Lisa Jasperson is undaunted by the challenge of pursuing both an M.D. and a Ph.D. degree at the University of Minnesota, despite the fact that it will take her some eight years to accomplish it. "Training intensely in both science and medicine really allows you to identify the best research questions to ask, and hopefully the answers will go a long way toward improving human health," says Jasperson.

Training the next generation of researchers is part of the mission of the University of Minnesota Cancer Center. Cancer Center faculty mentor graduate students and postdoctoral associates who work on research projects in their laboratories. Among these trainees are a select number of students who decide to obtain both an M.D. and a Ph.D. degree.

As one of 42 training programs for medical scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Combined MD/PhD Training Program at the University of Minnesota is among the top dual degree programs in the country. Tucker LeBien, Ph.D., deputy director of the Cancer Center and professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, is the director of the program.

"Successful pursuit of the MD/PhD requires intellect, passion for science and medicine, and stamina. The long-term return on that commitment is unlimited. The training students receive places them at the forefront of clinical investigation and the practice of medicine," says LeBien.

The program's stated mission is "to train the next generation of physician-scientists who will conduct research that will lead to the preservation and restoration of human health." Program graduates pursue two to four years of residency training, depending on their medical specialty, at teaching hospitals around the country. They often conduct a two- to three-year fellowship after residency training. At the end of this lengthy training period, many will pursue positions on the faculty of major university medical centers.

Joining a community of researchers

Jasperson grew up in South Minneapolis and attended Brown University. She graduated from Brown in 2003 with a biochemistry degree. She had planned on pursuing a Ph.D. until she became aware of the MD/PhD Program while working on a summer research project in LeBien's laboratory at the Cancer Center. She discovered the medical aspects of research interested her most, so while she worked in the lab, she studied for the MCAT test required for medical school applicants. She applied to the program and was accepted into the class of 2003.

All MD/PhD students do lab rotations with different faculty mentors in order to decide where they want to do their thesis research. Jasperson chose the laboratory of Cancer Center researcher Bruce Blazar, M.D., because he is an M.D. with a successful research lab, which is the ultimate career goal for students in the program. In addition, Blazar investigates a wide range of clinically important topics using animal models. "Working with animal models had a more obvious medical relevance to me," says Jasperson.

The Blazar lab studies mechanisms that could circumvent graft-versus-host disease, which is a common complication after bone marrow transplants. Jasperson is studying the role of a particular immune-suppressor enzyme called indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, which is not well understood in disease processes. By studying this enzyme in mouse models she hopes to discover how it might be manipulated to ameliorate the effects of graft-versus-host disease.

Jasperson says she appreciates being part of a community of researchers at the Cancer Center. "If you need help with a project, you can walk over to another lab and get the resources you need."

"I think it will be an advantage that I will have a thorough understanding of the biology underlying the disease and the way treatments work, especially since making advancements in these areas will be a major part of my career."
— Jeannette Zinggeler

Catching the 'research bug'

Jeannette Zinggeler also entered the MD/PhD Program in 2003. Born in Switzerland, she grew up in Lino Lakes and attended classes at the University of Minnesota while still in high school. She spent her senior year in classes at the University full time. Wavering between majoring in music (she plays the flute) and biology, she took a Biology Careers Exposure course in her second year at the University and began working in the laboratory of Sagarika Kanjilal, Ph.D. Her experiences in the Kanjilal laboratory inspired her to learn more about science. "The research bug bit me there," she says.

After graduating from the University, Zinggeler attended the Yale School of Public Health. She was interested in cancer from the start, particularly prevention and strategies for early intervention. "Cancers are interesting to me from a biological standpoint and are a huge challenge to our society today," Zinggeler says. In her thesis research, she studied time delays in the diagnosis of breast cancer in Connecticut women. "At Yale, one third of my division classmates were physicians who had an interest in health research in addition to being committed care providers," says Zinggeler.

Zinggeler received a master's degree in public health in 2001. She then went to the Mayo Clinic and worked on large epidemiological studies of colon and lung cancer. Finding that she missed laboratory research, she prepared to apply to the MD/PhD program at the University of Minnesota. She returned to Minneapolis to work as an assistant scientist in the lab of Cancer Center researcher Sharon Murphy, Ph.D., where she contributed to research projects focused on investigating individual differences in nicotine metabolism. "Nicotine metabolism may influence addiction to tobacco products and how much someone smokes," Zinggeler says.

After matriculating into the MD/PhD program, she chose to join the Murphy lab for her graduate training in biochemistry. Zinggeler is now studying the metabolism of the tobacco carcinogen NNK. She is investigating the pathways that can lead to the formation of DNA mutations and those that enable detoxification. "My research gives me an opportunity to learn about how chemical carcinogenesis is initiated, and also to consider how it might be avoided or blocked. We can learn a great deal from tobacco-associated carcinogenesis and apply what we learn to other exposures, too."

From laboratory to clinic

How does her research fit in with being a doctor? "It will be some time before my research and clinical training will truly mesh together," Zinggeler acknowledges. She is leaning toward training in internal medicine and oncology. "I think it will be an advantage that I will have a thorough understanding of the biology underlying the disease and the way treatments work, especially since making advancements in these areas will be a major part of my career," she says. She's looking forward to returning to clinic in the future to complete medical school, where she will learn more about patient care. In the meantime, she has been volunteering at the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic, which gives her an opportunity to connect with patients and to learn from dedicated physicians who are also volunteering their time.

"While the MD/PhD training program is long, it's inspiring to see students ahead of me make discoveries in their research, excel in clinic, and enter rigorous residency programs." Zinggeler, who is the recipient of an MD/PhD predoctoral fellowship from the National Institutes of Health, comments, "I'm doing exactly what I want to do."