Pathways of Professional Distinction

Clinician-Scientist Pathway (CSP)

The Clinician-Scientist Pathway (CSP) aims to provide emerging physician-scientists top-notch training, mentorship and resources to support their success and guide them to the next phase of their development.

Research at Columbia

For over 250 years, Columbia has been the premier center of medical research and education. Among Columbia’s alumni are pioneers such as Dr. Allen Whipple who created the Whipple procedure, Dr. Dorothy Andersen who discovered cystic fibrosis, Dr. Virginia Apgar who developed the Apgar score, Drs. Andre Cournand and Dickinson Richards who received the Nobel prize for developing cardiac catheterization, Dr. Eric Rose who performed the first successful pediatric heart transplant, Dr. Nancy Wexler for identifying the gene responsible for Huntington’s disease, and Dr. Angela Christiano who discovered the first human gene associated with hair loss. Among Columbia’s professors or alumni are 83 Nobel laureates including Dr. Eric Kandel (2000) for his work on the molecular basis of memory, Dr. Richard Axel (2004) for his work in determining the molecular logic of the sense of smell, and Prof. Joachim Frank (2017) for “developing cryo-electron microscopy for high-resolution structure determination of biomolecules in solution”, applicable to nearly every protein. This rich legacy of excellence, and discovery and development that has a profound effect on all of humanity, permeates the entire institution, as well as the Department of Medicine.

Curricular Highlights of CSP

CSP residents have access to the full compendium of resources at Columbia that support researcher development. The Office for Research is available to provide resources and multi-dimensional support to facilitate individual research endeavors. In addition, CSP residents can attend the researcher development workshops offered throughout the year which include guidance and resources across all stages of clinical and laboratory research, public presentation, and writing and pursuing grant applications.

CSP residents lead Molecular Medicine Rounds that bring bench to the bedside by describing how the underlying biology (pathophysiology and molecular pathophysiology) undergird the clinical presentation and management of a patient. CSP residents also conduct Departmental Grand Rounds once per year as well as additional CSP talks.

Program Structure

Trainees in the Clinician-Scientist pathway complete 2-3 years of residency in anticipation of advanced clinical and research fellowship training. CSP residents participate in all aspects of clinical training, including rotations on the general medicine and specialty wards, in the intensive-care units, and on ambulatory blocks.

Mentorship

Each resident in the Clinician-Scientist pathway is assigned a scientific advisor, and has regular meetings with a mentorship advisory board comprising the Faculty Director of CSP (Dr. Jonathan Barasch), the Chair of the Department of Medicine (Dr. Donald W. Landry), the Vice Chair for Research (Dr. Ira Tabas) and the Vice Chair for Researcher Development (Dr. Jaime Rubin).  The Department of Medicine encourages CSP residents to continue their advanced clinical and scientific training in one of its subspecialty fellowships, and it seeks to recruit future faculty investigators from among its research-oriented fellows through postdoctoral research and subsequently by promotion to Instructorship in Medicine.

Financial Support

All CSP residents are paid according to New York Presbyterian’s standardized pay which is among the highest in the country. Currently, PGY1s earn $75,694, PGY2s $83,783, and PGY3s $90,651.

In addition, the residency program provides financial support towards conference expenses. There is also a Dean’s scholarship fund which can provide additional financial support to our CSP residents.

How to Apply

Applicants interested in CSP should apply to the main categorical internal medicine residency program and select “Clinician Scientist Pathway” to be considered for CSP. CSP does not have a separate NRMP code. We also do not have a strict number of CSP positions. For more information on how to apply please see here.

For additional information, please contact Ms. Gladys Bueso at MedResApplicant@cumc.columbia.edu or Jonathan Barasch, MD, PhD, at jmb4@cumc.columbia.edu.

Current Trainees 

PGY-1: Steven Su

PGY-2: Rongjia Deng, Lorenzo Sewanan, Alex Sun, Ling Feng Ye

PGY-3: Edward Eckels, Enrique Garcia, Gabriel Redel-Traub, Elina Stoffel

Generalist-Primary Care (GPC)

The Generalist-Primary Care (GPC) Pathway is a supplementary program which provides career mentoring, elective planning, and professional development for residents who are interested in the fields of general internal medicine, including clinical practice, education, research, and public health. Building on the rigor of the Columbia IM residency, the pathway maintains the flexibility to adapt  and create individualized experiences to develop the unique interests and skills of each resident. The pathway does not have a separate Match number, and residents have the option to join the pathway after matching into the Columbia residency. 

