University of Virginia Health System

Medical Student Research Programs at UVA

Summary and quick links:

Medical Student Summer Research Program (MSSRP) for 2010
       MSSRP 2009 - proposed projects (new projects to be listed early in 2010)
       2009 Preceptor Form (to be updated shortly)
       2009 Student Application Form  (to be updated shortly)
       2010 calendar
       Contact information

Medical Student Extended Research Program

Non-UVA medical student research programs

Projects that were proposed for the 2009 program can be accessed here.  Students should contact the faculty sponsor directly to discuss the work in greater detail, or may approach other faculty directly to develop an unlisted research project for inclusion in the MSSRP.

This program provides research opportunities to UVA medical students during the summer following their first year.  This seven-week, extra-curricular research experience is an important element of a well-rounded medical education.  A wide range of research experiences is available, covering essentially all departments within the medical school.  Approximately fifty rising second-year students participate in this program annually (66 in 2009), gaining important exposure to the excitement, rewards, trials, and tribulations of biomedical research.  Students will receive UVA salaries for the program.  Funding is provided by a combination of faculty grants, departmental funds, individual student awards, and Dean's Office funds. The MSSRP has several components:

• Participation in a research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor.  The research experience is often tailored to the student's interests and abilities, and can include laboratory, clinical, epidemiological, or theoretical projects.  The program provides an opportunity for students to become immersed in a research project to which they can contribute actively.

• Presentation of one's project in informal breakfast meetings attended by other students and the program director.  These are held starting in July and allow students to discuss their research project with their peers.

• Optional attendance at departmental or School of Medicine lectures and workshops over the course of the summer.
  
• Required attendance at a one-hour session on Responsible Conduct of Research, which is offered on two dates during the summer.

• Submission of a final project report.  The written report stimulates students to formulate their thoughts and bring the work to completion.  One student will be chosen each summer as the recipient of the MSSRP award, a cash prize based on the quality of the submitted paper.  The prize will be awarded at the Student Research Symposium in October. 

MSSRP participants (and all other medical students) and SOM faculty are invited to attend and participate in the fall symposium.

Applications for 2010 faculty projects and student participation will be made available in January:

2009 Preceptor Form (to be updated for 2010)
2009 Student Application Form (to be updated for 2010)


2010 MSSRP Calendar

January through April:  Projects posted (see "MSSRP available Projects" above) 

late April:  Student Agreement Form due back to the Office for Research

June 14:  Earliest project start date

July (dates TBA):  Required lecture on responsible conduct of research (two identical presentations to be offered)

July (dates TBA):  Informal breakfast talks

August 13:  Latest project end date (MS2 fall semester starts 8/16)

September 17:  Final report of project due

Date TBA:  Fall Symposium and Poster Session

MSSRP director:
        Steven S. Wasserman, PhD
        Assistant Dean for Research
        ssw3an@virginia.edu
        McKim 3027

Program coordinator (primary contact): 
        Joyce Fortune
        Office for Research
        klm4e@Virginia.EDU
        McKim 3026
        x3-7088

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The objective of this program is to provide an opportunity for medical students to participate in either a short-term or a sustained research program during their medical school training.  The subject area may include, but shall not be limited to classical biomedical investigation such as biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, etc.  Alternatively, work in the humanities on a medically related topic, medical ethics, health care delivery, medical economics or medico-legal issues is appropriate for this program.

• Option 1 (Short-term Program):  This program is intended to incorporate and define in greater detail the current seven week research opportunity for medical students which is available during the summer following Year I.  The Short-term Program provides the opportunity to extend the seven-week project into free time in Years II and III and elective periods in Year IV.  For any of these alternatives, students will select a faculty mentor who is knowledgeable and experienced in providing guidance to students with limited research experience and a limited time frame.  No thesis committee or prior proposal is required for this activity. Credit for up to three months of elective time spent on the project in Year IV will be awarded, subject to approval by the Electives Committee.  The submission of an acceptable report to the Office for Research is required.
  
• Option 2 (Year-Long Program):  This program provides an extended and intensive research experience to interested students.  The project may represent continuation of a project carried out during summer research following Year I, but can be initiated formally only after completion of Year II.  The work will involve an additional research year which can be taken after Year II or III, or under exceptional circumstances, Year IV.  The student must identify a mentor and jointly with that mentor, select a research supervisory committee consisting of two additional faculty:  one from a basic science department and one from a clinical department.  The student will prepare a brief (1-2 page) research proposal reflecting the hypothesis for the project, the methods to be employed, and a time schedule.  This proposed plan must be approved by the committee, which will meet every 3-4 months to provide oversight of the work for the entire project period.  A report in the format of a scientific paper must be submitted to the committee and the Office for Research by 31 January of the year of anticipated graduation.  The student must make an oral presentation of his/her research to the committee or, preferably, as part of a departmental seminar program.  The committee must approve the successful completion of all requirements by 31 March.  Recognition for this extended research will appear on the student's transcript as "Distinction in Research" and an additional certificate will be awarded at graduation. Certain external programs, such as those funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute or the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation may substitute for the internal, year-long program.  Please contact the Office for Research in advance for approval of such a program.

Note: Students participating in the year-long program, after completion of their third year, may apply for up to three months of elective credit through the Electives Committee.  However, they may not receive stipends/wages for the work performed during those three months. 

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• NIH Clinical Research Training Program (deadline 1/15/10).  Twelve-month training program in principles and practice of clinical investigation on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.  Participants learn about clinical research design, data analysis, bioethics, and critical review of medical literature, while conducting mentored clinical or translational research in an area that matches their academic interests and career goals.
• HHMI Research Scholars Program (deadline 1/10/10).  Also known as the Cloister Program.  Provides a year of support for research training on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. Participants choose a preceptor from over 1,200 tenured or tenure-track intramural scientists working on more than 2,500 research projects after the start of the program.  Note:  students may apply for this and the program below simultaneously.
• HHMI Medical Fellows Program (deadline 1/11/10).  Supports a year of full-time biomedical research training for medical students.  This includes joint initiatives with the Ivy Foundation for student researchers in the neurosciences, particularly neuro-oncology, and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) for veterinary students.  Fellowship research must be conducted at an academic or nonprofit research institution in the United States, other than NIH (e.g., UVA).  Note:  students may apply for both HHMI programs simultaneously.
• American Federation for Aging Research Medical Student Training in Aging Research Program (prior deadline 2/6/09).  Research to be conducted at NIH-funded National Training Centers or UTMB Galveston or UTHSC San Antonio.
• Congress of Neurological Surgeons Medical Student Summer Fellowship Awards (deadline 2/1/10).  Awards for to permit medical students to expand their research and studies and to enhance their education.
• Harvard Visiting Research Internship Program (prior deadline 3/6/09).  This eight-week, mentored summer program is open to first- and second-year medical students.
• Johns Hopkins University Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center summer fellowships:  "Cancer in the Under-Privileged, Indigent or Disadvantaged" (prior deadline 2/1/09).  Eight week research/training program in Baltimore.
• Roswell Park Cancer Institute Summer Oncology Research Program (deadline:  2/16/10).  An eight-week program in basic or clinical research.
• Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation Fellowship Program - Research Training for Medical Students (deadline:  1/7/10).  Supports one year of research at an institution other than the one in which the student is enrolled.
• Vanderbilt University Medical Student Research Program in Diabetes (most recent deadline:  2/1/09).  Research opportunities for medical students during the summer between the first and second year or second and third year of medical school.

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