MD-PhD Program & MD-PhD Scholarships

MD-PhD Program

The MD-PhD Program is intended for medical graduates who are interested in research in basic sciences, in public health sciences, in clinical sciences, or in biomedical ethics, and who are aiming at pursuing a career combining research and clinical work in an academic setting. A structured training program within the framework of the Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB) or the Graduate School for Health Sciences (GHS) enables them to acquire a high standard of knowledge in research methods and project-related theoretical competence.
According to the guidelines of the National MD-PhD Program, candidates should already start their training in the course of their medical studies and follow relevant courses concurrently with their medical curriculum (Track I).

The PhD Steering board announced a new policy today regarding the number of ECTS* allowed to be credited (towards the required 31 ECTS) for previous research work. The policy is effective immediately. The maximum allowable for the MD,PhD curriculum is 10 ECTS. This means students pursuing a MD,PhD curriculum who are eligible and are granted the maximum 10 ECTS for prior research work, must acquire a minimum of 21 ECTS earned through courses relevant to their individual PhD project. May 1 2023
*Requests for 10 ECTS must be addressed to the GCB coordinator and include the following information with supporting documentation:

1. Total weeks in laboratory (include beginning and ending dates)

2. Laboratory and institute name

3. Supervisor name and title

4. Title of resulting publication (or primary lab responsibilities) and own contributions

Questions and answers to MD-PhD program: German

Questions and answers to MD-PhD program: English (first login to ILIAS)

MD-PhD Open Positions

The recently launched NCCR Microbiomes (the NCCR aims to revolutionize microbiome science by eschewing host- or environment-specific characteristics and seeking a system-level understanding of microbiome functioning). One of the Work Packages of our NCCR studies human microbiomes in a clinical setting.  The projects within this Work Package aim to in addition to furthering research, fund the projects for MD-PhD students.

Prof. Benoît Guery at CHUV Lausanne leads some of the projects in this Work Package. For two translational projects on Salmonella typhimurium and Clostridium difficile, Prof. Guery is currently looking for two MD-PhD students. These are projects funded for three years.

For more information and to apply, please visit the NCCR website directly.

The University hospital is offering an open positon for an MD-PhD student. Please check the job announcement for more details and contact them directly for application or further information: http:///unibe/portal/center_gradschools/gs_cb/content/e126792/e289326/e801459/files1263282/WissenschaftlicheStelleOrtho_eng.pdf

MD-PhD Scholarships

The National MD-PhD Program, which is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMS/SAMW), and several other foundations, awards 9 to 12 scholarships every year to outstanding graduates in human medicine, veterinary medicine and dentistry with residency in Switzerland.

Further information can be found on the SNSF and SAMS websites or on the SAMS regulations.