Residency matches of MD-PhD versus MD-only students: compatibility with continued research momentum

Programs at the medical school level to train students as physician-scientists include NIH-supported MD-PhD (Medical Scientist Training Program, MSTP), non-NIH-supported MD-PhD (MDPhD), and limited research pathways for MD-only students. Continued exposure to a research-rich culture in residency could sustain commitment to a physician-scientist career. We compared residency matches of 10,668 MSTP, MDPhD, or MD-only students from 2021-2023 match cycles, using the NIH funding level of the matched residency program's department in the match year as the central measure. We also measured how medical school NIH funding levels influenced student matches to top-funded residency programs. Public individual-level match data were available from 13 top-NIH-funded medical schools (top quintile, highest 20% funding) and 8 mid-NIH-funded medical schools (mid quintile, 40%-60% funding). Top-quintile medical schools housed only MSTP programs, whereas mid-quintile schools had both MSTP and MDPhD programs. Across all medical schools, MSTP students matched at a higher rate than MD-only students to residencies in top-NIH-funded departments in their discipline. Within the mid-quintile schools, MSTP and MDPhD student matches did not differ significantly. Notably, students from the top-quintile medical schools (both MD-only and MSTP) matched to higher-NIH-funded residency departments than comparably trained students from the mid-quintile schools.