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MD/PhD Programs in the Social Sciences & Humanities - University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston, TX)

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 If you are aware of any outdated or incorrect information on this page, or if you can think of anything useful to include, please let us know at ssh@physicianscientists.org so that we may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.

University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston, TX)

Social Science/Humanities PhD Field Supported:

Medical Humanities

Description of Program:

The Institute for the Medical Humanities offers the nation's only M.D.-Ph.D. training in medical humanities. A distinguished faculty represents the disciplines of history, ethics, religious studies, literature, and law as these bear on issues of health, medical care, biomedical research, and policy. The goal of this program is to train MD-PhD students in the areas of medical humanities and medical ethics so that, combined with their experiences and training as physicians, they will become leaders and scholars in furthering these critical areas of medicine. Students complete an individually tailored course of study covering a core curriculum and specific areas of interest.

Structure of Program:

Typically medical humanities MD/PhD students complete their first two years of medical school and either one semester of third year clerkships, or a full year. They then begin their PhD program in medical humanities. The medical humanities PhD involves an interdisciplinary program in which students will take a group of core classes as well as courses in one or more major and one or more minor areas of specialization.

Areas of specialization include:

• Health Care Ethics
• Health Policy
• History of Medicine
• Literature and Narrative Studies in Health Care
• Religion and Medicine

After completion of the PhD, students return to medical school to finish their remaining clerkships. The program takes an average of 7 years.

MD/PhD Program: http://www.utmb.edu/mdphd/
Institute for Medical Humanities: http://www.utmb.edu/imh/

Size of incoming joint MD/PhD class:

8

Number of students in the social sciences or humanities:

approximately 1/year

Number of graduates from the SSH joint MD/PhD program:

4

Current number of students in the MD/PhD Medical Anthropology Program:

4

Application Process:

To apply for admission to the Combined Degree Program for 2008 matriculation, an application should be requested from and returned to the Association of American Medical Colleges. A separate Graduate School application is not required.

The letters should be sent to:

Steven A. Weinman, M.D., Ph.D
Director, M.D.-Ph.D. Combined Degree Program
University of Texas Medical Branch
301 University Boulevard
Galveston , TX 77555-1041

Applications will be reviewed by the M.D.-Ph.D. Combined Degree Program Admissions Committee. Selected applicants will be invited for M.D.-Ph.D. Program interviews. Criteria for selection include prior academic performance, performance on MCAT, prior research experience, and commitment to a career in biomedical research.

The application must be received by November 1st of the year preceding September matriculation. Failure to be admitted to the M.D.-Ph.D. Program does not jeopardize admission to the School of Medicine or the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at UTMB. Applicants must apply separately to the School of Medicine via the TMDSAS application to be considered for medical school-only: http://www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas/

Specific to Applying in Medical Humanities:

Additionally, applicants to this program must submit a writing sample reflecting the applicant's ability to develop and sustain an analysis or argument. The sample should be a minimum of 5 pages in length. Creative writing samples (poems, plays, stories, etc.), journalism, and other nonacademic, non-scholarly writings are discouraged. Writing samples should be sent directly to:

Shannon Carroll
Administrator, MD-PhD Combined Degree Program
The University of Texas Medical Branch
301 University Boulevard
Galveston , TX 77555-1041
Phone: 409-772-5446
Fax: 409-772-5420
E-mail: md-phd.prog@utmb.edu

Funding:

Medical humanities MD/PhD students receive an allowance for the full cost of tuition and fees plus a stipend for both medical and graduate school portions of the program.

Contact information:

MD-PhD Combined Degree Program
Shannon Carroll, Administrator
The University of Texas Medical Branch
301 University Boulevard
Galveston, TX 77555-1041
Phone: 409-772-5446
Fax: 409-772-5420
E-mail: md-phd.prog@utmb.edu

The Institute for the Medical Humanities
Donna Vickers, Administrator
University of Texas Medical Branch
301 University Blvd.
Galveston, Texas, USA 77555-1311
Phone:(409) 772-2376
Fax:(409) 772-5640
http://www.utmb.edu/imh/