The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School has a long-standing commitment to fostering research by 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 - during the summer break in conjunction with the faculty at UT Southwestern. The office of the Associate Dean for Medical Student Research is charged with organizing these activities.
A large number of UT Southwestern medical students take advantage of this program each year. Most students choose to participate during the summer prior to and/or following their freshman year. Students begin the process of choosing the laboratory in which they will work during the school year, and then finalize this choice 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. The weekly schedule of these lectures can be found here. Students are encouraged to submit their work to national and regional meetings, including the UT Southwestern Medical Student Research Forum.
In addition to summer research activities, students are encouraged to explore yearlong research programs in basic or clinical research. National research programs, such as those supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI, and NIH-HHMI ["Cloister"] programs) and by the Sarnoff Foundation, represent programs that afford comprehensive research training in a variety of disciplines. The recent establishment of a formal clinical research program for medical students at UT Southwestern will permit students to obtain outstanding training in clinical research at the UT Southwestern campus. Additional details about the University of Texas Southwestern Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship Program for Medical Students (UT Southwestern-Doris Duke-CRF). Overview.
The "Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research"
course will be offereed as a live teleconference from the National Institutes
of Health Clinical Center. This course will meet from 4-5:30PM on most Mondays
and Tuesdays from October 20, 2003 - February 24, 2004 in D1.502. There is no
charge for the course; but to obtain formal credit, registration is required
. To register, please obtain a registration form from Dr. McPhaul (214 648 3494;
J6.110) or here. A schedule
of the lectures can be found here.
Questions Frequently Asked About Summer Research at UT Southwestern
Who can participate ?
MEDICAL STUDENT RESEARCH PROGRAM
Any student that is currently enrolled or has been accepted at UT Southwestern. If you are interested in doing basic, clinical, or applied research and you are a medical student who is currently enrolled or has been accepted at UT Southwestern, you are eligible to do research and receive a stipend (read details below).
RESEARCH PROGRAMS for UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
In addition, a limited number of positions are available to support highly qualified undergraduates with a strong interest in biomedical research (but before applying to medical school) through the UT Southwestern Undergraduate Medical 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, 3) have no plans to pursue graduate education (i.e. not planning to obtain a Ph. D. degree), and 4) be currently enrolled in an accredited undergraduate institution.
If you are an undergraduate student and are only interested in obtaining the Ph.D. degree or if you intend to apply to M.D., Ph.D. programs, you should be applying to the SURF program.
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 opportunities 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.
Students should contact prospective mentors directly (by e-mail or phone) to discuss potential projects and to define the role of the student in the project. Students are encouraged to contact more than one potential mentor. Students needing additional suggestions or help with the choice of a mentor are encouraged to contact Dr. McPhaul.
What laboratories are participating in this program ?
Each year, many laboratories submit 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 exploring 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 collection of project descriptions that are posted on the Student Research Projects web sites. Only a fraction of the projects (from the summer of 1999) are posted on the Student Research Projects 1999 web page, but projects that were available during the summer of 2000 and 2001 are posted on the 2000 Student Research Projects, 2001 Student Research Projects, and 2002 Student Research Projects, and 2003 Student Research Projects web pages, respectively. The investigators that submit projects may vary from year to year (some may not respond to request for project description, for example), but as a rule investigators participating in one year will do so in subsequent years. As such, an inspection of all of the Student Research Projects web pages will give a good idea of the range of laboratories that participate in the program.
Projects for the upcoming summer (summer 2004) are
just now being submitted. As projects are being submitted, they will be posted
on 2004 Student Research
Projects website. Please note two things: 1) sometimes individuals
who are interested in serving as mentors may not have completed a new form.
As such, it is a good idea to browse the Project pages from prior years (2000,
2001, 2002, and 2003) to get an idea of who has participated in the program.
2) Any member of the UT Southwestern faculty can serve as a research
mentor. If a faculty member is not listed on the Student research projects page,
discussions between the faculty mentor and student can be used to identify a
define a new project. After these discussions have defined the project, this
information is submitted to Dr. McPhaul's office. The form for the description
and submission of projects for the summer of 2004 can be obtained here.
What is the level of support and what are the time periods during which research is conducted?
Research is conducted during a ten-week period. In 2003, students were appointed from June 2-August 8. Students are permitted to take a week off during the ten-week period (the timing of this is to be decided after consultation with the mentor). A $3000 stipend (divided into 3 monthly checks) is provided as support for this period.
Is there paperwork ?
Minor paperwork must be completed prior to the appointment of the student as a student researcher at UT Southwestern. This form can be downloaded here as a Word file. The completed form must be signed by the student and the prospective mentor and brought or faxed to Dr. McPhaul (J6.110, fax number: 214-648-8917).
Are there additional programs to distinguish students who excelled in the research that they ave conducted at UT Southwestern?
Yes. Students may apply to the 'M.D., with Distinction in Research' Program. This program is designed to recognize students that distinguish themselves in the conduct of meaningful clinical or basic research activities during the course of their medical school training. Individuals satisfying the program requirements would be recognized at graduation and on their diploma as graduating with the degree of: "Doctor of Medicine, with Distinction in Research". Additional information can be found here.
Where is Dr. McPhaul and how do I contact him ?
Office number: 214-648-3494
Office locattion: J6.110
E-mail address: michael.mcphaul@utsouthwestern.edu
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