UMCP, UMSOM Launch B.S.-M.D. Program to Bridge Engineering, Data Science, Medicine

The University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) and the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) have launched a B.S.-M.D. program to prepare highly motivated undergraduate students majoring in engineering, computer science or mathematics to succeed in medical school.

The new program aims to recruit more engineers and data scientists into clinical professions, helping to bring new skills and perspectives into the future of medicine. It is supported by a five-year, $12.75 million grant from the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State (MPower), which connects the world-class strengths in education, research and technology at UMCP and UMB.

“The future of health care will see a growing utilization of technological innovations that improve how doctors diagnose and treat a range of medical conditions. It is important for engineers and computer scientists to work with doctors and accelerate these innovations, improving the lives of their patients. We are excited to train future leaders at the intersection of engineering, computer science, and medicine to accomplish that goal," said Samuel Graham, dean of the A. James Clark School of Engineering.

B.S.-M.D. students can complete their undergraduate degrees through this competitive and cohort-based program while gaining hands-on clinical experience at UMSOM, participating in community-based service and conducting research with UMCP and UMB faculty that brings together engineering, data science and medicine.

“We are excited to accept our first cohort of students who will contribute to the development of lifesaving innovations at the intersection of medicine and technology,” says bioengineering Professor and program Co-director Ian White. “Through this pathway, students will have the opportunity to pioneer groundbreaking cures, devices and diagnostic methods that will directly impact patient lives while preparing for medical school.”

In addition to clinical and service work, students will complete a one-year research project related to engineering or data science with a clear health care impact. Each student will be paired with a faculty mentor, and at the end of the experience, students present their work to the larger B.S.-M.D. cohort.

“We are eager to cultivate a new generation of ‘physicianeers,’ where doctors utilize their skills as system thinkers using the engineering design process to conceive of a practical innovation to meet a clinical need, whether it’s designing a precision medicine device that can adapt to anatomical differences or developing an AI algorithm to locate patients most in need of preventive care before a natural disaster strikes,” said Mark T. Gladwin, M.D., UMSOM dean, UMB vice president for medical affairs and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor. “Those who pursue dual graduate degrees in engineering and medicine produce patents at a rate 16 times higher than other graduate students, which we are hoping to replicate with our program."

Throughout the program, advisers will guide students on the completion of their pre-med coursework requirements, including balancing courses with service, clinical and research activities. In their third year, B.S.-M.D. students will take the MCAT and apply to UMSOM the following summer. By completing the program and meeting all academic and program requirements, students will be competitive as applicants to medical school.

The B.S.-M.D. program is designed to help students see the connections between data, innovation and patient care. It also will encourage them to think critically about how bias and health disparities impact medical outcomes, especially as technologies such as AI become more pervasive in health care. The program aims to build a strong community of learners who are motivated to make a difference.

"It is exciting to have a new program for our talented computer science and mathematics majors who are confident in their commitment to becoming physicians," said UMCP College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences Dean Amitabh Varshney. "I hope that some of these students explore research opportunities at the University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing, where faculty members use advanced computing to innovate in many areas of health care delivery."

Staff at the University of Maryland School of Medicine contributed to this article.