RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Characteristics and outcomes of Canadian MD/PhD program graduates: a cross-sectional survey
JF CMAJ Open
FD Canadian Medical Association
SP E308
OP E314
DO 10.9778/cmajo.20160152
VO 5
IS 2
A1 Michael A. Skinnider
A1 Jordan W. Squair
A1 David D.W. Twa
A1 Jennifer X. Ji
A1 Alexandra Kuzyk
A1 Xin Wang
A1 Patrick E. Steadman
A1 Kirill Zaslavsky
A1 Ayan K. Dey
A1 Mark J. Eisenberg
A1 Ève-Reine Gagné
A1 Kent T. HayGlass
A1 James F. Lewis
A1 Peter J. Margetts
A1 D. Alan Underhill
A1 Norman D. Rosenblum
A1 Lynn A. Raymond
YR 2017
UL http://www.cmajopen.ca/content/5/2/E308.abstract
AB 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.