Joint Degree Programs

MD with Thesis Program

The M.D. with Thesis Program offers a unique opportunity to NJMS medical students to conduct original research of excellent quality during their Medical School training. The student is expected to devote one year exclusively to independent research that is Laboratory, Clinical or Population based. The additional year of research experience will provide students the opportunity to study a certain subject in depth. The Program is specifically designed for a rigorous development in scientific thinking, including a thorough understanding of research methodology and scientific writing. The program is highly suited to students who plan a career in Academic Medicine. The M.D. with thesis program will be administered through the Office of the Senior Associate Dean for Research in conjunction with the Office of Education. The program will be operated by a Committee consisting of representative Faculty members from basic and clinical sciences departments and overseen by Dr. Salgame, Director of Graduate Medical Research Program.

Student Selection Criteria
  • Academically strong students
  • Students from the Summer Biomedical Research program
  • Students with previous Research experience
Program Goal and Learning Objectives

The overall goal of the program is to provide medical students an opportunity to acquire research skills and foster independent scientific thinking. The specific objectives are:

  1. The student obtains training in research skills and critical thinking- formulation of a hypothesis, designing experiments that will allow for testing of the hypothesis, and critical evaluation of data.
  2. The student learns the art of communicating scientific findings-Oral and written.
For further information:

MD with Thesis - Full Program Details

or contact:

Padmini Salgame, Ph.D.
Director, MD/PhD Program & Graduate Medical Research Program
Professor, Department of Medicine
Centre for Emerging Pathogens
185 South Orange Avenue
Newark, NJ 07103
Email: salgampa@njms.rutgers.edu