Watch this short video to learn more about the curriculum.
The curriculum consists of three phases:
- In the first two years of the program, MD-PhD students follow the Weill Cornell Medical College curriculum, including 18 months of foundational coursework and 6 months of required clerkships. In addition, they take graduate level classes that expose them to modern developments in biomedical and translational research. During this time, MD-PhD students complete three laboratory rotations.
- During the graduate school phase (3.5-4.5 years), MD-PhD students take limited coursework and conduct original research in order to satisfy the requirements for the PhD degree.
- During the final phase (18 months), MD-PhD students return to medical school to complete their required clerkships and participate in electives before applying for residency.
Program Timeline
Years 1 and 2
Tri-I students arrive on campus on July 1 to complete their first rotation before medical school begins in mid-August. They also take a course in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR), facilitated by Tri-I leadership, over the first summer. In addition to the first 18 months of pre-clinical medical school courses at Weill Cornell Medical College, students take several MD-PhD-specific courses: Introduction to Clinical and Translational Research, Frontiers in Biomedicine I & II, and Research Lunches. They complete their second and third rotations during the summer between medical school years 1 and 2.
During the last 6 months of the pre-PhD portion of their studies, students complete 18 weeks of clerkships and a Pathology elective, as well as sit for USMLE Step 1.
Year 3 through Thesis Defense
Students select a thesis lab and graduate school by August of Year 3. During the first year of graduate school, they complete limited, advanced level coursework, including a course in Quantitative Methods.
By the end of Year 3, students write and defend a Thesis Research Proposal (TRP). Program leadership provides a grant-writing tutorial to support students in converting their TRP into an NIH NRSA F30/F31 application. While in the lab, students maintain their clinical skills by participating in the Weill Cornell Community Clinic or shadowing physicians in fields they would like to explore.
Final Clinical Training
Students defend their theses in the early fall before resuming clerkship training. They complete their remaining core clerkships, sit for USMLE Step 2, and undertake a Sub-I and clinical electives before applying for residency. In their final year, in addition to interviewing for residency, students complete remaining coursework (Advanced Clinical Ethics [ACE], Health Policy [HP], and Transition to Residency [TTR]), as well as advanced clinical and research electives.