Recent scientific breakthroughs and technological advances have fundamentally transformed the practice of medicine and biomedical research. To keep step with this changing environment, it is vital to provide specific scientific training for medical and pharmacy students with an interest in research. To that end, the École Normale Supérieure (ENS), the Institut Pasteur, the Institut Curie, ESPCI ParisTech, the Collège de France and PSL Research University have joined forces to offer students in medicine and pharmacy a new advanced program titled “Médecine-Sciences”.
Press release
Paris, April 30, 2015
Training a medical elite with relevant scientific knowledge is more important than ever in terms of providing state-of-the-art medical care and cutting-edge teaching programs which are firmly rooted in research, as well as for the creation of high-tech companies in the fields of health and bioengineering. The “Médecine-Sciences” Program run by the ENS, the Institut Pasteur, the Institut Curie, ESPCI ParisTech, the Collège de France and PSL offers a range of high-level courses, including an early introduction to research, with the aim of training a core of professionals with dual expertise in science and medicine.
Admission to this program is based on a competitive exam which is open to second-year students in medicine and pharmacy at French universities. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to complete joint training in medicine and science as from the third year of their studies, leading to a Masters degree. The program includes a series of modules taken from the Masters courses run by the partner institutions, as well as a three-month laboratory internship. After obtaining their Masters degree in Research, the students can choose to pursue a PhD in Science before resuming their initial studies, or to finish their medical training and then complete their PhD in Science during their residency.
The many advantages of the new “Médecine-Sciences” program include guaranteed funding for students for the first three years of their training, close scientific and medical supervision, a prestigious ENS postgraduate degree and a PhD in Science. This rigorous, competitive program aims to gear students towards high-level positions in university hospitals, research organizations or health care industries, whether in France or abroad.
The “Médecine-Sciences” Program, initially set up in 2005 by the ENS, has been directly supported since 2015 by PSL, the Institut Curie and the Institut Pasteur, in partnership with ESPCI ParisTech and the Collège de France. This program reflects the partners' vision to promote the links between medical science and fundamental research, to encourage translational research, and to facilitate the transfer of scientific discoveries to patients and industry. The complementary expertise of the partners will ensure that the seven applicants selected in 2015 will receive top-quality training tailored to their requirements, giving them all the tools they need to pursue a first-class scientific and/or medical career.
For more information about the program and the current application process (which runs until May 29, 2015), please visit the ENS website.
Picture : Practical class taking place at the Education center of the Institut Pasteur. © William Beaucardet