The physician–scientist track (MD/PhD) in academic medical centers has become one of the great illusions of modern science - a path that promises to unite medicine and science but rarely fulfills either goal. Training stretches on for years as one person is expected to learn two professions at once, and in practice, they seldom master either. Many hold a token clinic for a few hours a week while running labs that produce derivative “translational” research — supposedly aimed at improving patient care. In reality, these efforts seldom advance either basic knowledge or clinical practice in a meaningful way. The personal rewards, however, are significant: MD/PhDs are paid far more than PhDs alone, face far less competition for faculty positions, are treated better by upper administration, and are freed from the full clinical responsibilities of practicing physicians. They also enjoy privileged access to administrative roles in medical centers, journals, and professional societies - positions that often pay handsomely. Yet almost no one has seriously examined whether this track delivers genuine scientific or medical value, or if it merely sustains another bureaucratic layer within an already bloated healthcare system. students-residents.aamc.org/…