Cooperative Program between University of Puerto Rico Medical School, Yale School of Medicine & Yale Graduate School

The Yale-UPR M.D./Ph.D. Cooperative Program allows students to obtain an M.D. from the University of Puerto Rico-School of Medicine (UPR-SOM) at the University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus (UPR-MSC) and a Ph.D. from the Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) at Yale University in approximately eight years. This program is targeted to students committed to a career as a physician scientist and who meet the requirements for admission to both the M.D. program at UPR-SOM and the Ph.D. program at Yale. All medical training activities will occur at UPR-SOM, and all basic science doctoral research activities will occur at Yale.

Prospective students will apply simultaneously to UPR-SOM and to BBS via each institution’s respective online application process. Students will communicate their desire to participate in the Cooperative M.D./Ph.D. Program to Ricardo González Méndez, Ph.D., Coordinator and Director of Dual Degrees at UPR-SOM, prior to applying to the BBS Ph.D. program. The application process at UPR-SOM has an absolute deadline of December 1. Students must submit applications through: 1-AMCAS, and 2-the UPR-MSC, by the aforementioned deadline. The admission process for UPR-SOM starts in December and ends by mid-March. Visit https://M.D..rcm.upr.edu/M.D.-program/ for more information about applying to UPR-SOM. The Yale BBS application deadline is December 1, and applicants will learn of their admission to BBS by the end of March. Visit https://medicine.yale.edu/bbs/apply/ for more information about applying to BBS. Students may also apply to the program during their first year at UPR-SOM. Students may request guidance or advice on the application to the Yale BBS Ph.D. program by contacting Karina González Herrera, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Collaborative Excellence in the Office of Collaborative Excellence at Yale School of Medicine. Students must be accepted to both UPR-SOM and Yale to participate in the Cooperative M.D./Ph.D. Program. Admission to either UPR-SOM or to Yale BBS alone does not guarantee admission to the Cooperative M.D./Ph.D. Program.

Successful applicants to BBS should possess the following attributes:

• Strong academic record
• Independent research experience
• Strong letters of recommendation
• Statement of Purpose clearly articulates how research will be incorporated into career plans
• Proficiency in English (Any applicant whose native language is not English must demonstrate English proficiency by submitting IELTS or TOEFL scores.)

The BBS Track to which applicants apply will conduct interviews and recommend admissions decisions to the Dean of the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). The GSAS Dean will make formal admissions decisions and communicate decisions to the applicants.

Students will complete all of the requirements for the M.D. degree at UPR-SOM, and while enrolled at UPR-SOM will be classified as medical students only and participate in clinical activities as part of the M.D. degree. They will complete all of the requirements for the Ph.D. at Yale, and while enrolled at Yale will be classified as graduate students only; therefore, clinical activities will not be part of the Ph.D. program. An outline of the overall training schedule is below:

* An additional year, Year 9, could be added in a case where a student may need additional time to complete Ph.D. program requirements.

Students will complete the first three years of medical school at UPR-SOM. In the summer after year 1 they will conduct a lab rotation at Yale between the first week of June and July 29. Yale will cover the costs of round-trip airfare, housing, and living expenses during the summer rotations. In the summer after year 2 they will complete USMLE Step I. Students must pass the USMLE Step I and Step II prior to the start of the Ph.D. degree at Yale. USMLE Step II should be completed no later than the conclusion of the month of July at the end of the third year of medical school.

Lab rotations will continue in the fall semester of the students’ fourth year, and students will select a thesis lab by the start of the spring semester and join their thesis advisor’s department. In years 4 and 5 they will complete course requirements for the Ph.D. degree, take a qualifying exam, and begin thesis research. At some point during years 5 through 7 they will serve as teaching fellows for one semester. Academic progress will be monitored by each student’s Director of Graduate Studies, and research progress will be assessed by each student’s thesis committee. At the end of each academic year Yale BBS will provide a letter or report indicating that the student is in good standing and has completed all the milestones required for the Ph.D. as scheduled by the curriculum of the Ph.D. program. This will allow UPR-SOM to certify progress and ensure compliance with the requirements of the M.D./Ph.D. Dual Degree program at UPR-SOM. Students must include Marietta Vazquez, Associate Dean of Medical Student Collaborative Excellence and Professor of Pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine, on their thesis committees. Dr. Vazquez will serve as a faculty with experience in ensuring that M.D./Ph.D. students complete their theses in a timely fashion. Completion of the Ph.D. degree is estimated to take approximately 4-5 years. Students must remain in good standing at Yale during the Ph.D. training.

After receiving the Ph.D. from Yale University, students will return to UPR-SOM for the remainder of their medical training and to receive their M.D. degree. The expectation is that the M.D. degree will not be awarded prior to the completion of the Ph.D. requirements. It is anticipated that the Cooperative Program will generally require approximately 8-9 years to complete. The maximum time allowed for completion of both degrees is a total of 10 years combined. Any exceptions to this timeline will be reviewed and determined on a case-by-case basis for any trainee who may need take a leave of absence during the program.

UPR-SOM will provide financial aid during the M.D. part of the program including: a graduate research assistantship that includes full tuition remission and a small stipend, pay for the student healthcare insurance plan as provided by UPR options, pay for UPR fees, and adjust the UPR-SOM Special Fee for Learning Materials for all M.D./Ph.D. students that are in compliance with the UPR-SOM Dual Degrees Policies and regulations.

Yale will provide full stipend, tuition coverage, and student health insurance during the summer rotation and for the duration of the Ph.D. studies in years 4 through 7 (or 8). Yale will also cover the costs of round-trip airfare, and housing during the summer rotation. While students are matriculated at Yale, their funding will be provided according to standard BBS funding guidelines. At present all students receive funding through central University resources for their first 3 years of graduate study. The thesis adviser provides funding in subsequent years.

Ricardo González-Méndez, Ph.D., UPR Professor of Radiological Sciences and Coordinator and Director of Dual Degree Programs, and Craig Roy, Ph.D., Yale Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis and Director of BBS, will direct the program. They will assist UPR-SOM students in selection of mentors for summer rotation(s) at Yale and will provide similar guidance throughout the following years of their Ph.D. training. Karina González Herrera, Ph.D., Associate Dean in the Office of Collaborative Excellence at Yale School of Medicine, will serve as an additional mentor to establish a Yale connection with the students before the start of the Ph.D. program and throughout the student’s training at Yale. Additionally, Anton Bennett, Ph.D., Dorys McConnell Duberg Professor of Pharmacology and Professor of Comparative Medicine, and Dr. González Herrera will be the contacts at Yale for any students with questions about the Ph.D. program or the application process. Dr. González Herrera will share an annual update regarding the status and progress of students participating in the program during their training at Yale. Marietta Vazquez, M.D., Associate Dean of Medical Student Collaborative Excellence and Professor of Pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine, will serve as a clinical advisor to the scholars. Dr. Vazquez will also meet with each student to ease the transition to the student community at Yale. Dr. Vazquez can serve as a resource to discuss the students’ clinical career goals.