UA Resident-Physicians Now Can Pursue an MS or Ph.D in Medical Sciences

A new graduate program provides a timely, convenient way to earn a graduate degree - either a master of science or a doctor of philosophy during the residency training years.

On July 1, two surgery resident-physicians at The University of Arizona College of Medicine began pursuing a master's degree in the new Medical Sciences Graduate Program, which is being piloted in the UA department of surgery.

Dr. Atanu Biswas, and Dr. Sergio Rivero, will devote the next year to taking their required graduate classes, designing and conducting research and writing their theses.  

Biswas, who plans to go into plastic surgery, will study skin stem cells in collagen scaffolds with faculty mentor Dr. Horacio Rilo.  Rivero, focusing on neurosurgery, will work with faculty mentor Dr. Martin Weinand, on spinal cord stimulation therapy in chronic low back pain.

The new graduate program provides a timely, convenient way to earn a graduate degree – either an MS (master of science) or a Ph.D (doctor of philosophy) – during the residency training years, so that interested students stay connected with both clinical and research advances in their field, while jump-starting their academic career.

The additional credential of an MS or a Ph.D adds a significant advantage when applying for future fellowships and faculty appointments.

Obtaining a graduate degree as a resident-physician likely will replace the current national paradigm of working toward both a graduate degree and an M.D. (doctor of medicine) as a medical school student.  

The concept for the graduate program came from department of surgery chairman Dr. Rainer Gruessner, who was involved in a similar program at the University of Minnesota.

Gruessner formed a working group of UA faculty to develop the required program documents, with the assistance, in particular, of Paul McDonagh, professor of surgery, and Ronald Heimark, professor of surgery and chief of the section of surgical research.

Two years in the making, the application process received support and guidance from the UA College of Medicine's Dr. Philip Malan, vice dean for academic affairs.

The program recently was approved by both the Faculty Senate and the Arizona Board of Regents. Gruessner is the graduate program chairman; McDonagh is the graduate program director.   

McDonagh, the Allan C. Hudson and Lovaas Chair of Vascular Biology and Coagulation, led the effort. "This exciting new program offers the opportunity to develop the skills and experience necessary to be more competitive for high-level academic positions and to become the future leaders in surgical research," he said. "It will merge applied laboratory and clinical skills in a meaningful way to help fulfill our national need for physician-scientists. It already has helped attract interest in our residency program."  

Though initially involving only the UA department of surgery, the graduate program is open to all clinical disciplines in the College of Medicine.

Successful applicants, after their third year of residency, will complete one to three years of graduate work before returning for their final two years of residency.

MS students will take advanced core courses, a comprehensive course in biostatistics and a course in scientific writing, grant preparation and research ethics, in addition to writing and defending a thesis. Ph.D students also will minor in a basic science discipline that complements their area of dissertation research.  

"Science is changing so rapidly, and physicians must remain at the forefront," Malan said. "Our new graduate program will benefit our faculty as well, helping all of us develop an even more scholarly viewpoint as we build – and become ourselves – the academics of the future."

"Our mission in the UA department of surgery is to advance the practice of surgery by training the next generation of surgeon-scientists – surgeons who not only will become leaders clinically, but also academically," said Gruessner.