The Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program
Our mission is to train the next generation of physician-scientist leaders, who represent a rich spectrum of clinical disciplines and research areas from basic and translational sciences to bioengineering to the social sciences.
Following the termination of our NIH Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) grants, the HMS community united to provide vital support for our more than 200 MD-PhD students who depend on this funding. This extraordinary fundraising effort was amplified by a $100,000 matching gift from an MD-PhD alumnus, and nearly half of all contributions came from first-time donors to the program.
A United Effort for Our MD-PhD Students
144
donors
$8M+
raised
from our
community
73
first-time
donors
$9.37M
in
grants
terminated
Our Community Speaks Out
Ally Questell is dedicated to cancer immunology research, aspiring to help create a future where cancer is no longer a life-altering diagnosis for millions of Americans. However, in May, the federal grant supporting her MD-PhD training at Harvard was discontinued.
“Physician-scientists are uniquely positioned to take problems that they see in the clinic, bring them back to the lab to devise solutions, and then translate that back to the clinic to improve patient lives,” she says.
She worries that unless federal funding for Harvard’s MD-PhD training is renewed, aspiring physician-scientists may lose access to vital opportunities.
MD-PhD Program Director Loren Walensky appeared on CNN to highlight the profound impact federal funding cuts are having on research and training at Harvard. He stressed that scientists nationwide are dedicated to developing life-saving cures and treatments, and warned that terminating these essential grants could jeopardize the future of medical innovation and patient care.
Office of Alumni Affairs and Development
25 Shattuck Street
Boston, MA 02115
giving@hms.harvard.edu
Dr. George Q. Daley
This year, the Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program demonstrated extraordinary resilience in the face of unexpected federal funding cuts. I am profoundly grateful for our community’s generosity, which ensures that our students can continue their education and training without interruption. As a graduate of this remarkable program, I hold deep appreciation for Loren Walensky’s leadership at this critical juncture.
From groundbreaking CRISPR therapies to global health interventions, our graduates continually demonstrate the transformative power of physician-scientist training. Your support enables us to cultivate these multidisciplinary thinkers who will shape the future of medicine and scientific research.
George Q. Daley, AB ’82, MD ’91, PhD
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Harvard University
Caroline Shields Walker Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Student Stories
After her father’s terminal cancer diagnosis derailed her medical school plans, Logan Beyer turned to AmeriCorps and Habitat for Humanity, discovering firsthand how safe homes impact children’s health—a transformative experience that now drives her advocacy as a Harvard physician-scientist and Service Year Alums Award winner.
Channeling Grief Into Service, MD-PhD student Logan Beyer Wins National Recognition for Her Work Bridging Health and Housing Equity
Logan Beyer
Inspired by her grandmother’s transformation after surgery, Emily Rencsok is committed to improving quality of life through personal patient relationships and public health research that addresses disparities and builds trust. Now entering residency at Spaulding, she hopes to combine clinical care, disability advocacy, and health policy to help create a more equitable health care system.
Driven by a Personal Mission, Emily Rencsok Strives to Champion Patient Well-Being and Systemwide Health Equity
Emily Rencsok
Ronak Desai
Growing up in Lindale, Texas, Ronak Desai learned the value of community and hard work—principles that carried him to the Harvard/MIT MD-PhD program, where he and his classmates are committed to advancing medicine for all. Recent federal funding cuts threaten the opportunities and life-saving research pursued by dedicated students like Ronak from across America.
From Small-Town Texas to Harvard, MD-PhD Student Ronak Desai Urges Support for Medical Research Funding
Student Research
Recent Harvard MD-PhD graduate Dan Michelson’s research reveals how the thymus, a small gland located in the chest, creates miniature versions of organs for T cells to “preview” so that they know friend from foe. Michelson’s findings deepen our understanding of autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, with implications for therapies that strengthen the immune system and treat cancer.
HMS MD-PhD student Sayo Eweje is developing innovative protein-based nanoparticle systems to deliver RNA and protein therapies directly to patients’ cells, aiming to make cutting-edge treatments more effective and accessible. His research at the intersection of biomedical engineering and clinical medicine opens new possibilities for treating diseases ranging from genetic disorders to cancer. Driven by a passion for expanding opportunity, Eweje also mentors local high school students and helps lead initiatives to improve health care access in underserved communities.
Watch now: Michelson summarizes his dissertation in one minute
Alumni Spotlight
Vijay Sankaran, PhD '09, MD'10
When Vijay Sankaran was an MD-PhD student at Harvard Medical School, a patient inspired him to investigate the genetics of sickle cell disease alongside his mentor, Dr. Stuart H. Orkin MD ’72, in a laboratory at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Beginning with a landmark report in 2008, the lab published a series of studies that ultimately revealed how editing a single gene, BCL11A, with CRISPR/Cas9 technology can restore healthy hemoglobin production and ameliorate sickle cell disease.
Significant challenges remained in turning this discovery into a safe and effective gene therapy for patients. That’s when CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex Pharmaceuticals stepped in.
In this video, Orkin, the HMS David G. Nathan Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Sankaran, the HMS Jan Ellen Paradise, MD Professor of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s; and David Altshuler MD ’94, PhD ’94, executive vice president and chief scientific officer at Vertex and senior lecturer on genetics, part-time, at HMS, share the story of how these basic discoveries became a first-of-its-kind FDA-approved therapy, CASGEVY, that promises to have a monumental impact on sickle cell disease patients worldwide.
Rachel Wolfson, assistant professor of cell biology in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School, began studying interoception as a student in the Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program. She now runs her own lab at HMS and investigates how the brain interprets sensory signals from the gastrointestinal system, seeking to unravel the molecular mechanisms of interoception. By studying how gut neurons communicate with the brain, her lab aims to identify new drug targets and improve therapies for gastrointestinal disorders.
Rachel Wolfson, MD ’15, PhD
After an illustrious career, renowned geneticist David Altshuler will retire in August 2026 as Chief Scientific Officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, where he led a decade of transformative innovation. Under his leadership, Vertex expanded beyond cystic fibrosis therapies to deliver the first CRISPR gene editing treatment, a breakthrough pain medication, and tripled its market value while entering into new specialty disease areas. Before joining Vertex, Dr. Altshuler was a Founding Core Member, Deputy Director and Chief Academic Officer at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, a professor at Harvard Medical School, and a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital. He began his impressive genetics research while he was a student in the Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program.