Academic research careers for medical doctors (ARC-MD): a five-year UC Davis training program to foster the next generation of physician-scientists

TL;DR

This paper introduces a five-year training program at UC Davis to support medical students in becoming physician-scientists without needing a PhD.

Contribution

The ARC-MD program provides a structured, research-intensive pathway for single-degree MD students to become physician-scientists.

Findings

The ARC-MD program has enrolled 41 students since 2019 and graduated two cohorts.

Student-reported research self-efficacy increased over the five-year training period.

Student identity as physician-scientists and mentor assessments improved over time, though not linearly.

Abstract

Since the establishment of the Flexnerian model of medical education, single degree (MD) physician-scientists have significantly advanced biomedical research and clinical medicine. However, institutional emphasis has predominantly favoured dual-degree MD/PhD Medical Scientist Training Programs (MSTPs). Recognizing that many successful academic physician-scientists do not hold PhDs, there remains a critical need for structured research training and mentorship targeting single degree students. The University of California Davis School of Medicine developed the Academic Research Careers for Medical Doctors (ARC-MD) program as part of a broader institutional strategy to accelerate innovation, aligning closely with an institutional framework emphasizing thematic breadth and reciprocal interactions between basic and clinical departments. ARC-MD strategically integrates a five-year research-intensive pathway into the traditional four-year MD curriculum, annually enrolling 4−8 students. The program includes an introductory pre-matriculation course, a longitudinal curriculum spanning medical school, focused mentorship fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, a dedicated research year emphasizing reciprocal exchanges between clinical and basic science research, professional identity formation, and financial support through tuition scholarships and stipends. Since its inception in 2019, ARC-MD has enrolled 41 students and graduated two cohorts. Program evaluation surveys were administered in 2024 and 2025 across all five years of training. Student-reported research self-efficacy, measured using the Clinical Research Appraisal Inventory, was lowest among newly matriculating students (pre-program) and increased in subsequent years. Student-reported identity as physician-scientists and student assessments of mentors also showed overall improvement across training levels, though trajectories were not strictly linear.

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