MCW launches master’s in medical physiology program
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) has launched a new, nine-month Master’s in Medical Physiology Program that is designed to help college graduates who wish to strengthen their academic record for medical school applications while also providing a basis of skills and knowledge for medical and scientific careers in academia, industry or government.
“We want to prepare students with the knowledge and confidence to achieve their career goals,” said Melinda Dwinell, PhD, associate professor of physiology and director of the Master’s in Medical Physiology Program. “Our program provides a core foundation in the basic sciences through coursework in physiology and other disciplines and introduces state-of-the-art techniques that are driving the frontiers of scientific knowledge.”
In August 2015, eight students will be entered in the program’s first class and will be integrated into the first-year medical student curriculum by taking three courses with first-year medical students.
“Integration of our students into portions of the first-year medical school curriculum allows them to demonstrate their abilities to achieve at a high academic level and handle a large course load,” said Matthew Hodges, PhD, assistant professor of physiology and co-director of the Master’s in Medical Physiology Program.
To further the immersion experience, the master-level students will receive a “virtual rank” for each of these integrated medical school courses in order to track their relative performance. The students will also take multiple graduate-level courses to expand their understanding of the basic sciences.
MCW’s department of physiology accepts applications for the Master’s in Medical Physiology Program on a rolling basis. Applicants must submit their materials through the online system managed by MCW’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. While no interviews are required for the review and selection process, interested individuals must submit MCAT scores, transcripts and letters of recommendation.
About the Medical College of Wisconsin
The Medical College of Wisconsin is the state’s only private medical school and health sciences graduate school. Founded in 1893, it is dedicated to leadership and excellence in education, patient care, research and community engagement. More than 1,200 students are enrolled in MCW’s medical school and graduate school programs in Milwaukee, and 26 medical students are enrolled at MCW-Green Bay. A regional medical education campus is scheduled to open in Central Wisconsin in 2016. MCW’s School of Pharmacy will open in 2017 or 2018 with an initial class size of 60 students. A major national research center, MCW is the largest research institution in the Milwaukee metro area and second largest in Wisconsin. In FY 2013-14, faculty received approximately $154 million in external support for research, teaching, training and related purposes, of which approximately $138 million is for research. This total includes highly competitive research and training awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Annually, MCW faculty direct or collaborate on more than 2,000 research studies, including clinical trials. Additionally, more than 1,350 physicians provide care in virtually every specialty of medicine for more than 425,000 patients annually.
