University students pursuing medical and research degrees may get the ultimate gift — less time in school — because of a new program.
Partnering with the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, the College of Engineering’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering will launch a fast track BS/MD/Ph.D program starting in fall 2015 for biological engineering students.
“The unique part of [the “Fast Path” program] is that [the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans] is reserving ten spots a year for these students in their medical school,” said College of Engineering dean Richard Koubek, “Our students would be pre-admitted during their freshman year, which takes a lot of the uncertainty out of the whole process.”
While the majority of schools in the Southeastern Conference currently have joint BS/Ph.D and MD/Ph.D programs, “Fast Path” joins all three degrees required for students interested in medicine and research.
The “Fast Path” program would take one to three years from the time students would traditionally spend working on the three degrees, which according to assistant professor of biological engineering Daniel Hayes, would be an opportunity for high-caliber students.
“The whole purpose behind the program is to create a time efficient and cost effective manner for top students in Louisiana and the region to be able to get BS/MD/Ph.D degrees in less time,” Hayes said.
For biological engineering senior Christopher Sylvester, joining the MD/Ph.D portion of the program may help him achieve his goals more quickly.
Sylvester believes “Fast Path” will attract people interested in research and medicine to LSU and to the Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.
“The advantage of this type of joint program is that you can do both medicine and research at the same time,” Sylvester said.
The program will also serve as a platform to develop a Biomedical Engineering Research Institute.
The institute will be a place for graduate students to work on their doctorate degree research on how engineering relates to biological systems, focusing on developing technology to improve healthcare.
“I want to specialize on tissue engineering, mainly in vitro whole organ development,” Sylvester said. “Since there are no tools for this type of work yet, I can work on the research side to develop the technology, and then use this technology as a doctor.”
“Fast Path” will accommodate 10 students a year. Students must have an ACT score of 30 or higher and are expected to enter the University with Advanced Placement credit in math, English and some arts, humanities and social sciences.
“I think this is an excellent opportunity for top notch students living both in Louisiana and regionally,” Hayes said. “I can’t say enough good things about it [to those who] are willing to commit to this rigorous and long undertaking. I think it’ll be very valuable for them.”
Students are expected to start the program their freshman year, but students who are already in the University will be allowed to switch into the program.
The institute is expected to be up and running in two years, and the location is to be determined, according to Koubek.