The GPC Pathway helps prepare residents to practice outpatient general internal medicine in today’s health care system. The clinical training environment is ideal for residents interested in mastering care for multicultural, medically and socially vulnerable populations in the heart of New York City. Expert faculty from a range of general medicine careers teach and practice side by side with residents, while also maintaining careers as educators, administrators, researchers, and public health professionals. 

General medicine faculty support residents in the GPC pathway by participating in journal clubs, leading career talks, and integrating residents into research projects. Research opportunities exist in a range of topics, from population health, public health and epidemiology, implementation science, quality improvement, medical education, and global health. Residents are supported to attend the annual meeting of the Society for General Internal Medicine in their PGY2 year. Click here to learn more about research opportunities. 

Residents in the GPC pathway go on to a variety of different careers. Many residents continue training in general medicine fellowships and academic general internal medicine as clinician-educators or clinician-investigators. Some residents practice primary care in community clinics, global health sites, or private practice. Residents have also participated in fellowships relating to health policy, equity, public health, medical education, geriatrics, addiction medicine, and quality improvement.  

The GPC pathway is most importantly a supportive network of residents, fellows, and faculty who share a common interest in providing excellent care in general internal medicine. Residents in the GPC pathway rotate together through the three years, getting to know other GPC residents and faculty at social events and educational gatherings. Faculty and alumni serve as clinical, research and career mentors.  

If you would like to learn more about GPC, please visit our website and contact Maria De Miguel, MD, MS, at mh2634@cumc.columbia.edu. 

Advanced Clinician Educator (ACE) Program

We have a robust clinical educator curriculum within our residency program, and all of our residents participate in bedside teaching, lead conferences and didactic sessions, and moderate small group discussions. In addition, for those interested in a dedicated career in medical education, the Advanced Clinician Educator (ACE) program provides an opportunity to work with mentors in a tailored experience focused on developing teaching skills and building an educational portfolio.

Up to two residents per year are selected via an application process, which takes place at the end of the residents’ intern year. ACE residents are afforded additional opportunities to hone their teaching abilities, and to produce scholarly work in the field of medical education, which they present at national conferences.

Prior residents include Saman Nematollahi (ID at Johns Hopkins), Benjamin Gallagher (primary care at Yale), Daniel Manson (pulm/crit at Columbia), Brian Reuland (pulm/crit at NYU), and Jeffrey Larnard (ID at BIDMC). If you would like to hear more about ACE, please contact Kerry Esquitin, MD at kad2136@cumc.columbia.edu or Daniel Manson, MD at dm2440@cumc.columbia.edu.

Healthcare Innovation Fellows

Through the NewYork-Presbyterian Innovation Center, our residents have the opportunity to apply for the Silverman Fellowship in Healthcare Innovation which provides careful mentorship in a startup like environment to take ideas from concept to practice-changing product. Fellows gain unprecedented access to Hospital operations, and connect with senior leadership.

For more information, please visit the fellowship's website.

Columbia Clinical Innovation Lab

The Columbia Clinical Innovation Lab is an opportunity for our residents to propose innovative solutions in medicine and get connected with resources, funding, and mentorship to bring these ideas to fruition.

For more information, please visit the innovation lab's website.

Patient Safety Research Fellowship

The Division of General Medicine offers a two-year fellowship aiming to produce exceptional researchers in the field of patient safety. Fellows work clinically as hospitalists, but devote the majority of their time to developing research skills (including obtaining a Masters of Public Health) and undertaking scholarly work.

For more information, please visit the fellowship’s website.

Clinical Informatics Fellowship

A two-year fellowship in Clinical Informatics is offered by the Columbia Department of Biomedical Informatics, which prepares fellows to take on roles in many aspects of health IT, including leadership roles in hospital and industry settings.

For more information, visit our fellowship website.

Post-Residency Careers

Our graduates are remarkably successful following completion of the training program. Residents applying to fellowship routinely match at top-tier programs (see our recent match lists below). We have robust support for fellowship planning, including program director panels, an annual How to Apply To Fellowship guide, and our faculty mentors are well-connected to provide residents with influential support.

Residents pursuing careers in General Medicine are also well-supported, with dedicated guidance provided in Hospitalist and Primary Care panel discussions, as well as many opportunities to obtain direct mentorship and career advice from faculty in the Division of General Medicine.

See Our Recent Graduates