When One Plus One Equals 10: Unique Rewards and Daunting Challenges of Being an MD‐PhD Clinician‐Scientist

Abstract

Clinicians, scientists and clinician‐scientists each have unique and critical roles to play in advancing the successful completion of the clinical translational mission. In choosing a specific training and career development path, the goal is to make a truly informative and authentic decision based on a clear sense of personal calling, character and mission that will persist throughout a long, successful and productive career. For the intrepid prospective MD‐PhD student, it is critical that such a decision occur in the context of personal and concrete explorations posed by a series of important questions: “What is the lived daily experience of MD and MD‐PhD clinician‐scientists?” and “How do clinician‐scientists manage to navigate back and forth between patient care and their research efforts and the mounting pressures to write even more grants late into the night and over weekends—and still remain excited about starting anew each morning?” One approach towards understanding the unique rewards that are afforded clinician‐scientists and how well they face the daunting challenges they inevitably encounter, is to assess how successful they have been at developing creative and often non‐traditional career models that combine the skill sets and competencies of highly integrated MD and PhD training into something that is more than the sum of its parts—namely, MD‐PhD training.