The NIH Comparative Biomedical Scientist Training Program (CBSTP) combines cross-disciplinary training in animal and human health through experiences somewhat akin to programs training medical clinician-scientists and traditional M.D./Ph.D. programs. Through such approaches, training in medicine is combined with training in research investigation. In the CBSTP, preparation as a clinical veterinary medical specialist at a partnership university is combined with research training at the NIH, resulting in D.V.M./Ph.D. translational clinician-scientists with a comparative medical perspective. Research benefits are derived when an investigative foundation in clinical veterinary medicine, which imparts a comparative perspective oriented around health care of multiple animal species, is fused with a shared vocabulary and skills in basic medical research.
Opportunities for novel research training provided through our initial program in comparative molecular pathology are now available along with several additional clinical track disciplines involving patient care, for Doctors of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M./V.M.D. or equivalent), as part of the NIH Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP). Our D.V.M./Ph.D. Comparative Biomedical Scientists truly fulfill cross cutting interdisciplinary niches—leading and collaborating at the scientific forefront of discovery. They contribute to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of both human and animal diseases, while playing a role in the development and translation of new therapies, applicable frequently to both veterinary and human health.
The program is offered through an educational consortium that includes 4 NIH institutes and 5 universities: Colorado State University, Michigan State University, Purdue University, University of Maryland, and University of Pennsylvania. Support is provided by NCI, NIAID, NINDS, and NHLBI.