A student-led MD-PhD program wellness initiative

Students who are enrolled in MD-PhD training programs face the same stressors and adverse experiences as medical students and graduate students and, additionally, have challenges unique to the dual-degree curriculum. These future physician-scientists can benefit from tailored training to help them manage these challenges. Thus, students in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at Virginia Commonwealth University developed and implemented a student-led, administration-supported Wellness Initiative specifically for these trainees. The initiative has four aims designed to improve students' wellbeing in all major aspects of their lives and to shift the culture of the MSTP to one with a greater focus on holistic wellness. The aims are achieved with four practical components: monthly wellness programming, a peer mentorship program, annual wellness goals for students, and a wellness resource guide. Together, these components help students build their social support network, facilitate vertical transmission of institutional and local knowledge, offer intentional check-ins that encourage students to seek help whenever needed, and encourage wellness and resiliency education that will aid students throughout their careers. Since its inception in 2019, student involvement in the wellness initiative has steadily increased, with promising annual program data suggesting that it has positively impacted our MSTP students and program culture. The success of the initiative is further reinforced by positive messaging and financial support from MSTP leadership. Student leaders within the initiative continue to innovate, ensuring the initiative remains flexible enough to meet new challenges within the MD-PhD training environment as they arise. The VCU MSTP Wellness Initiative, described herein as a framework for other institutions, is the first published model of a comprehensive wellness program specifically designed to address the unique needs of physician-scientist trainees.