The University of Wisconsin (UW) Surgery Summer Research Experience for Medical Students has been supported by an NIH T35 for the past nine years. Following summer 2015, the program will have supported 40 medical students in surgical NIDDK-related research projects since its last competing renewal, including seven individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Under the strong leadership of Dr. Herbert Chen, the program provides medical students with a focused, 8-12 week, mentored research and training experience that guide students towards a career pathway which involves academic research, with a secondary goal of encouraging students to consider a career in academic surgery. The program fosters the development of knowledge, competence, skills, professional attitudes, and experience required to understand what is involved in successful academic basic science, translational, clinical or health services research. During this experience, trainees formally agree to fulfill training program requirements, create an individual development plan, attend an established curriculum in effective research and career development, complete a research project, present their research at a departmental seminar, write and submit an abstract to one regional and one national meeting, present an oral or poster presentation at the University of Wisconsin Medical Student Research Forum and the Department of Surgery Research Summit, and complete assessments of the curriculum and the program. Each year eight medical students are selected for support from this T35 short-term training grant and the program has built a strong reputation and attracted bright and motivated students since its inception. The program utilizes the extensive resources of the UW Department of Surgery and the UW School of Medicine and Public Health to offer a comprehensive training experience that includes supplemental didactic conferences on topics including design and conduct of research, effective communication of scientific knowledge, scientific writing, funding opportunities, career development, and responsible conduct of research. The University of Wisconsin has a strong portfolio of NIH-funded training grants; however, this T35 represents the only program that specifically supports short-term training opportunities for medical students. By partnering medical students with successful physician scientists who will serve as research role models, we aim to increase the future pool of physician scientists.
A decline in the number of physician scientists will impact our Nation's capacity to translate research discoveries into improved patient outcomes. Mentors and early research training experiences are understood to influence career choices and likelihood of pursuing medical careers in research. The University of Wisconsin Surgery Summer Research Experience for Medical Students provides mentored summer research opportunities as a mechanism to encourage medical students to pursue careers that integrate research with clinical care
Showing the most recent 10 out of 69 publications
