Each year, up to 25 highly talented individuals from across the country join WashU’s Medical Scientist Training Program, making it one of the largest in the country. While our MSTP students come from diverse backgrounds and have wide-ranging interests, all are united by their collective goal to become the next generation of leaders in academic medicine and biomedical research.

MSTP students are leaders in both the medical and graduate programs, they serve on various university committees, and they are members of extramural organizations. In the lab, MSTP students are highly productive, with authorship on more than 400 journal articles over the past five years. MSTP students’ interests are not limited to biomedical research; over the years, MSTP students have established Sling Health, the Young Scientist Program and the Mad Scientist Network. In addition, they have collaborated with traditional medical school students to institute the Saturday Morning Clinic (the first student-run free clinic in the nation) and the Public Health Plunge (a program to expose entering students to the challenges of public health).​

Student perspectives

Life in St. Louis

St. Louis is an affordable and fun, vibrant city in which to live, work and learn, offering a plethora of activities, cultural experiences, cuisines and neighborhoods to explore throughout your eight years (or more!) here. The Central West End neighborhood, adjacent to the medical campus and where many students choose to live, is walkable and has almost everything you need: grocery stores, restaurants, fitness centers, access to public transit, coffee shops, public library and more. Plus, Forest Park, nestled between the Danforth and Medical campuses, has abundant green spaces, sports fields, recreation trails, and museums of art, history and science — all FREE.

Explore St. Louis »