tuition allowance, and other funds to cover certain educational expenses. The students generally complete the first two years of the medical school curriculum in standard fashion, and then spend the next three or more years immersed in their doctoral studies. Once they have completed virtually all of the requirements for the PhD degree, they reenter the medical school to complete the last two years of the course of study leading to the MD degree. At the time of graduation, therefore, they receive both an MD and a PhD. The survey results reported by Ahn and colleagues reveal that many of the respondents (44%) did not intend to pursue research as their primary professional activity once they completed all of their training. While it is true that the majority expressed a desire to have a career in academic medicine, they were primarily interested in activities related to patient care, and they saw themselves as being involved in research in a limited way. These results certainly suggest that the current programs are not likely to be highly successful in producing a cadre of physician scientists committed to careers in fundamental research. Based on these results, the authors conclude that if the societal investment supporting MD-PhD joint-degree programs is to reap the expected rewards (presumably a high percentage of graduates pursuing research on a full-time basis), improvements are needed in the design of the training programs. I've thought for some time that the design of the programs is flawed, largely because of my