I usually regret waking up for an 8:00 am lecture, but September 21 was an exception, Dr. Richard McGee, Associate Dean of Admissions for the Mayo Graduate School visited the UA to discuss options for graduate school and to introduce students to Mayo.

Dr. McGee began by explaining the differences between MD, PhD and MD/PhD programs. He focused on the value of becoming a PhD or MD/PhD for individuals planning to follow research careers. Dr. McGee noted that becoming an MD/PhD is an option to consider because the combined medical and research education creates a wider scope of knowledge and experience than an MD or PhD degree alone, and the education is usually free because of generous grants from the NSF and NIH. A major downside of becoming a MD/PhD, however, is the time commitment involved. Dr. McGee admitted that while most students at Mayo finish their combined degrees in eight years, several are held back for years longer because their doctoral research moves slowly and does not coordinate with classes for the medical degree. Students start with one or two years of medical courses, complete their PhD research, and then finish their MD. If they complete their doctoral research after medical school classes have started for the year, they have to wait until the next year to continue their medical education.

Following his general graduate school seminar, Dr. McGee introduced us to Mayo. The clinic has very modern facilities in Rochester, Minnesota; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Jacksonville, Florida; and good funding means that Mayo scientists are seldom constrained by the cost of equipment and materials to do their research. PhD students at Mayo are fully funded by the clinic, and medical students from Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota pay in-state tuition -- approximately $15,000 less than the already modest out of state price. Mayo's medical curriculum also differs from that of many other medical schools, as even first year students spend their afternoons in clinical rotations and students later spend at least one semester doing basic or clinical research. Mayo also offers a master's degree in research for medical students who wish to be involved with research but not become a PhD. Finally, Mayo's medical school is very selective. Only 42 students are chosen every year, up to 6 whom are MD/PhD students. Graduate and medical students study at Mayo's Rochester campus, and Dr. McGee tells us that while the temperatures are often sub-zero, "It's a dry cold!"

After the morning seminar, Dr. McGee held four 30-minute meetings with individual students. During my meeting, I found him to be friendly and very approachable. We talked about the Mayo philosophy, conducted a mock medical school interview, and chatted about community development in rural India before adjourning for the morning.

Dr. McGee ended his visit on a more informal note by accompanying five UBRPers to lunch.

For more information on Mayo Clinic and Graduate School, see their website www.mayo.edu/. You can e-mail Dr. McGee at rmcgee@mayo.edu

Mark Fernandez, UBRPer in Dr. Szivek's, Orthopedic Research Lab