) Training at all levels is an important priority to the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (COM) and the Children's Hospital. The COM and the Children's Hospital have established extensive programs for developing M.D., Ph.D. and M.D./Ph. D fellows and faculty into independent clinical and basic science investigators. Most medical students never develop an appreciation for, or an interest in, the translational aspect of basic science due to the limited opportunities to participate in laboratory, clinical or translational research during their initial years of training. In 1990, the College of Medicine developed a summer program to train medical students in research and offered opportunities to train 10 to 15 medical students/year. This proposal represents the third competitive renewal of a Short Term Medical Student Training Grant after 15 years of support from NIDDK. During the last 5 years, 73 students have participated in an 8-week Summer Program between the first and second years of medical school. The current summer program has a well-organized method of selection of trainees and mentors as well as an effective means of assessing the trainees' progress. A faculty of 35 Ph.Ds., M.D.s and M.D./Ph.Ds. from multiple departments/divisions with a proven track record of success in research with programs pursuing with NIDDK-related focuses and mentoring are available to the students from the University of Cincinnati and other institutions from whom underrepresented racial and ethnic groups will be recruited. Included within the program are opportunities to pursue basic and clinical research projects with weekly meetings at which instruction in responsible conduct of research, human subject protection, research ethics, conflict of interest and presentation and publication of results is provided. Students present their proposed projects to peers and mentors at the beginning of the summer and at a fall symposium when the results are presented poster format with a nationally recognized M.D. investigator visiting as a keynote speaker. With this application, we are requesting 12 positions for summer students during between 1st and 2nd years of instruction. Experience with this program has suggested that it provides an excellent exposure to research for medical students with an excellent track record of presentation and publication of results with the goal that support for this program should help to increase the pool of M.D.'s who will pursue basic or patient-oriented research careers.
Encouraging physicians to pursue careers as physician-scientists in clinical and translational research is essential to improved health of Americans in the future. The T35 Short Term Medical Student Program supported by NIDDK provides research exposure for medical students at an opportune time to influence career choices as physician scientists.
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