The goal of the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Virginia is to train individuals who will be both outstanding biomedical scientists and data-driven physicians, pioneering major advances in medical practice through research. The goal is intimately aligned with a central mission of the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine: to conduct outstanding biomedical research and to pioneer developments in the practice of medicine. Importantly, and in keeping with the broader career training vision of the NIH for trainees, our long-term goals for our graduates include training not only future academic researchers, educators, and administrators but also leaders in other non-traditional careers in the private and public sector that advance our understanding of human disease, help develop more effective medical therapies, or affect policy in these areas. The impressive successes and wide-ranging professional avenues that our alumni have pursued is testimony to the positive outcomes of this philosophy.