Summer Program in Obesity, Diabetes and Nutrition Research Training (SPORT)

Program Information

The Summer Program in Obesity, Diabetes and Nutrition Research Training (SPORT) is a summer research internship for medical students only. The program offers an intensive 10 week full-time research experience and mentorship to successful applicants as well as a stipend of approximately $6,330.  Each student will be provided with money to support training related expenses as it relates to the project. Housing and transportation are not included in the program. If necessary, on-campus parking can be arranged for the summer at a discounted daily student rate.

The purpose of the SPORT program is to inspire passion towards research in diabetes, obesity and nutrition as well as to provide ongoing career, academic, research and clinical mentoring throughout medical school. The ultimate goal is to prepare participants for placement in competitive residency training programs leading to careers as independent physician scientists. Under the mentorship of one of the SPORT Program faculty, students will select an interesting research question in an obesity/nutrition-related area, and will work in the laboratory and/or clinical research setting to learn and perform state-of-the-art research to answer that question. Selection of three potential mentors is required at the time of application; final acceptance into the program is contingent upon successfully matching with a participating mentor.

Students will be required to present a summary of their work in a peer group setting, prepare a manuscript based on their work in the journal style appropriate to their field of research, and will receive a certificate upon satisfactory completion of the internship. In addition to intensive hands-on research experience, students will attend conferences and seminars as well as weekly core lectures designed specifically for this program presented by faculty. The lectures will cover broad topics in diabetes, nutrition and obesity, and related chronic diseases. Program participants will also have the opportunity to shadow clinical faculty in both the inpatient and outpatient clinic setting. (University of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology, Endocrine Clinic, Surgery, Emergency Medicine, etc.)

SPORT students also have the opportunity to attend the National Medical Student Research Symposium held at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Which will be held at the end of the 10 week program. -https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/vssa/vssa-17th-annual-student-research-symposium/

Major Summer Events 

The SPORT Program operates in conjunction with other University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Summer Research Programs coordinated through the UMSOM Office of Student Research (OSR).

Below are the dates for 3 major summer events of the SPORT and OSR Programs.  Attendance is required for SPORT participants.   

1. Orientation – Tuesday, May 30* (full day) and Wednesday, May 31* (half day, morning).  (subject to change based on OSR schedule)
   • Ethics Panel – morning of Wednesday, May 31.   
   • Responses to Ethics Reflections questions – due by Monday, June 6. 
2. Mid-Summer Research Retreat – To be announced (select students from all summer programs will present briefly on their research)
3. Student Research Forum – To be announced (all summer students will present their research)  

Nanette Steinle, MD, RDN
Program Director
NSteinle@som.umaryland.edu 

Other Activities (optional, but highly recommended)

• Presentation Workshop – To be announced 
• Ice Cream Social - To be announced 
• Brown Bag Lunches - approximately 4 will be scheduled 
• OSR Summer Seminar Series - approximately 11-13 seminars will be scheduled (majority of the seminars will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays (9-10 am)

Thank you for your interest in the SPORT Program and good luck with your application.

The SPORT program is supported by the University of Maryland School of Medicine and NIH Grant T35DK095737