The Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM) at Stony Brook University has secured a new five-year, $5.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support its Medical Science Training Program (MSTP). The funding, which will run through June 30, 2030, is intended to continue training future physician scientists.
The MSTP was established by the NIH decades ago to help students who are interested in scientific discovery and improved clinical care pursue dual MD and PhD degrees without being burdened by high levels of educational debt. The NIH grant covers tuition, health insurance, and provides a stipend for students enrolled in the program.
Additional financial support for the MSTP comes from RSOM itself, trainees’ PhD mentors, and individual fellowships obtained from both the NIH and private foundations.
Michael Frohman, MD, PhD, Distinguished SUNY Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacological Sciences at Stony Brook University, has directed the MSTP for 22 years. “The landscape for training students to become the next-generation’s physician-scientists is ever evolving and the program maximizes their education and capabilities during this period of accelerated discovery,” said Dr. Frohman. “The key driving force is to instill in them the importance of being able to identify unmet clinical needs and translate research findings based on them into improved medical practice."
Dr. Frohman also noted that graduates who complete the eight-year MSTP enter residency as skilled clinicians with experience in conducting translational research. To date, approximately 150 graduates have completed the program and have gone on to careers at academic medical centers, federal health agencies, and biotechnology companies.
Currently about 75 students are enrolled in RSOM’s MSTP. With this latest NIH grant increase, nine new students can be recruited into the program each year. The previous NIH grant awarded in 2020 provided $3.7 million over five years.