My New Adventure: The Life of a Dual Degree Student!

1:24 PM

Author | Jeff Nadel

Hi everyone, thanks for reading about my new adventure! I am an M4 student currently on leave from the medical school to pursue one of the many dual degree opportunities available at the University of Michigan Medical School. In particular, I am a part of this year's Master of Science in Clinical Research (MSCR) cohort.

After more than a year of spending my days traversing the hurried corridors of Michigan Medicine, this week I traded my stethoscope for pencil and sat down in a lecture hall of more than 200 students for the first day of the School of Public Health's orientation. Do you remember those first-day-of-school jitters that you always felt growing up? The excited apprehension and nervous energy?  Well unsurprisingly, those feelings were palpable among the incoming students who were starting MPH, MS and PhD programs this week. So many new faces eagerly embracing a common goal: to improve the public's health.

A view from Bonobo Winery in Traverse City, MI--a beautiful summer getaway spot for those yearning for an escape!

A view from Bonobo Winery in Traverse City, MI--a beautiful summer getaway spot for those yearning for an escape!

Since starting med school in 2014, I had been interested in the dual degree offerings at UMMS. With such a high concentration of exceptional schools and programs all on one campus, it seemed like a no-brainer to explore and take advantage. In the end, I was deciding between pursuing an MPH and the MSCR. The latter won!

The MSCR is an especially unique program. It is funded by a large training grant from the NIH in an effort to improve clinician involvement in research. We take classes in the School of Public Health ranging from biostatistics and epidemiology to translational research. We also have room to take fun electives! This semester, I'm learning how to use a statistical computer program (SAS) and also taking a health informatics class to figure out how to improve electronic medical records. Trust me, they need some work! One added bonus: since the program is funded by the NIH, there is money to cover tuition, living expenses, as well as academic and career development opportunities (such as attending conferences) for the year. Our cohort consists almost entirely of medical students, though previous years have included students from the dental school, pharmacy school, and others.

Beyond the classroom, we are also required to conduct yearlong, mentored scholarly research in our primary area of interest. That spells excitement for most of us in the program—dedicated research time is hard to come by in med school. I am doing a couple of projects in my intended specialty, neurosurgery. One project is using spatial epidemiology to map the incidence of rare skull base cancers in Michigan. I'm examining whether chemicals from large industrial plants or water contaminants might contribute to risk for some of the rare skull base cancers that we don't know much about. The other relates to clinical outcomes for surgically corrected congenital brain malformations. There are a number of conditions that kids are born with that may or may not require surgical intervention. We are interested in evaluating the ways that we treat those kids to determine how to improve to augment clinical outcomes. It's been really fun to immerse in an area that I'm excited about—and the best part is that what I learn in my classes has direct application to how I conduct my research.

Now I won't lie, there is another enormous benefit to taking a 'year-on' (rather than a year-off) from medical school. While many of my classmates are shoulder deep in residency applications, the rest of us are enjoying this lovely Ann Arbor summer! I took several trips to Traverse City, MI (one of the northernmost points in the lower peninsula), went home to Colorado, attended weddings, read books for pleasure (imagine that!), and caught up on sleep. This year will be just the recharge I need before cranking out those residency applications and moving on to the next step.

From what I have heard, almost 1/3 of my class is taking a gap year this year—many are pursuing dual degrees, though others are conducting high quality research either here on campus or with international programs abroad. There are so many unique opportunities to augment your medical education here at U-M. I feel so fortunate to be taking advantage of this one.

Thanks for keeping up with my new adventure. Now, it's time to get back to writing a conference abstract so that I'm free to watch Thursday night football tonight! Who said that the life of a medical student can't be fun?

Michigan Summer Sunsets!
Media Contact Public Relations

Department of Communication at Michigan Medicine

[email protected]

734-764-2220

Stay Informed

Want top health & research news weekly? Sign up for Health Lab’s newsletters today!

Subscribe
Featured News & Stories Photo portrait of Alan Phlipot, DCMB new CDA
Department News
The Gilbert S. Omenn Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics (DCMB) welcomes Alan Phlipot as its new Chief Department Administrator
Please welcome Alan Philpot as our new DCMB Chief Department Administrator (CDA), succeeding Mary Freer, who is retiring at the end of the year.
emergency sign wording in red on brick building
Health Lab
Refining tools that spot risk of violence in young adults in urban ERs may save lives
Half of young adult patients treated in emergency departments in three urban hospitals across the country reported experiencing violence either as a victim or aggressor, including firearm violence, in the six months prior to seeking treatment, according to a University of Michigan study.
Minding Memory with a microphone and a shadow of a microphone on a blue background
Minding Memory
Greenspace and Late-Life Cognitive Decline
In this episode Matt and Lauren will speak with Dr. Marcia Pescador Jimenez, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Boston University whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between exposure to green space and health outcomes (including hypertension and cognitive measures). Emerging research has shown that midlife risk factors may delay or even prevent the onset of dementia later in life - among these include physical activity and social interaction. It’s not a stretch to imagine how a person’s environment may impact behaviors such as physical activity. For instance, there are places that lack sidewalks and parks that make exercising exceedingly difficult. Among environmental epidemiologists, there is growing interest in understanding how the built and natural environment influence our behaviors that, in turn, influence our health. We encourage you to listen to this episode while on a walk outside!
Cancer Aware
Pets and Cancer Patient Outcomes in the LGBT Community
In recent years, researchers have been studying the relationship between pets and overall cancer patient health outcomes. Today we talk with University of Michigan investigators Dr. Nina Francis-Levin, Ph.D., MSW, and Dr. Jess Francis-Levin, Ph.D. who are taking a closer look at this relationship within in the LBGT community.
group working together on leg prosthetic in work room, one on top by foot and the other two on the calf of leg
Health Lab
Enhancing mobility and independence through orthotics and prosthetics
Orthotics and prosthetics experts provide custom fabricated braces for every part of the body and prosthetic limbs for upper and lower extremities.
Health Lab Podcast in brackets with a background with a dark blue translucent layers over cells
Health Lab Podcast
Tips for managing anger in children
Expert offers strategies to help kids manage intense emotions as many parents report setting a bad example for anger management, worrying their child’s anger will cause problems.