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John Goudreau, D.O., Ph.D.

In the 1970s, the College of Osteopathic Medicine was a young organization. The college’s first dean, Myron S. Magen, D.O., was charting a course for this new academic institution. He recognized that the osteopathic profession needed more D.O.s who could add to the body of scientific knowledge.

It was that idea that led to the creation of the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), a unique dual-degree program in which graduates receive both a D.O. and a Ph.D. in their chosen field of biomedical science. The goal is to create a new generation of physician-researchers, who can combine the research skills of a scientist with the knowledge of a fully trained osteopathic doctor.

Veronica Maher, Ph.D., current associate dean for graduate studies and director of MSTP, says that today there is still a great need for more physician-scientists. “These persons are in a unique position to focus on the basic mechanisms of disease,” she says. “The more a physician knows about how disease affects the human body, the better he or she is able to treat the patient.”

Since MSTP began, 25 people have earned both a Ph.D. and a D.O. degree within the program.

The number of graduates may seem small, but MSTP is very demanding. It generally takes students seven to eight years to complete the requirements. Not only do they undergo the full complement of osteopathic medical education, but they also take graduate courses required for the Ph.D. degree and under the guidance of their major professor, for several years conduct independent scientific research into an unsolved biomedical question.

Justin McCormick, Ph.D., associate dean for research, agrees about the need for more physicians who are able and willing to do scientific study. “When we bring new D.O. faculty members here, they often lack the basic research background that can be very useful at an academic institution.”

One student who answered the challenge was John Goudreau, D.O., Ph.D. Dr. Goudreau received his Ph.D. from MSUCOM in 1994 and his D.O. in 1995. He then went on to complete six years of residency and fellowship training at the Mayo Clinic.

In early 2002, Dr. Goudreau was recruited by MSUCOM to take a joint faculty position in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and the Department of Neurology and Ophthalmology. He is a perfect example of the professional academic medical scientist that MSTP creates. He has set up a laboratory where his research focuses on dopamine neurons and the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. He complements that work by seeing patients at MSU’s Parkinson’s Clinic, giving his research immediate impact. To top it all off, Dr. Goudreau is in the classroom, teaching the osteopathic students at MSUCOM.

“Dr. Goudreau is a marvelous role model for the students in the Medical Scientist Training Program,” says Dr. Maher. “We are very pleased that he has returned to MSU.”

Why did Dr. Goudreau take on such a demanding career? “I love what I’m doing,” he says. He adds that his research training allows him to study medicine with more depth, to learn the “nuts and bolts” of disease and treatment. Earning two graduate degrees, followed by post-doctoral education at the Mayo Clinic took a lot of time and effort, but he says, “I would do it over again a million times.”

Phyllis and Walter Dell, with past recipients of the Dell Schloarship.

Dr. Maher says that MSUCOM is committed to growing the program, and Dean Strampel has made it one of his top priorities, providing significant funding to maintain it even in a period of financial stress. Students receive financial support from the college, but the full cost associated with seven-to-eight years of intensive study can be a strain on students. One source of support is the Phyllis K. and Walter P. Dell Endowed Scholarship, which is awarded to a student in MSTP each year. The Dells were also recognized at the recent MSTP dinner for their contribution to the program.