Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
Joint DO/PhD Program
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
and
Doctor of Philosophy in Cellular and Molecular Biology
Program Summary:
The Joint DO/PhD Program is a collaborative initiative between the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) and University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (USciences).
The purpose of the Program is to provide a joint degree offering for students who wish to pursue physician-scientist careers. The Program seeks to attract to PCOM those students with specialized career plans, who previously did not consider the college because no formal DO/PhD research track was offered. The research-intensive program provides three full years of research fellowship training within the four-year osteopathic medical program. The three-year research component culminates in a research project and dissertation defense.
PCOM will award the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree after successful completion of the DO Program. USciences will award the Doctor of Philosophy degree upon successful completion of all requirements for the PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology Program, including dissertation defense and submission of a final manuscript for publication.
Goal:
The Joint DO/PhD Program is designed to train physician-scientists who will contribute to the fund of knowledge by conducting original, high quality scientific research with the perspective of a clinical practitioner. The program represents a critical link between bench and bedside by combining medical training with research training and will produce clinical scholar-practitioners who can make ongoing contributions to the osteopathic clinical, scientific and academic community.
