The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School has a long-standing commitment to fostering research opportunities among its students. At the core of this effort is the opportunity for all medical students enrolled at UT Southwestern to engage in a variety of research activities - both basic and clinical - in conjunction with the faculty at UT Southwestern. The office of the Assistant Dean for medical Student Research is charged with organizing these activities.
A large proportion of UT Southwestern medical students take advantage of this program. Most students choose to participate during the summer following their freshman year. Students Choose the laboratory in which they will work during the school year, and then choose the laboratory in the spring. The research begins after the school year is over and lasts for approximately 10 weeks. Students are paid a research stipend during this period and are able to attend a series of weekly luncheon seminars in which faculty and former student researchers discuss the fundamentals of basic and clinical research. Students are encouraged to submit their work to national and regional meetings, including the UT Southwestern Medical Student Research Forum.
Questions Frequently Asked About Summer Research at UT Southwestern
Who can participate ?
Any student that is currently enrolled or has been accepted at UT Southwestern.
In addition, a limited number of positions are available to support highly qualified undergraduates with a strong interest in biomedical research through the UT Southwestern Undergraduate Research Fellows Program (UT-SUMR Fellows Program). To qualify for this program, students must 1) be Texas residents, 2) have a strong interest in research, and 3) have no plans to pursue graduate education (i.e. not planning to obtain a Ph. D. degree). Students interested in graduate education (Ph.D. or M.D., Ph.D. degrees) might be candidates for the SURF or the Medical Scientist Training (M.D., Ph.D.) programs.
How much experience is required ?
While any experience will greatly accelerate the development of students, none is required.
What types of research can be conducted through this program ?
It is possible to conduct research in both clinical and basic research areas.
When do I need to identify a mentor ?
Usually this is done in January-March preceding the summer that research is to be conducted. It is advisable to begin this process early, as it will then be possible for students to carefully explore the large number of possibilities that are open to them. Additionally, a student who identifies a lab/mentor in the spring will afford him/herself an opportunity to become familiar with the research topic and techniques that are to be employed in advance of the fellowship period.
What laboratories are participating in this program ?
In 1999, nearly 100 laboratories submitted projects covering a range of clinical and basic research topics. In addition, several students identified mentors/projects based on their past experiences and interests. Still others identified mentors by eploring the "Faculty Interests" section of the UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences web page (scroll down at this site and you will find that all of the faculty are listed alphabetically along with links to short descriptions of their research interests).
How do I identify a mentor / laboratory ?
Review the collected project description books that are available in the Medical Student Research office (J6.110). Last year (1999), nearly a hundred different project descriptions were submitted. In those instances where the student is off campus (UT-SUMR fellows and incoming medical students [i.e. prior to their first year]), students can contact Dr. McPhaul's office and we will arrange to send project descriptions to you (e.g. by fax). As time goes on, we will post these descriptions on an accessible web site. At present, only a fraction are of the projects (from the summer of 1999) posted at the Student Research Projects 1999 web page. As they are submitted, potential projects for the summer of 2000 will be posted Student Research Projects 2000 web page (additional projects will be posted here as they are received).
As noted above, several students identified mentors/projects based on their past experiences and interests. Still others identified mentors by eploring the "Faculty Interests" section of the UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences web page (scroll down at this site and you will find that all of the faculty are listed alphabetically along with links to short descriptions of their research interests).
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Project index 2000 page accesses since 01/07/2000 -