Hanover The dean of Dartmouths Geisel School of Medicine has pulled back on a decision to halt admissions to a dual-degree program following uproar among students, faculty and alumni.

Geisel Dean Wiley Chip Souba announced Thursday that the school would continue to recruit and admit students to its M.D.-Ph.D. program. The change-in-course comes after Souba told the school last week that admissions were being paused because of cost concerns while Geisel studied how it fits into the schools overall strategic goal of sustainability and excellence.

Souba said he reconsidered his decision after meeting with students and faculty over the past two weeks. His announcement followed a Thursday morning meeting with the programs director, Jim Gorham, and M.D.-Ph.D. students.

This is good news for our students, the program and for Geisel, Souba said in an e-mail Thursday to faculty and students. This solution reflects input from our students and faculty, and focuses our constructive energy on the overarching goal of building a strong and sustainable medical school.

Currently, there are 25 students enrolled in Geisels program. The school would admit two more students this year and two next year, Souba said. However, the school still is reviewing the program. A group of faculty and current M.D.-Ph.D. students will look at how Dartmouths peer institutions approach their programs, identify additional funding sources and come forward with recommendations that can ensure a sustainable and excellent future for the program, Souba said.

Such programs are designed for s tudents who want to become research physicians, and graduates often go on to become faculty members at medical schools, universities and research institutes.

Proponents of M.D.-Ph.D. programs say the students serve as bridges between clinicians and scientists and help bring the latest research out of the lab and into medical practice. But they can be expensive to run and some say that, while there are many long-term benefits, the short-term costs make them difficult to offer.

Dartmouth heavily subsidizes the students educational expenses, spending more than $1 million annually to cover tuition, fees and stipends for M.D.-Ph.D. students. Meanwhile, the medical school is trying to close a $13 million budget gap. Other medical schools, including the University of Vermont, have c urtailed M.D.-Ph.D. programs as federal funding dries up.

1,000 Signed Petition

But when Souba attempted to put a pause on admitting new students to the program, the decision outraged many at the college and even outside groups.

More here:
Protests Prompt Geisel to Continue Dual M.D.-PhD. Program