MD-MSCR Dual-Degree Program | Icahn School of Medicine

CLINICAL RESEARCH EDUCATION PROGRAM

The Patient-Oriented Research Training and Leadership (PORTAL) program at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is a mentored dual degree program that provides in-depth training in collaborative clinical and translational research.

The MD/MSCR PORTAL program offers you the opportunity to earn a dual MD/Master of Science in Clinical Research (MSCR) degree in a multidisciplinary environment while participating in a mentored research experience. The five-year PORTAL program has a carefully tailored and customizable curriculum that contains a wide range of enrichment activities to support student development in clinical and translational research. Students selected for PORTAL receive free tuition for the MSCR degree, as well as a stipend and health insurance coverage for their scholarly year experience.

The PORTAL program is designed to encourage the career development of medical students who seek to become leaders as physician-scientists in clinical and translational research. Through a multidisciplinary approach, students obtain rigorous didactic and practical training in the field of clinical and translational investigation. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai students begin the PORTAL program during their second year of medical school with limited graduate coursework and monthly PORTAL journal clubs.

The program requires very few activities during the third year so that students may concentrate on clinical activities. The PORTAL scholarly year occurs between third and fourth years. With close advisement from PORTAL faculty, students select a research mentor and work on a focused research project during the scholarly year, while completing MSCR coursework. The scholarly year curriculum also includes regular career development activities, works-in-progress meetings with PORTAL faculty, and the opportunity to attend national meetings. PORTAL scholarly year research serves as the basis for the MSCR thesis which is submitted during the fourth year.

The PORTAL program aims to support the development of clinical and translational investigators. Our students have gone on to research residencies and fellowships, NIH-funded training programs and career development awards, and their work has yielded hundreds of peer-reviewed publications. In addition, the program offers a strong sense of community and dedicated faculty who support student development. The PORTAL program is an excellent option for medical students who wish to integrate a strong clinical investigation component into their career.

Students apply for PORTAL during the first year of the MD program. There is an informational session each November.

Find Faculty Visit Us

PORTAL Leadership & Staff

Mary Rojas, PhD

Director, Medical Student Research, Associate Professor of Medical Education

Keith M Sigel, MD, PhD

Co-Director, PORTAL Program (MD/MSCR), Associate Director, Medical Student Research, Professor of Medicine

Janice L Gabrilove, MD

Director, MS in Clinical Research, Co-Director, PORTAL, Professor of Medicine

Alan J Moskowitz, MD

Professor and Vice Chair, Population Health Science and Policy; Co-Director, MS in Clinical Research and PORTAL Program

Arvind Kumar

“The PORTAL program provided me with a unique opportunity to learn the nuts and bolts about various types of clinical research. The unique blend of autonomy and mentorship ensured that we had the confidence to carry out our research from start to finish. The knowledge and skills I have gained will be pivotal during residency and in my future career in academic medicine.”

Horacio Romero Castillo

"The MD/MSCR PORTAL program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has been instrumental in shaping my trajectory towards a career in academic medicine. Through its unwavering support, I have cultivated meaningful research relationships with esteemed faculty, fostering mentorship and collaboration that fuel my intellectual growth.”

Arvind Kumar

Horacio Romero Castillo

Daniel Bu

"PORTAL was easily one of the most meaningful experiences of my medical education at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and set me up for a two-year fellowship in the United Kingdom. It equipped me to evaluate clinical and epidemiologic evidence rigorously, ask focused questions, and then undertake research to test these hypotheses.”

Ayman Mohammad

"Through PORTAL, I have forged strong relationships with faculty mentors and delved deeply into research areas of interest. Finding a mentor who is actively invested in my own professional development has made my PORTAL experience wonderful.”

Spencer Kiehm

"The PORTAL curriculum is very well-designed and highly relevant both to my thesis project and to my future career as a clinician and researcher. I’ve had the opportunity to acquire and hone skills in study design, statistical analysis, and scientific writing, as well as create meaningful connections with faculty and mentors in my field of interest.”