The MD/PhD training program at Tufts Medical School and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences was founded in 1976 by Bruce Furie, MD with the admission of the first four students. The program continued on a small scale until a major reorganization in 1985 when the late Dr James Dice became the program director. The program obtained funding from the NIH in 1991.
During the 1990s, the program incorporated more student choice and began to allow students to matriculate without pre-identifying the graduate program in which they would eventually study. This change, still in place today, allows Tufts MSTP students to explore all of the graduate programs and make decisions about research direction after completing the first two years of medical school. Dr Dice was succeeded in 2004 by Dr Matthew Waldor.
Since its inception, more than 30 MSTP students have completed their training. Our students can now be found in academic medical centers and research laboratories in academic and industrial settings. Some of our students have chosen to enter private practice. A complete list of our alumni, their internship and residency placement, and their current positions can be found in the accompanying on our Alumni Page.
Dr James Schwob, our present director, assumed leadership in 2006. He continues our strong traditions and is actively working to enrich program curriculum and activities.