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Disclaimer
Notice: The following
information was provided by MD/PhD students,
and is not official data from the MD/PhD
program administration or from APSA. For
official information, please contact the
program administration listed below. If you
are aware of any outdated or incorrect
information on this page, or if you can
think of anything useful to include, please
let us know at
ssh@physicianscientists.org so that we
may improve the page.
Yale University
Social
Science/Humanities PhD Field Supported:
Economics, Sociology, History of Medicine,
History, Anthropology
Description of Program:
Yale’s MSTP accepts
applications from students interested in
pursuing a PhD in the social sciences or
certain humanities subjects. While there is
no explicit departmental restriction on the
applications accepted by the MD/PhD Faculty
Committee, it would behoove an applicant to
recognize that it is an exceedingly rare
occurrence for a social science/humanities
applicant to be accepted into the program.
Structure of Program:
Yale’s program is a Medical
Scientist Training Program (MSTP). Typically
these MD/PhD students complete their first
two years of medical school and complete 6
months or up to a year of the core clinical
clerkships. They then begin their PhD
program in social sciences or humanities.
Most departments will require one to two
years of coursework, another semester to a
year of requirements to advance to
candidacy. Research and writing takes at
least a year. This means on the social
science/humanities track, a 3.5-4 year PhD
is minimum, but on average it takes at least
5 years. After completion of the PhD,
students return to finish their clerkships
and rotations.
Size of incoming joint
MD/PhD class: 8-10
Number of students in
the social sciences or humanities:
less than 1 per year
Number of graduates
from the SSH joint MD/PhD program:
3-5 (estimate)
Total number of
students in social sciences or humanities:
2 out of a total of 91 MD/PhD students
Application Process:
General MSTP Application:
-
Complete application with
the required transcripts and MCAT scores
to the American Medical College
Application Service (AMCAS) indicating
you are applying to the Yale School of
Medicine and The Medical Scientist
Training Program.
-
MSTP application
materials will be sent only to
applicants who pass the initial
screening and are invited to submit
a secondary application to the
Medical School.
-
If you apply to the
MSTP, you will be asked to submit a
brief supplemental essay describing
your past research experiences, your
interests, and your future career
goals.
-
You will also need to
submit confidential letters of
reference on your behalf directly to
the Medical School Admissions
office. The MSTP is especially
interested in hearing from your past
research advisors and others who can
comment on your aptitude for
research. Do not send any letters of
recommendation to the MSTP office.
-
Your secondary
application will be reviewed
independently by the Medical School and
the MSTP. If chosen for an MSTP
interview, you will be invited to visit
New Haven for one day of regular medical
school interviews and orientation,
followed by a second day of interviews
for the MSTP. Our MSTP interview process
includes individual meetings with two
faculty from the social science
department of interest and with two
other graduate faculty.
Important points:
-
MSTP applicants are
not required to have completed their
GRE’s (we accept MCATs)
-
MSTP applicants are
not required to have a Masters
degree when applying.
-
MSTP applicants do
not complete the Graduate
Application form.
Additional Notes on
Applying in Medical Anthropology
A good way to think about
applying for MSTP in social sciences or
humanities is that your application must be
geared toward both (1) the general MSTP
admission committee, and (2) the department
of your choice.
-
Criteria for MSTP
admission include prior academic
performance, documented experience in
research, and commitment to a career in
research. The overall MSTP program
interviews approximately 80 applicants
and enroll 8-10 new MSTP trainees each
year. Successful applicants are
typically notified in April. The
admissions process finishes on May 15th,
and Yale requires newly accepted
students to withdraw from all other
institutions by this date.
-
Although there is no
clear rule, Yale rarely accepts social
science or humanities students. The
decision about which MSTP interviewees
to admit is made primarily by the MSTP
Faculty Committee, none of whom are
trained in social sciences or humanities
(http://www.med.yale.edu/mdphd/administration/index.html).
Students who apply to the
MSTP but are not offered a position
nevertheless receive full consideration for
admission to the regular medical class if
they request this on their application.
Funding:
Medical anthropology MSTP
trainees receive the NIH MSTP training grant
($20,500/year) plus a supplement from the
school of medicine during their medical
school years. During the first two years of
graduate work, they receive only the NIH
MSTP training grant ($20,500/year). During
the final years of graduate training, they
receive no funding from NIH or the
department of medicine. Instead, they must
seek outside grants and funding for
fieldwork and research. The Graduate School
of Arts and Sciences does appoint MD/PhD
students to Teaching Fellowships. This has
traditionally been the primary means for
MD/PhD students in the social sciences or
humanities to support themselves. In
addition the Graduate School will award one
Dissertation Writing Fellowship, which
provides for one fully funded academic year
while the student is writing their
dissertation.
MSTP applicants should be
aware that if you decide to join a social
sciences or humanities program, you will be
provided support solely by MSTP for the
first 2 years of the Ph.D. program.
Contact information:
Yale MD/PhD Program Office
ESH 316
367 Cedar St
New Haven, Ct 06510
Phone: (203) 785-4403
Fax: (203) 785-5422
Email:
susan.sansone@yale.edu
Web:
http://www.med.yale.edu/mdphd/index.html
Various Departmental webpages
Yale History of Med :
www.med.yale.edu/histmed
Yale Econ:
www.econ.yale.edu
Yale Sociology:
www.yale.edu/sociology
Yale Anthropology:
www.yale.edu/anthro
Yale History:
www.yale.edu/history
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