Clifford Harding is the new director of the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at the School of Medicine. The program trains students for the dual degrees of the M.D. and Ph.D.Clifford Harding is the new director of the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at the School of Medicine. The program trains students for the dual degrees of the M.D. and Ph.D.
Harding, a professor of pathology and oncology at the School of Medicine, has been on faculty since 1993. He was an MSTP student at Washington University from 1979 to 1985. He holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Harvard College.
"He has a deep personal commitment to the MSTP," said Nathan Berger, dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at CWRU, who made the appointment. "He is an outstanding researcher and teacher who has served on the MSTP steering committee since 1997 and has successfully trained a number of both Ph.D. and M.D.-Ph.D. students."
Harding's research interests lie in immunology and cell biology, and relate to certain clinical problems in infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis. He has served on several NIH study sections; on the editorial boards of several journals; as an ad-hoc reviewer for journals including Science, Nature Medicine, Journal of Cell Biology, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; and is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Association of Immunologists and American Society for Investigative Pathology.
Harding takes over for John Nilson, who has directed the MSTP for five years. Nilson will continue in his position as chairman of the Department of Pharmacology and will remain active as emeritus MSTP director.
CWRU has offered M.D.-Ph.D. training since 1956 for students aspiring to dual careers in academic medicine and biomedical research. CWRU's program was among the first to receive funding from the National Institutes of Health and carry the NIH designation of Medical Scientist Training Program more than 25 years ago.
"MSTP students contribute substantially to the intellectual climate at our medical school, both as medical students and graduate students, and they will make major scientific, academic and clinical contributions in the future," said Harding. "We can be proud that many outstanding graduates have been produced by the program, including Nobel Prize laureates Alfred Gilman and Ferid Murad, and U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, all three of whom earned their dual degrees at CWRU."
