About the Program

The Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program is training physician-scientists who will become the next generation of leaders in biomedical research. Weill Cornell Medicine, The Rockefeller University, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center combine to form one of the few inter-institutional collaborations dedicated to joint MD and PhD training.

Graduates of the Program are thus prepared to lead tomorrow's biomedical research efforts and to carry the knowledge acquired from basic research to the bedside. The eminent clinical and research faculties of the three institutions provide a stimulating environment for both basic research and medical training. With over 280 participating faculty members, and an organization that fosters student freedom and independence, the Program offers unparalleled opportunities for individualized research training. Since its inception in 1972, over 400 graduates have been prepared to tackle the urgent medical research needs of society. The Program awards the MD degree from Weill Cornell Medical College and the PhD degree from Weill Cornell Graduate School, The Rockefeller University, or Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School. Each year over 600 students apply for on average 16-18 positions, which are fully funded from start to finish-in part by the National Institutes of Health's Medical Scientist Training Program.

Autism-linked
A gene linked to autism spectrum disorders plays a critical role in early brain development and may shape the formation of both normal and atypical nerve connections in the brain, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.
Dr. Alex Gitlin (Tri-I MD-PhD graduating class of 2017) was recently named a recipient of a 2022 NIH Director's Early Independence Award. Dr. Gitlin, who joined the faculty at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the fall of 2022, was given the award in support of his project Regulation of Proinflammatory Cytokine Responses by a Caspase-8-N4BP1 Axis.

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