{"id":9798,"date":"2026-02-12T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/?p=9798"},"modified":"2026-02-16T21:55:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T05:55:43","slug":"usc-expands-possibilities-for-medical-education-with-new-dual-degrees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/usc-expands-possibilities-for-medical-education-with-new-dual-degrees\/","title":{"rendered":"USC expands possibilities for medical education with new dual degrees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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\n\n \n Campus News<\/span>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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USC expands possibilities for medical education with new dual degrees<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education Ron Ben-Ari sheds light on how dual degrees provide advantages for aspiring MDs at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n

\n Wayne Lewis<\/span>\n \n February 12, 2026<\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n \n
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Photo\/William Vasta<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n \n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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The Physician-Citizen-Scholar curriculum at the Keck School of Medicine of USC provides students with outstanding clinical training and a basis for entering any specialty or nontraditional career. For decades, the school has also complemented its signature hands-on medical education rooted in service by creating chances for students to broaden their perspective \u2014 and career outlook \u2014 through dual degrees<\/a>. Through established and growing collaborations with academic units within USC and institutions such as Caltech, trainees in the MD program<\/a> have enriched their medical education with studies toward PhDs, MBAs and Master of Public Health (MPH) degrees.<\/p>\n

\"Ron
Ron Ben-Ari, MD (Photo\/Ricardo Carrasco III)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now, the Keck School of Medicine has introduced additional opportunities: partnering with the USC Price School of Public Policy <\/a>to offer an MD\/Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA), and with the USC Viterbi School of Engineering<\/a> to offer an MD\/Master of Health System Management Engineering (HSME) and an MD\/Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering (BME).<\/p>\n

In conversation, Ron Ben-Ari, MD, the senior associate dean for medical education and a professor of clinical medicine and medical education, delves into the motivations behind the growing palette of dual-degree options, and what they mean for future physicians trained at USC.<\/p>\n

What prompted the addition of new dual degree programs for medical students?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The expansion is grounded in our core mission of preparing great doctors. Opening up ways to broaden expertise simply represents an enhancement in fulfilling that mission and to meet the needs of our nation.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re hearing from more and more students interested in expanding the learning and career opportunities available to them. We want to equip physicians who can do all sorts of things to meet society\u2019s needs, as the world of medicine and health care delivery grow increasingly complex.<\/p>\n

How do the individual offerings realize that vision?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The MD\/MHA<\/a>, focused on administrating systems, is especially relevant with the rise of health systems science as a pillar of medicine. The MD\/HSME comes at health care delivery from a systems engineering standpoint \u2014 identifying and solving problems within the health system.<\/p>\n

The MD\/BME is a recognition of how intertwined engineering and medical science are, and will continue to be. The engineer\u2019s perspective offers a lot of skills for solving problems and applying technology to improve patient care.<\/p>\n

These new options build on longstanding offerings. The MD\/PhD<\/a> positions students to become consummate physician-scientists. The MD\/MPH<\/a> is popular among trainees seeking to think more expansively about caring for populations. And the MD\/MBA<\/a> encompasses a lot of operational issues that future physician health system executives need to understand.<\/p>\n

How do the dual degrees integrate with the central medical curriculum at the Keck School of Medicine?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve implemented the Health Justice and Systems of Care course as a key element of our Physician-Citizen-Scholar Curriculum. Our students earn a certificate in Health Justice and we capitalize on USC\u2019s overall breadth and excellence \u2014 integrating collaborations with scholars in the humanities and policy research.<\/p>\n

Our dual degrees have a profound link to the health justice curriculum. The new offerings are dialed in to improving health systems to provide more value and efficiency. There\u2019s inherently an eye toward reducing disparities in outcomes and increasing health equity.<\/p>\n

At the same time, there\u2019s a broad array of research and scholarship in which students can take part, whether it\u2019s bench science or translational research or other scholarship. Dual degrees have this built-in interface with multiple disciplines, which further extends the range of possible applications to one\u2019s career.<\/p>\n

The MD\/PhD can tie in deeply to health justice depending on the given concentration. Within the MD\/MPH, a great deal of effort is devoted to identifying and addressing disparities. Likewise, an MD\/MBA can easily be directed toward providing more value and tackling disparities in outcomes on a systemic basis.<\/p>\n

Does that integration carry over to the experiential and service-learning elements of USC medical education?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Absolutely. We attract students who are committed to serving communities that are traditionally underserved. They feel at home in this culture that\u2019s centered on patients and communities. And they learn in a broad and holistic clinical environment, encompassing public, academic and community settings across the Los\u00a0Angeles area.<\/p>\n

The richness of our institution\u2019s engagement with the community enables students to experience, in a concrete way, how organizations can improve lives. We impart an ethic of doing so with humility, respect and cultural competence.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve found that students looking to develop expertise beyond the MD do so through the lens of service. They\u2019re motivated to help those who have less access. The dual degrees then become avenues to help, to serve.<\/p>\n

How do dual degrees enhance students\u2019 career prospects?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Pursuing a dual degree tends to highlight a student as a high achiever. It sets them apart as someone with high aspirations. Depending on your area of study, the dual degree can be an appealing characteristic for residencies. For example, skillsets in quality improvement, patient safety or leadership are sought-after.<\/p>\n

The administrative and problem-solving skills built into the new offerings are extremely valuable across numerous contexts \u2014 running a practice, running a lab, taking on a leadership role, to name a few.<\/p>\n

Overall, our focus on scholarship translates to the ability to synthesize information, which is useful for creating new knowledge, or for providing extraordinary care at the bedside.<\/p>\n

Learn more about dual degrees<\/a> within USC medical education<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education Ron Ben-Ari sheds light on how dual degrees provide advantages for aspiring MDs at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":278,"featured_media":9800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[61],"class_list":["post-9798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-news","tag-education"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUSC expands possibilities for medical education with new dual degrees<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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