The Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program (Tri-I), a Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), is a joint undertaking between Weill Cornell Medicine, The Rockefeller University, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Trainees complete their MD degree at Weill Cornell Medical College, and PhD training at one of the three participating graduate schools: Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences; the David Rockefeller Graduate Program in Bioscience; or the Louis V. Gerstner Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Tri-I guides students through a rigorous course of study that offers flexibility and unfettered access to experienced mentors in leading laboratories. An integrated curriculum reinforces the students’ identities as clinician-scientists; equally well-prepared to work in the laboratory and at the bedside, Tri-I graduates bridge the gap between clinical medicine and laboratory research. 

Learn more about the Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program by watching the short video below.

I arrived at the Tri-Institutional Campus in September 1972 to pursue post-doctoral training in biophysics with Alexander Mauro at The Rockefeller University. I was recruited to Cornell University Medical College, now Weill Cornell Medicine, in 1973, where I embarked on my independent research career in membrane biophysics.
The Olaf S. Andersen Physician-Scientist Award was created by the Incoming Class of 2017 to honor the legacy of Dr. Olaf Andersen, who was Director from 1996 until 2021. Each year, MD-PhD students in their 3rd year of medical school are nominated by their peers and mentors for the award, with the recipient chosen by the Executive Committee. The award, in addition to the honor and prestige it brings, comes with a $3,000 prize.