The NIH Short-Term Research Training Program for medical students is the cornerstone for the Summer Research Program (SRP) at The University of Texas-Houston Medical School (UTHMS). In addition to medical students, undergraduates from colleges throughout the nation and international medical students also take part in the SRP. Although funds are being sought only to support 24 medical students, up to 100 individuals participate annually. In keeping with the uniform recruitment and retention efforts of UTHMS, a major objective is to recruit students from underrepresented groups into all components of the Program. The Short-Term Research Training has as its foundation an intensive laboratory research experience, primarily in NIDDK mission-related areas, supplemented with workshops in laboratory safety, bioethics and the responsible conduct of research, regulations related to the use of human subjects in research, and the proper use and care of experimental animals. A seminar program and enrichment series, dedicated to the medical student and college undergraduate components, and presented by nationally renowned figures, exposes students to state of the art basic and clinical research and to special training programs that are stepping-stones to careers in the biomedical sciences. The experiences of the medical students are interwoven with activities within their sponsoring unit. Students can train in over 30 departments/divisions at the Medical School and Institute for Molecular Medicine or undertake NIDDK mission appropriate research at UT-Houston's dental, public health, health information sciences, and nursing schools. The program product is a medical student who has received a 10-week, first-hand experience in the scientific method under the tutelage of UT-Houston'top researchers;exposure to the institution's research support services;training in state of the art technologies;and new knowledge and skills. Results of the program are evident in the abstracts that students produce as a culmination to their training that are archived in an institutional publication, oral presentations that many students give in their departments, and a poster session where all students display their work to the entire medical school. Some students travel to national meetings to communicate their experimental results, and co-author publications with their faculty preceptors Administration of the Short-Term Research Training Program involves a director, coordinator, and a Faculty Advisory Committee. The Program has historically received outstanding faculty and administrative support and has become a traditional and integral part of the UTHMS research enterprise. The overriding intent of the Program is to instill in students a desire to continue basic and/or translational clinical research as part of their career pursuits, specifically in areas related to digestive disease, kidney disease, diabetes and other areas within the mission of NIDDK.
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