I've been reading about the relatively common MD-PhD program offered at most medical schools in the US. It's not really offered anywhere in Australia except I think ANU, and I'm aware that time-duration wise you can do the same thing in Australia in the same amount of time, just one after the other instead of combined.
I recently met an American who is finishing up one of these programs and had grand plans of becoming an oncologist who was going to revolutionise cancer treatments through his research as well, instead of just being an ordinary oncologist whose treatment recommendations are dictated by whatever the current list of clinically trialled treatments are most effective to cancer X. To me this sounds totally wonderful but I'm also wondering how on earth you can be both a researcher and a medical specialist?
Does anyone out there know of anyone who actually does this? Or if this kind of thing is nurtured/encourages in Australia? Or is it just a US thing?
Sorry, it's not entirely on topic, but I didn't want to start a new thread just for this weird question.