Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2011

Mentor:           Susan G. Lakoski, MD MS
Department: Cardiology    
Room number:         NB 11.104C
Mail Code:     8049  
Phone number:        214-648-1465
E-mail:                       susan.lakoski@utsouthwestern.edu
Project title:               Physical activity and cardiovascular risk

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): Dallas Heart Study
Last Approval Date: 12/15/10 (Continuing Review)
IRB Number for the Study: 072010-162
IRB Federal Wide Assurance Number (FWA#): FWA00005087

Project Type patient-based research

Brief Description of Project: In 2009-10 a physical activity assessment questionnaire was obtained in over 3000 participants involved in the Dallas Heart Study, a population-based study of factors related to cardiovascular risk in a multi-ethnic cohort. The goal of the summer project for medical students will be to: 1) understand the advantages and limitations of a physical activity questionnaire as it relates to preventive cardiovascular health 2) learn how to scrutinize data collection from large population-based studies and problem solve for missing or incomplete data 3) assist in the completeness and accuracy of previously obtained physical activity questionnaire collection 4) develop a clinical research question related to physical activity and cardiovascular risk factors with PI 5) learn how to write a clinical research proposal, with the potential to work on clinical research paper during medical school (per the desire and fortitude of the medical student). In addition to data collection review and analytic skills, students will have the opportunity to attend cardiology research meetings every Thursday with PI. The PI would prefer to work with medical students interested in preventive medicine and desire to develop clinical research training skills.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:

Last summer had first volunteer medical student work with me resulting in a first author publication for her:

Fitness, fatness, and systolic blood pressure: data from the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study.
Chen J, Das S, Barlow CE, Grundy S, Lakoski SG. Am Heart J. 2010 Jul;160(1):166-70.