MD/PhD Program and not a Qualified Soul to be Found

As I am digging deeper and deeper into the procedures of the University of South Dakota School of Medicine and the lack of qualifications for the Admissions Committee, I am beginning to wonder how these people are qualified to admit students into the USD SSOM MD/PhD program.

For those not familiar with the MD/PhD program this is a combined degree that has the intentions of training individuals in both medical sciences and basic sciences, with the ultimate hope that an MD/PhD will concentrate his/her career not necessarily in the physical practice of medicine, but the research and application of medical techniques and development. Typically, the MD/PhD is an eight year adventure where the admitted student complete his/her first two years of medical school then focuses on the PhD aspects, and then completes years seven and eight of his/her studies completing years three and four of the MD program. In the end, the MD/PhD student is required to assemble and defend a PhD thesis based on novel hypothesis driven research.

As we have seen, a MAJORITY of the PhD members of the USD Basic/Biomedical Sciences departments have MINIMAL (at best) publications and relatively ZERO levels of funding. My questions become, again, how on earth are these faculty members qualified to mentor a student in such a program? To the best of our knowledge not one member of the USD SSOM has an earned MD/PhD and is licensed to practice medicine.

This University has SERIOUS issues and is fraudulently displaying its so-called credentials to the people, the citizens, of South Dakota. How are these faculty qualified ... what a question!