National Association of Clinician Scientist Training
Building the Physician-Scientist Workforce, One Program at a Time
"You can't harvest the fruit unless you grow the trees."
NACST represents the directors and administrators who run MD-PhD, DO-PhD, and MSTP programs nationwide — supporting training from medical school entry through the first independent research award.
About NACST
Who We Are
The National Association of Clinician Scientist Training (NACST) — formerly the National Association of MD-PhD Programs — is composed of MD-PhD, DO-PhD, Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) Directors and Administrators, and Physician Scientist Training Program (PSTP) Directors. The Association sponsors annual meetings of our membership and advocates for physician-scientist training nationally.
NACST works in partnership with the AAMC GREAT Group MD-PhD Section, sharing a joint leadership structure to maximize flexibility and impact.
Who Is a Physician-Scientist?
Physician-Scientists are physicians (MDs or DOs, with or without additional degrees such as PhD, MPH, MS, or DrPH) who devote regular components of their professional effort to both seeking new knowledge through research and providing patient care.
The pipeline for this workforce includes all MD and DO students — whether pursuing a combined advanced degree or not — and residents and fellows who discover an interest in combining research with their clinical career at any point in training.
NACST Initiatives
Increasing interaction with Research Residency and Fellowship Directors
Enhanced communication about physician-scientist careers and contributions
Optimizing leadership for longitudinal physician-scientist training
Highlighting the accomplishments of MD-PhD students and the role of federal funding in scientific training and discovery
Join NACST
Membership is open to MD-PhD, DO-PhD, and MSTP program directors and administrators, as well as postgraduate PSTP and R38 program directors. Tell us a bit about yourself and we'll follow up with next steps.