NIDDK T-35 Training Grant

The T-35 Research Training Grant for Medical Students is funded by the National Research Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). This grant makes resources available to fund a limited number of medical students to conduct research at UT Southwestern during the summer in areas of NIDDK emphasis. These areas include: diabetes, obesity, endocrine disorders, metabolic diseases, cystic fibrosis, liver and intestinal diseases, nutrition, kidney disease, urologic disorders, hematologic diseases, stem cell research, basic biology of organ systems, and developmental and structural biology. The grant may also provide additional funds that can be used to permit the presentation of results at a scientific meeting.

Eligibility and Application

Medical students from UT Southwestern and other accredited U.S. medical schools are eligible to apply. Applicants will be selected on the basis of merit and on the project focus in areas related to the NIDDK mission (see areas of emphasis above).

Interested and eligible students should fill out the T-35 grant application. The application deadline is usually in March for the upcoming summer program. For specific dates, please check back here or call 214-648-3465.

Background and Premise

This research program has been in existence for more than 40 years. The basic premise of the program is that short-term research experiences play an important role in the training of outstanding physicians. This can occur in at least four different contexts.

  • In some instances, these experiences teach a measure of scientific awareness and rigor that extends and reinforces the experiences that are taught in the classroom. In these instances, the participants may complete their clinical training and may be engaged in only clinical practice, but their experiences as researchers continue to influence the way in which these physicians practice medicine.
  • In other instances, these experiences serve as the first exposure to the realm of scientific investigation. In these circumstances, forays in the arena of research may serve to influence the type of practice that the physician pursues.
  • In the third instance, a student has an interest in research, but has not had the ability to translate this interest into a meaningful research experience. In this case, assuming a productive and fulfilling research experience, the innate tendency to acquire additional training is reinforced, and the individual continues on a path that is consistent with an academic focus.
  • And finally, a smaller number of individuals come to the program with a clear desire to conduct meaningful research and obtain significant research experience. In the case of this latter group of individuals, such short-term training experiences serve to permit the establishment of contacts and areas of interest that have lasting impact on the subsequent choices that students make and the types of research careers that can result.

Additional Info

In addition to carefully chosen research projects, students are required to attend a series of weekly luncheon seminars in which faculty and former student researchers discuss the fundamentals of basic and clinical research.

It is anticipated that the work supported by this grant will in many instances lead to abstract or manuscript publication. In these instances, the manuscript or abstract should acknowledge the support of "T35-DK066141".