PhD vs. MD vs. MD/PhD

You'll see all three of these behind researchers' names constantly once you start reading faculty bios or lab websites, and all of them were the product of very different training paths with different day-to-day routines.

An MD/PhD is a combined dual-degree program, often seven to eight years total, training physician-scientists who split their careers between treating patients and running a research lab. Many MD/PhD programs are funded specifically because they're considered a priority for building the physician-scientist workforce. A doctor who notices a puzzling pattern in patients might go on to study its underlying mechanism in a lab.

This is important for when you first start looking for a mentor to reach out to. A PI with an MD/PhD, for instance, might only be physically in the lab part of the week, splitting time with clinical duties, which is worth knowing when you're timing an email or wondering why responses are slower during certain seasons.

You may also occasionally come across a DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine), a clinical degree that leads to the same licensed physician career as an MD, with a similar residency path afterward, but with training that also includes osteopathic manipulative medicine, a hands-on approach to diagnosis and treatment. DOs and MDs work side by side in hospitals and clinics, and patients often can't tell the difference in day-to-day care.

If you're not sure yet which path might interest you long-term, that's completely fine! Plenty of students don't decide between a research career, a clinical career, or both until well into college. Shadowing, volunteering in a hospital setting, and working in a research lab (exactly what our Programs page can help you find) are all great ways to get real exposure to each option before committing to one.