Biophysics in MD/PhD

jerew
Sun, 15 Jul 2007 19:58:21 +0000

Hello, I have been considering an MD/PhD for some time now, and am wondering if anyone had any good information on MD/PhD programs that offer research in biophysics. I am an applied physics major, and am currently planning on taking the large set of core classes for the physics major, and then taking a combination of chem/biology and biophysics courses for the concentration. I was hoping to become involved in some type of research that is medically relevant, but is perhaps more focused on physical methods, computers and nanotechnology.

I am curious to find out how the medical research community stands on training MD/PhD students coming from a physics background, rather than just biology and chemistry. Is this a rare path to take, and is it difficult to convince admissions committees looking for the next medical breakthrough from their MD/PhD class to accept someone interested in biophysics? I feel that there IS good research to be done in applying physics to medicine (I do a little research in a nanobiotech group), but of course, I need to know how much support there is from programs offering this dual-degree.

Thanks!