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Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Education
12
Graduate Training
Enhances Healthcare Delivery
T
oday's healthcare environment
provides a compelling argu-
ment for combining a medical
degree with a doctorate in a basic
science discipline, which is under-
scored by the
National Institutes
of Health
's promotion of
transla-
tional research
as a
core value
for scientific investigation
.
The prevalence of team-oriented,
collaborative research requires
that investigators have the capacity
to integrate the clinical and basic
science aspects of medicine.
With rapid growth in the body of
knowledge and technological
sophistication comes the demand
that future physician-scientists
receive in-depth training within
and across conventional disciplines
to excel in basic, translational,
and clinical research.
Students at
Robert Wood
Johnson Medical School
have
the opportunity to become
physician-scientists
, working with
internationally renowned investi-
gators at the medical school and
its world-class partner institutions.
Robert Wood Johnson Medical
School
offers an
MD/PhD
in
conjunction with the
Rutgers
Graduate School of Biomedical
Sciences
and with the graduate
program in molecular biology
at
Princeton University
. The
program draws on the diverse
strengths and resources of
premier private and public
research institutions and health-
care centers in central New Jersey
to facilitate a distinctive academic
environment in which students
can hone and integrate their
clinical and research acumen.
Rutgers Graduate School of
Biomedical Sciences
also offers
interdisciplinary
doctoral training
in nine specialties
, in addition
to a master's in clinical and trans-
lational sciences, a master's in
biomedical science and a master's
in science in biomedical science.
Working in seamless collaboration
with the Rutgers Graduate
School­New Brunswick, all of
the graduate programs are jointly
administered and the facilities
on the Piscataway and New
Brunswick campuses create an
unparalleled environment where
students interact with researchers
in a contemplative scholarly
setting.
A
novel
dual-degree program
combining a
doctorate in
pharmacy
with a
medical degree
has been developed by
Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School
and
Ernest Mario School of
Pharmacy
.
The schools, part of
Rutgers
Biomedical and Health Sciences
,
launched the
PharmD/MD
program
in the 2013-14
academic year. It is the only
program of its kind in the nation.
The 10-year program, available
only to students enrolled in the
Ernest Mario School of
Pharmacy
, integrates core
instruction in basic and clinical
sciences with clinical clerkships
and rotations, to train healthcare
professionals as leaders in policy
research and clinical settings.
The dual degree offers the
unique opportunity to integrate
the perspectives of pharmacists
and physicians in a way that
has the capacity to inform health-
care advances on a national level.
It is also reflective of a growing
trend toward interdisclipinary
collaborations in medicine as
a whole.
The
PharmD/MD program
provides students with intensive,
interprofessional mentoring
through both schools' honors
programs. Students have the
opportunity to develop and
participate in seminar series,
conceptualize and carry out
research projects, and participate
in innovative, interdisciplinary
clinical rotations and clerkships.
In addition, they partake in a
capstone leadership project that
integrates pharmacy and medical
professional training, contributes
to the literature on interdiscipli-
nary healthcare, and makes a
documented contribution to
clinical practice.
The
PharmD
component of the
dual degree consists of two
pre-professional years and four
professional years of training;
interested students apply for
acceptance into the highly
competitive
PharmD/MD
program
in the spring semester
of their second professional year.
Each applicant will undergo a
rigorous review process by the
School of Pharmacy's dual-degree
committee and Robert Wood
Johnson Medical School's
admissions committee.
PharmD/MD
is Unique Dual-Degree Program Only Offered at
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Robert Wood
Johnson
Medical School
students have the
opportunity to
become physician-
scientists, working
with internationally
renowned
investigators at the
medical school and
its world-class
partner institutions.