APSA
The American Physician Scientists Association at UC Berkeley is a student organization dedicated to spreading awareness about the MD-PhD path. APSA prepares its members for training and development as physician-scientists through clinical and professional networking, providing resources for academic success, and inspiring students to pursue careers as research physicians through community outreach and education. Even if people decide not to pursue a joint MD-PhD, APSA hopes to help people discover where they can pursue their interests in other careers, whether that be just through an MD, a PhD, an MS, or just your Berkeley Bachelor’s degree. Past members have gone on to do remarkable research in prestigious labs and get into top tier programs across the world like Stanford, UCSF, and NUS as well as work in companies that are leaders in their industry.
Some of the events we do:
- Journal Clubs
- Field Trips to Bay Area MSTP Programs (UCST, Stanford)
- Panels with MD/PhD Candidates & PIs from top tier programs
- Application & Resume Workshops
- AMCAS MD, MD/PhD Application Support
- Socials
- Certification Events (ie. CPR/BLS)
- Volunteering Events
Club History
We were founded in 2019 by a group of pre-MD/PhD students who have by now joined MD/PhD programs, are starting residency, and/or work in labs. They keep in contact with the club to help create outreach events like field trips to their programs and panel events. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the club hosted successful virtual conferences and events and has gotten us to where we are today. We’ve gone on to form our own connections to MD/PhD programs and students, and we always look to branch out further. While our events may be small in number due to the niche aspect of an MD/PhD, our club has grown stronger as a close-knit community. That is perhaps why our club lives on to this day.
MD-PhD Program (aka MSTP)
MD-PhD is a dual-doctoral degree where a student receives training to become a physician-scientist. Although longer than the MD route, the MD-PhD path provides a unique opportunity where research and medicine are combined. These programs generally provide stipends to students and other forms of financial aid during both the MD and the PhD part of the program so that students are not burdened by debt.
Visit our UC Berkeley APSA Resource Portal to get more insights into the MD/PhD Program.