Office of Student Research

The Office of Student Research (OSR) provides opportunities for students from high school through medical school to consider the possibility of graduate school, a career in the health professions and/or academic medicine. It also aims to specifically increase the number of under-represented minority (African American, Native Americans, mainland Puerto Rican and Mexican American) students and faculty in those professions.

In addition, the office coordinates outreach programs to K-12 schools, including the High School Mini-Med Program taught by graduate students. Medical students are encouraged to become involved in biomedical investigations through participation in supervised basic and clinical research projects offered by School of Medicine faculty through the Office of Student Research. The programs are supported by external foundations, professional organizations, departments and the Office of the Dean.

The faculty and administration of the School of Medicine are committed to the training of physician-scientists through the OSR's programs and strive to enhance the connection between the treatment of patients and the scientific investigations that enable patient care to advance. The physician-scientist who bridges both basic and clinical sciences and clinical practice is therefore in an ideal position to translate research into clinical application and patient problems into laboratory investigation.

Research is conducted in virtually all major areas of biomedical/behavioral interest at the School of Medicine. These include, but are not limited to, behavior, cardiovascular disease, endocrinology, environmental health, epidemiology, health disparities, infectious diseases, immunology, neuroscience, oncology, pharmacology, pulmonary disease, toxicology and virology.

Traineeships are awarded on a competitive basis for 10-to-12 weeks of full-time participation, with stipends based on current NRSA guidelines. These experiences are available to incoming medical students during the summer before their freshman year and to medical students generally during the summer after their freshman year. On occasion, awards are made to students during the summer after their sophomore year or to seniors during the academic year. Funds are not granted to students with doctoral degrees, to those who are involved in doctoral dissertation research or who have alternative sources of research funding. However, the program may supplement some alternate sources up to the level of STRTP trainees.

Applications for all programs are available at our website.

Students selected to participate in the program attend an orientation that includes a short course on "The Ethical and Responsible Conduct of Research" and a series of research seminars and informative talks that are part of a "Colloquium on Research." In additions, trainees receive HIPAA (confidentiality), IRB (human research protocols) and IACUC (animal care and use) training and certification. Students also present their research to fellow students and faculty during the summer at the Student Research Forum and on Medical Student Research Day each October.

Summer research traineeships at the School of Medicine are available to under-represented minority high school and college students to encourage careers in one of the health professions and/or biomedical/behavioral and health disparities research. The programs provide students with a realistic understanding of the biomedical research environment through hands-on experience, contact with appropriate role models and application procedures for professional and graduate schools. Positions are available for 10-12 weeks during the summer months and at selected sites off-campus. Trainees work under the direct supervision of experienced scientists and receive stipends for the 10-12 week period based on current NRSA guidelines and on funding levels by professional organizations.

Foreign research traineeships are available to medical students through various funding opportunities (see www.medschool.umaryland.edu/osr) provided by the faculty and external organizations. Current international sites include Africa, where opportunities are available in Mali, Malawi and Nigeria. These international research opportunities are funded through faculty grants from the Fogarty International Center at NIH to the Institute of Human Virology and from the Doris Duke Foundation to Chris Plowe, MD, in the Department of Medicine.

The office works cooperatively with the faculty, the Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development, the Office of Policy and Planning, medical student groups, various K-12 schools, Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) and Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) directors in Maryland and elsewhere to ensure access to research careers and involvement for all who are interested.

Applicants for all programs must be currently enrolled in high school, undergraduate school, a post-baccalaureate program, or graduate or medical school; be in good academic standing with a GPA of ≥3.0 at the time of application; and must not have graduated at the time of the traineeship. Although students from any state may apply, preference is given to Maryland residents and those going to school in Maryland. For high school students and undergraduates, it is strongly recommended that applicants have successfully completed courses in biology and chemistry.

Other opportunities, including volunteer research positions, exist for brief or extended research experiences, either on- or off-campus, during the summer or academic year. The OSR provides a list of useful links to such opportunities at its website, maintains a list of opportunities and also surveys for on- and off-campus research opportunities in both basic and clinical science areas that may be available throughout the calendar year. In some cases, individual faculty members may have grant funding to support a student.

Medical Student Research Day

The Office of Student Research, in cooperation with Alpha Omega Alpha (the national medical honor society), sponsors a research competition each year in October. All medical students, except for those students in the MD/PhD Program conducting dissertation research, are encouraged to participate and attend these presentations and are eligible to compete for $2,000 in prizes. Students present at oral or poster presentations, attend a keynote address and a dinner and a ceremony during which prizes are awarded for poster and oral presentations.

For further information on these programs please contact:

George Fantry, MD
Associate Professor
Office of Student Research
655 W. Baltimore Street
M-019, Bressler Research Building
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
(410) 706-3026
gfantry@som.umaryland.edu
http://www.medschool.umaryland.edu/osr