During this phase of your education, you will focus on developing your dissertation work in the laboratory of a mentor in one of our Multidisciplinary Training Areas:

• Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies in Medicine
• Cancer Biology
• Development, Regeneration, and Stem Cells
• Disease Mechanisms and Therapeutics
• Genetics and Genomic Sciences
• Immunology
• Microbiology
• Neuroscience

Over the first year in the lab, you will work with your research advisor to develop a thesis proposal and assemble a thesis advisory committee. You will defend a written proposal in an oral examination.

The format of your proposal will be modeled after the NIH F30/F31 research strategy, making it both recommended and advantageous to submit for an NIH F30/F31.

Publications

Our students publish their groundbreaking research in high-impact journals throughout the course of their PhD journey, with a substantial number of these noteworthy publications materializing towards the culmination of their program. On average, our MD-PhD students achieve more than five publications and two first-author-publications as a result of their time at the Icahn School.

East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership

During the PhD Phase, you may also choose to maintain and hone your clinical skills through the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP). The partnership is a free, student-run clinic for uninsured patients, and is sponsored by the Mount Sinai Health System. Every Saturday, volunteer medical students function as primary care providers under the supervision of volunteer attending physicians. EHHOP provides an outstanding opportunity for medical students to “learn by doing” in a supportive, educational environment.

MD-PhD students in the PhD Phase have always played an important role at EHHOP. A formal Physician-Scientist Track  for MD-PhD students provides our trainees with the clinical information, skills, and confidence they need to deliver excellent quality care to their patients while educating their peers in clinical learning