Physicians who engage in research play a vital role in developing novel, innovative approaches to diagnosing and treating disease. Nurturing the careers of doctors whose work takes them to both patients' bedsides and the laboratory bench is a top priority of the Division of Physician-Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Such was the genesis of WashU Medicine's Dean's Scholars initiative, established in 2020. The program provides funding and mentorship for up to two years to support early-career physician-scientists as they pursue lab research. The division recently announced its fourth class of Dean's Scholars. They are: Amit Bery, MD; Lila Nolan, MD; Marilia Pinzone, MD; Andrew Roth, MD; and Brandon Tan, MD.
The Dean's Scholars program also aims to help address a nationwide shortage of physician-scientists. The program's support helps physicians integrate patient care with laboratory-based research so that doctors who identify pressing clinical questions can turn to the lab to find answers that help improve care for patients.
