The Iowa Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at the University of Iowa is among of the nation’s oldest. From the start, our goal has been to train a diverse group of outstanding students to become future leaders of academic medicine and medical research. Continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1977, the Iowa MSTP has 254 alumni with careers spanning the spectrum from basic science research to clinical medicine and many variations in between.
We have developed a blended curriculum that integrates scientific investigation and clinical training while emphasizing the connections and intersections between science and medicine at all stages of training. Integration is achieved through innovative enrichment activities, such as MSTP Mondays, MSTP Grand Rounds, Conversations in Research, Clinical Connections, and Creative Communications Workshop. These activities capitalize on our dynamic faculty mentors and rotation faculty, encourage innovation and teamwork, facilitate career development, and continually emphasize connections between science and medicine. Within our integrative training program environment, we focus on advising individual trainees during transitions between the clinical phase and graduate phase of training.
The Iowa MSTP fosters a strong academic and social community within the college. While large enough to be an independent academic unit, the program is still small enough to provide students with the individual attention their unique careers require.