graduate courses requirements and seek out a research sponsor and graduate degree unit during their first two years of medical studies, in anticipation of their application to the program.
The program is unique in that it offers medical students the opportunity to pursue a Ph.D. degree after they have started medical school. This represents a major opportunity for students at the Pritzker School of Medicine, who frequently become so enthusiastic about research during their first or second year of medical school that they decide to take a leave from Medical studies to pursue a Ph.D. degree. The special opportunities offered by the GDTP also attract students from other medical schools. Students do their thesis work at Chicago and then transfer to the Pritzker School of Medicine for their last two years of medical school. A wide variety of Ph.D. degree-granting units are available to trainees, most often in the Biological Sciences Division.

Students interested in the program may submit formal applications in the Winter Quarter of their first or second year of medical studies. When all necessary supporting material, including transcripts and letters of recommendation, is received, the students undergo two formal interviews. Decisions are announced by the end of the Winter Quarter, with appointment to the grant the following July. Demonstrated interest and commitment to basic research, as evidenced by prior experience and accomplishment, as well as strong academic record, are major criteria for selection.

Trainees in the program receive a maximum of five years of support which generally includes three years of support during the Ph.D. phase and the remainder of the M.D. training (the two clinical years). Financial aid covers full tuition, fees and a stipend supplemented to national competitive levels to support living expenses.

Program in Medicine, Arts and the Social Sciences

The Program in Medicine, Arts and the Social Sciences provides a unique opportunity for medical students to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Chicago. The program is based on the premise that highly selected potential leaders who will be trained in medicine should acquire special competence in another area of scholarship, in order to address the overlapping social, economic, scientific, ethical, legal and humanistic problems which medicine as an enterprise, and as a profession, faces today.

For further information about this program write to: admissions@pritzker.bsd.uchicago.edu. The academic possibilities of the program depend on each applicant's creativity and special interests. Doctoral studies may be pursued in the schools of divinity or public policy, in the Departments of Anthropology, Economics, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology or Sociology, or in the Committees on Social Thought or the Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science. Research may also be conducted through the Center for Health Administration Studies, the Morris Fishbein Center for the Study of the History and Science of Medicine, or the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. In each of these academic areas there are faculty who are concerned with the mission of the program. Following completion of their doctoral studies, students in the program are expected to return to medical school to resume work toward the M.D. degree.

This text was last revised on 11/1/2006.