The T35 short term research training program at The University of Michigan Medical School, now in its 37th year, introduces medical students to the concepts of medical research to spawn the next generation of physician scientists. While the program was previously run in a summer session between first and second year, a new medical school curriculum has moved elective research time to the third year. This application proposes to move the T35 supported training period to this point in the curriculum. The third year medical students entering the program will have completed preliminary basic science and clinical training and be in an excellent position to capitalize on this research opportunity. The students will undertake basic, translational, or clinical research projects under the supervision of 103 faculty preceptors representing 21 basic science and clinical disciplines. Despite the change in the schedule the goals of our short term research program are unchanged: (1) Provide students with the opportunity to learn research concepts and methodologies from active investigators, and assess their desire to pursue careers in research; (2) Expand the scholarly and research experiences of medical students as part of an overall career development strategy aimed at increasing the number of talented students choosing careers as physician scientists; (3) Promote high quality and intensive research opportunities for those students who are already on a path toward academic medicine; (4) Provide students who elect not to go into academic medicine an understanding of the scientific method and critical analysis of literature through their research experience; (5) Increase the number of students from diverse backgrounds who participate in a research experience, and ultimately choose careers as physician scientists; (6) Promote research experiences that can develop into longer-term student- faculty mentoring relationships; (7) Provide trainees with experience in scientific presentation and publication of research and (8) Provide students with a high quality didactic program in research with an emphasis on the ethical and responsible conduct of research. The NIH and other institutions have recognized the need to increase the number of US physician scientists and enhance the quality of healthcare and foster clinically relevant innovative research. The short term research training program at the University of Michigan, with NRSA support, has a strong record of meeting this need.
This training program supports short term research opportunities for University of Michigan medical students. The goal of the program is to expose these students to scientific investigation to promote medical research careers and to promote an understanding of the role of medical research in the practice of medicine.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 66 publications
