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.

Tri-I graduates are 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 250 participating faculty members, and an organization that fosters student freedom and independence, Tri-I offers unparalleled opportunities for individualized research training. Since its inception in 1972, almost 500 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.

For the first time in the program’s history, there are now two Tri-Institutional MD-PhD students who have been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.  Alexendar Pérez, who created a software package for DNA researchers, joins this year’s list. Pérez and 2017 list honoree Kevin O’Rourke, who studies the genetic causes of colon cancer, discussed their experiences with the program and how it contributed to their success.
Jonathan
Gateways alumnus Jonathan Abraham, M.D., Ph.D., has been recently awarded the NIH Director's Early Independence Award for his project Antibody Therapeutics for Human Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers and Prevention of Late Neurological Syndromes.

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