Chennai: Indian Institute of Technology Madras is partnering with Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER) in Chennai to offer a dual MD-PhD programme. It is expected to propel interdisciplinary and core clinical research including medical diagnosis devices and personalised drug delivery. The postgraduate medical degree will be awarded by SRIHER, while the PhD will be awarded by IIT Madras’s department of medical sciences and technology (DMST) of IIT Madras.
An MoU was signed by IIT Madras director V Kamakoti and SRIHER vice-chancellor Uma Sekar for the collaboration on Thursday. “This programme will lay the foundation for new medical technologies. Those who complete MD in SRIHER can apply for a PhD here. They can select a related research topic for PhD which will have both engineering and medicine. Candidates will have two guides one at IIT Madras and another one in Ramachandra [SRIHER],” Professor Kamakoti said at the event.
Candidates admitted to the PhD programme will be jointly guided by a faculty member from DMST and a co-guide from SRIHER. The candidate will spend a year at IIT Madras, completely funded by SRIHER through a fellowship to complete the coursework requirements, further develop the skills required for the PhD program and begin their research.
For the subsequent two to three years, the candidates will continue their research while being part-time students at IIT Madras and Senior Residents at SRIHER until the completion of the PhD program.
IIT Madras is planning to take at least 30 candidates for MD-PhD programme.
“Physician-scientists make up only less than 2 per centb of the biomedical workforce. As physician-scientists, they will be particularly involved in productive academic research and can contribute to biomedical innovation, discover lifesaving therapies and have the potential to develop disease prevention strategies. A physician scientist’s in-depth clinical knowledge of human health and disease, combined with skills in scientific investigation and analysis, make him or her uniquely resourceful,” Uma Sekar said.
IIT Madras had launched the department of medical sciences and technology, which will offer a four-year BS program in medical sciences and engineering.
