Gateways to the Laboratory Summer Program

In 1993, the Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program was the first MD-PhD Program in the country to establish a summer program for undergraduates with a focus on the clinician-scientist pathway. 

As of 2024, 384 students have “graduated” from Gateways. Over 90% of Gateways alumni have either earned are pursuing an MD, MD-PhD, or PhD degree, including 23 who have graduated from or are currently enrolled at Tri-I.

ABRCMS 2024 group pic

Program Highlights

Every year, 15 students spend nine weeks on our tri-institutional campus learning about the rewards and challenges of becoming a physician-scientist.

Over the summer, Gateways students will:

  • Spend 9 weeks* living and studying in New York City
  • Work independently on a research project at Weill Cornell Medicine, The Rockefeller University, or Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
  • Receive guidance from a current MD-PhD student (a "Big Sib")
  • Participate in clinical skills and professional development workshops
  • Participate and present in weekly journal clubs
  • Shadow physicians at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
  • Volunteer at a community outreach program
  • Give oral and poster presentations about their research at The Leadership Alliance National Symposium and the final Gateways Symposium

students community clinic

Financial Support and Housing

Gateways participants are housed on the Weill Cornell campus, steps away from their research labs. Participants receive a $5,500 stipend, as well as reimbursement for travel to and from NYC.

Important Dates

Applications for the 2025 Gateways Program must be submitted before February 3, 2025 via The Leadership Alliance.

*The 2025 program will run for 8 weeks from June 9 through July 31, 2025.

Watch the video below to hear the some students from the 2019 Gateways class sing the praises of their experiences at the Tri-I. 



On October 19, 2020 the National Academy of Medicine announced the election of its new members for this year. Included among the 90 distinguished doctors are two Tri-Institutional MD-PhD alumni, Wendy K. Chung, M.D., PhD (Tri-I graduating class of 1998) and David E. Fisher, PhD, MD  (Tri-I graduating class of 1985).
Dr. Clark Fisher, MD, PhD, (Tri-I MD-PhD graduating class of 2017), currently at Yale University, has developed a ventilator circuit that can support two patients with individualized peak inspiratory and end-expiratory pressures. Dr. Fisher's project addresses the current shortage of ICU ventilators experienced by hospitals across the United States and the world with a a low-cost, off the shelf solution to stretch the limited resources available.

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