Reproductive Scientist Development Program (RSDP) Information

The Reproductive Scientist Development Program is a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional research career development program established in 1988 to train obstetrician-gynecologists committed to academic investigative careers in fundamental biomedical science. Its objective is to educate obstetrician-gynecologists in contemporary basic science research related to reproductive medicine and biology to prepare them for research careers in academic medicine. The ultimate goal is to help ensure that academic obstetrics and gynecology fulfills its mission to increase research and discovery in the reproductive sciences. Outstanding MD/PhD, PhD and MD scientists with broad research experience serve as faculty mentors. The RSDP is a consortium involving the current host institution — Washington University School of Medicine — its sponsors and the many institutions around the country that train RSDP scholars. The program is supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in collaboration with private agencies, professional societies, foundations, and private industry. Candidates for the two-year award are selected by a distinguished Selection Committee following a national competition. To apply, candidates must first obtain a commitment of a faculty position by a sponsoring department with a minimum of seventy-five percent protected time for research for the first three faculty years following training. The program and its sponsors are committed to the development of a new generation of young scientists who will become the interpreters of the latest advances in biomedical science to the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynecology.