This application seeks to establish the T35 NHLBI Summer Research Program. This program focuses on enhancing medicals student research training at UT Southwestern Medical Center by providing short-term training opportunities for medical students in basic and clinical biomedical research focused in areas supported by the NHLBI. Based on experience gained through prior summer research program administration, we will administer and continually enhance a short-term training program for medical students enrolled at UT Southwestern as well as outstanding applicants from medical schools across the country. Building upon our collective experience in the identification and pairing of students and mentors, we anticipate that these experiences will continue to enrich the research background of participating medical students. Besides the mentor-based teaching within the laboratories and clinics, trainees will also receive a comprehensive course in Research Methodology and NHLBI- specific journal clubs. The program described in this application will employ the outstanding faculty and resources already in place at UT Southwestern that are focused in areas of NHLBI interest. This program will serve as a focal point to further enrich medical student research activities at UT Southwestern and will enhance existing elements of NHLBI-funded research on campus.
In the last four decades, the great strides made in biomedical research has made training the next generation of physician scientists a critical element needed to translate biomedical discoveries into new therapies capable of treating and preventing human disease. The goal of the T35 NHLBI Summer Research Program is to identify highly-qualified medical students students and educate them to pose scholarly questions and design methods of answering those questions to continue to advance the science of medicine through a mentored research experience and in-class educational opportunities.
