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Rice Collaborates with Baylor to Offer Medical Scientist Training Program
Emmanuel Chang sees a future as perhaps followed by a fellowship. Programs
a physician and scientist special- of this type are few, Crawford says. Within
izing in ophthalmology, probably that elite group, the Rice–Baylor partner-
in an academic medical center ship is one of the premier options, in part
setting. For him and a select group due to the close collaborative relationship
of similarly motivated students, between the two institutions.
a medical–doctoral joint degree Chang, a student working in the lab of
program offered in conjunction Rebekah Drezek, the Stanley C. Moore
with Rice’s Department of Bio- Assistant Professor in Bioengineering and
engineering and Baylor College in Electrical and Computer Engineering,
of Medicine offers the best of says the way the program is organized
both worlds. adds to its advantages. “You actually get
Chang, who studied biomedical and
clinical experience before working on
electrical engineering as an undergradu-
your PhD, unlike most schools where you
ate, was attracted to the Medical Scientist
sit in a classroom for two years with no
Training Program for the opportunity to
patient contact and then go to get your
learn in two world-class institutions and
doctorate,” he explains. “With no patient
the chance to combine laboratory research
contact for fi ve years, it’s hard to keep up
with hands-on healing.
your motivation.”
“It is very important to me to be able
Geography also plays a part in the
to help others,” he says. “I think I can
program’s quality and its attraction to
really make a difference by applying my
bioengineering students, Chang adds.
research interests in nanotechnology and
“There are very few bioengineering MD/
imaging to ophthalmology, and I’m espe-
PhD programs because most medical schools
cially interested in pediatrics.”
don’t have local access to a high-quality
It’s a rigorous program, and students
engineering program like the one at Rice,”
are usually in their mid-30s before they
he says. “Because the two institutions
enter the professional world. But those
are so close and collaborate so well, the
holding dual degrees are rare—only about
program is quite interdisciplinary. Also,
10 percent of the faculty at Baylor—and
Rice’s bioengineering department has a
they are in demand for clinical medicine,
huge clinical focus.”
research, and teaching.
The number of bioengineering programs
“These students are highly sought
across the country is growing, Richards-Ko-
after, as you can imagine,” notes Kathy
rtum says, creating a larger pool of students
Crawford, director of administrative op-
with engineering backgrounds. She predicts
erations for the Baylor program. “Really,
the interest in medical–doctoral joint degree
they have their pick of anywhere they
programs will grow as healthcare continues
want to go.”
to become increasingly technology-focused.
The program, which began almost 30
And, she says, Rice increasingly will stress
years ago, admits only a small percentage
bench-to-bedside research.
of applicants. Demand is growing, and in
“A big focus of the engineering de-
just four years, the number of students
partment over the next fi ve years will be
pursuing their doctorate in bioengineering
translational research,” Richards-Kortum
has grown to 18 from just seven.
says. “Students in this program are at the
“These are absolutely phenomenal
forefront of understanding the limits of
students,” says Rebecca Richards-Kortum,
clinical medicine, but at the same time, they
the Stanley C. Moore Professor of Bioen-
are able to design technology to eliminate
gineering and Electrical and Computer
the problems.”
Engineering at Rice. “They are academi-
The dual degree will position Chang
cally talented, of course, but they’re also
perfectly for his goal: helping people around
compassionate and inventive. Not only do
the world. “Academics tend to pursue things
they want to participate in patient care,
that are interesting to them,” he notes.
they want to make that care better.”
“However, their research may not always
During the fi rst 24 months of the pro-
result in clinical signifi cance for patient
gram, students attend medical school at
management. Having an MD helps you
Baylor, completing basic science courses
understand the clinical standards of care
and some clinical rotations. Then they
and directs your focus toward clinical issues
complete doctoral work at Rice. Finally,
at the bedside. On the fl ip side, an MD with
they return to Baylor for about a year to
a PhD better realizes what research tools
fi nish clinical work and receive their medical
are available.”
—Dawn Dorsey
degree. Some stop there, but most go on
to another three to fi ve years of residency,
Emmanuel Chang, a student in the medical–doctoral joint degree program, works in a lab at Rice University.
16 Rice Sallyport
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