Chair: Dr. Kerri Thom, Assistant Dean for Student Research & Education, Director of the Office of Student Research

Summary Statement:

The research and scholarly activity workgroup was designed to address the curricular elements of research and scholarship, including meeting the LCME criteria 3.2 and 7.3), as well as ensure the students have the opportunities and resources necessary to achieve the stated goals in research and scholarship. We aim to provide excellent research education and diverse opportunities in biomedical research. We will build upon existing programs including FRCT to accomplish these goals in the new curriculum.

We plan to work within the new curriculum to ensure a basic research education is provided and that students will participate in a mentored-scholarly activity. We believe participation in this program provides important critical thinking skills and inspires scientific curiosity and lays the groundwork for development of life-long learning skills. In the new curriculum, we will build upon and strengthen the work that has been done with the implementation of the Foundations of Research and Critical Thinking course, integrating more effectively across the curriculum. We will focus on strengthening three key areas: career development and advising, broadening scholarly project opportunities, and providing more support for scholarly project completion.