Advising
The Medical Scientist Training Program provides multiple opportunities for advice, formally and informally, from students and faculty. Trainees interact with other students, MSTP faculty advisors, the MSTP Director and Assistant Director, and the MSTP advisory committee. The venues where the majority of advising takes place are the monthly social hours, semimonthly evening seminars, and annual retreats. This plethora of sources for advice enables individualized assistance for each student in planning the course of study.
At UCSD, MSTP trainees choose a graduate department by the middle of the second year in the program. There is a great deal of flexibility in choosing research advisors and departments, which can be either at UCSD or affiliates. With so many options, deciding on a path can be challenging.
Some of the most valuable advisory resources are older students, who have gotten through the coursework, picked a lab, published a thesis, and returned to the wards. Before formally starting the program, a "big sibling" in the immediately preceding class is matched to each incoming student. The big sib serves as a guide. Often, students receive the most current advice regarding navigating the program, choosing a lab, or living in San Diego from fellow MD/PhD students. The big sib helps new students to adjust to life (both academic and social) in medical/graduate school.
Discussion of career paths and research takes place at evening seminars every two weeks, open only to program trainees. MSTP students and a faculty member share dinner and discuss the career path chosen by the faculty member for an hour. The conversation tends to be quite honest and direct, as only one faculty member is present. In the second hour of the seminar, the faculty member gives a research presentation. Exposure to unexpectedly interesting avenues of research is a bonus of these seminars. Program seminars can also serve as practice sessions for trainees soon defending their theses.
The interaction between students is personal as well as professional. Once a year there is a weekend retreat. Previously, this retreat was held in Big Bear, California, located in the mountains northeast of San Diego, and in Julian, California. The retreat is a time to bond with fellow students. It is scheduled for the weekend before the new medical student orientation week. The retreat's agenda consists of scientific and career presentations and discussions about program issues. However, the main concern is to provide the background for strong bonding between students in different phases of the program.
For advice on the direction of research and the course of a career, faculty excel. Often, such a faculty mentor is the advisor for whom a student does a graduate thesis. However, the mentor can be anyone who can help focus scientific interests and advise on career development. Each student should have one primary mentor, for consistent help towards a commonly-understood goal — though the goal will become better-defined over the course of training and may even change. There are many UCSD faculty with MD and PhD degrees available for mentoring.
The Program Director, Dr. Insel, and the Associate Director, Dr. Glass, are accessible at any time. They both hold annual luncheons with each class, which provides a good opportunity to discuss issues regarding the program. The Program Coordinator, Christine Moran, is always available to chat or answer serious questions. With questions more generally applicable to medical school, the staff of the Office of Student Affairs is always available to help through every part of Medical School.
Dr. Insel hosts the annual MSTP party at his home each May. The annual orientation breakfast occurs during the first week of school, the orientation week for first-year students. Incoming MSTP students meet the current trainees as well as MSTP advisors and learn about different stages in the program. A social hour with faculty and students is scheduled once a month. It is an opportunity for faculty and students to interact and socialize informally.
