The research projects the students select are highly individualized. One is seeking a molecular understanding of fatal irregular heartbeats. Another is examining the molecular basis for sleeping sickness and how it evades detection. The gut doesn't get as much attention, but diarrhea kills millions of people a year. In other graduate programs, students often spend years doing research, without ever encountering a sick patient.
Students regularly consult on cases with doctors on the front line of treatment.
Kirsch will receive an M.D.-Ph. D. when he completes his training. His research project is on cell cycle control and what makes tumor cells different from normal cells. He managed to leave the lab long enough to get married recently. The program's small size encourages a certain camaraderie.