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January 23, 2018

Archived: We Asked, You Responded: Community Input on Enhancing the Medical Scientist Training Program

By Stefan Maas and Jessica Faupel-Badger
Continuing our efforts to help modernize graduate education, we sought input from the community through a Request for Information (RFI) on strategies to enhance our physician-scientist training grants to medical schools across the country. These grants, funded through the Ruth L. Kirschstein Institutional Predoctoral Training Grant (T32) Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), provide M.D.-Ph.D. dual degree students with an integrated program of biomedical sciences and clinical training. The RFI was open from June 9 to August 9, 2017. There were 16 themes in the RFI that were broadly binned into the following categories:
  • Trainees (e.g., time of recruitment to the MSTP, diversity of the applicant pool, and selection criteria)
  • Financing/funding (e.g., how different M.D.-Ph.D. funding models influence the range of institutions that apply for MSTP support, the pool of trainees, and the trainees’ commitment to research careers)
  • Dual-degree training (e.g., time-to-degree, integration of curriculum, training areas, mentoring, and career advising)
  • NIGMS management of MSTP grants (e.g., size, number, and distribution of training programs; evaluation of outcomes; and peer review)
A total of 253 unique responders submitted comments through an online form, the Feedback Loop blog, and direct email to NIGMS staff. Most responses were anonymous, but the content indicated that they were submitted by current and former M.D.-Ph.D. students, faculty, institutions, and professional societies. Not everyone provided feedback on all 16 areas, however, on average each respondent provided input on 10 themes resulting in a total of more than 2,500 comments (Figure 1).
Bar graphs containing statistics of comments recieved from RFI
Figure 1. Number of Comments Received Across the Themes of the MSTP RFI
Given the volume and richness of these responses, we did our best to distill down the comments in the summary report. We appreciate the thoughtful and thorough feedback provided to us through this RFI. These comments will inform us as we develop a new MSTP funding announcement that would incorporate MSTP-specific training needs and align with the new funding announcement for non-MSTP predoctoral training programs funded by NIGMS.
topic Training/Fellowships/Career Development
tag RFI Results

About the Authors

Stefan Maas

Before moving to the National Cancer Institute in November 2020, Stefan managed research grants in the areas of cell growth, differentiation, homeostasis, and cell death. He also oversaw small business grants in genetics and developmental biology and institutional training grants in systems and integrative biology.

Jessica Faupel-Badger

Before transferring to NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences in January 2018, Jessica managed the Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Awards (IRACDA) and the Postdoctoral Research Associate (PRAT) Program, an intramural training program at NIH.