The diminishing pipeline of physician scientists is a well-established concern and the National Institutes of Health has established that medical students not pursuing a dual degree were more likely to choose a research career as a result of exposure to research during medical school. Therefore, by providing mentored short-term research experiences for medical students, and aligning students with a physician/surgeon-scientist role model, opportunity exists to influence the career choices of medical students and address the deficit in the number of physician/surgeon-scientists entering the workforce. The Short-Term Research Experiences Advancing Medical Students (STREAMS) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) offers summer research fellowships with the goal of encouraging medical students to pursue research careers, particularly in research areas related to the mission of NIDDK. This proposal seeks support to provide a formal program with stipend support to promising medical students engaged in an 8-12 week, mentored research experience with the goal of encouraging students to seriously consider careers in academic medicine and enhance the pipeline of physicians and surgeons with potential to pursue academic careers with NIDDK-related research interests. UAB is ideally suited for this program; the program boasts outstanding leadership, an environment that promotes engagement of medical students in research, a well-funded group of trainers with extensive commitment to medical student mentorship, a diverse pool of potential trainees, a wide breadth of research opportunities including health disparities research, and matching institutional support. UAB is also home to 5 NIDDK funded research centers. Furthermore, while there are thirteen AAMC accredited medical schools in the Deep South, only three T35s targeting short-term experiences for medical students have been awarded to these institutions. There are no NIDDK-funded T35s held by institutions in Alabama or the neighboring states of Mississippi and Georgia. By partnering medical students with successful physician/surgeon scientists who will serve as research role models, we aim to increase the future pool of physician/surgeon scientists in the southeast.
Addressing the decline in the number of surgeon scientists, is essential to future research discoveries that will improve 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 Alabama at Birmingham Short-Term Research Experiences Advancing Medical Students (STREAMS) provides mentored summer research opportunities as a mechanism to encourage medical students to pursue careers that integrate research with surgical care.
