Washington University in St. Louis: Four physician-scientists named Dean’s Scholars

The Division of Physician-Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has selected four physicians for its second class of Dean’s Scholars. The program provides up to two years of financial support and mentorship to aspiring, early-career physician-scientists, along with dedicated time for conducting laboratory research.

The newly named class includes: Mary “Maggie” Mullen, MD; Matthew Shew, MD; Erica Young, MD; and Rong Mei Zhang, MD.

Initiated in 2020, the program represents the school’s commitment to address a nationwide shortage of physician-scientists by nurturing the career development of physicians who treat patients but also want to pursue laboratory-based biomedical research.

Physician-scientists are considered crucial to developing new therapeutics and approaches to diagnosing and treating disease. However, their numbers are dwindling. While many physician-scientists hold medical and doctoral degrees, the Dean’s Scholars program aims to strengthen the research skills of those who have earned only medical degrees.