Dear Colleagues,
It was a great pleasure to recently attend this year’s Tom and Anne Smith MD-PhD Program fourth annual retreat. At the MU School of Medicine, we train more than 500 medical students at any time, roughly 128 per year.
A small subset of these students are obtaining both an MD and a research PhD. In the past, we admitted two MD-PhD students a year and we have been able to increase this number to four a year. These students are in our medical school not for four years but for at least seven years to obtain both degrees. When these “double doctors” graduate with both an MD and PhD, they are ready to enter the medical field not only as caregivers but also as discoverers of new knowledge that can lead to new treatments and approaches to health care.
Our MD-PhD program — which works closely with the Translational Biosciences PhD program — has been generously supported by Tom and Anne Smith and we recently met with the Smiths to review the progress of the program they have helped support. Our faculty leaders for this program are Charlotte Phillips, PhD, professor of biochemistry and pediatrics, and Dave Arnold, MD, executive director of NextGen Precision Health and professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation.
Each student has a faculty mentor under whom they learn how to become a research scientist. We heard student Jack Andrews discuss research on child outcomes from interventions for parental trauma and alcohol use; Brian Thomas discussed new cancer therapeutics using oligonucleotides; Marcus Jackson discussed research on traumatic brain injury; Matthew Hayden spoke about a novel pathophysiologic process causing heart failure; Andrew Behrmann discussed what can cause heart arrhythmias in pulmonary hypertension; Sahra Gabure discussed research involving complications of bone marrow transplant; Charles Brennan spoke on new ways to measure muscle strength; Pias Malaker discussed data involving the use of propranolol in children with autism; and Taylor Bosworth shared novel ways to address adolescent obesity.
I came away from the retreat reinvigorated after hearing these brilliant young scientists and soon-to-be physicians present their projects. It is not an exaggeration to say that these physician-scientists are the next generation that will bring us new solutions to complex medical issues. The discoveries they make will one day be tools physicians, nurses and other health care providers use daily to help patients and will further allow us to deliver on our mission to save and improve lives.
Also, this Saturday, May 11, the MU School of Medicine will celebrate the graduation of 117 medical students in the class of 2024. This year’s graduating class was highly sought after by hospitals and health systems across the country, evident by their exceptional 97% residency program match rate.
I invite the entire School of Medicine and MU Health Care community to help recognize the newest graduating class of medical students either in-person or virtually. The SOM Spring ’24 Commencement ceremony will begin at 2:30 p.m. in Jesse Auditorium. Virtual attendees can follow along here.
We are delighted to have Shellaine Frazier, DO, associate professor of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences as this year’s commencement speaker. Additionally, we are thrilled to confer an honorary degree of Doctor of Science to Gilbert Ross Jr., MD.
As we close another memorable and successful school year at the University of Missouri and School of Medicine, I want to share a sincere “thank you” to everyone who played a role in our shared success.
Sincerely,
Rick Barohn, MD
Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Hugh E. and Sarah D. Stephenson Dean, School of Medicine
rbarohn@health.missouri.edu
