Training Resident Doctors as Innovators in Science (TARDIS)
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center – Dallas holds a Physician-Scientist Institutional Award from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, aimed at increasing the number of single-degree M.D.’s that pursue basic/translational research as a career pathway.
TARDIS is a residency-focused initiative characterized by a two-year Research Training experience and Tiered Mentorship. The mission of TARDIS is to create and nurture a culture of enthusiasm for residency research at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Our philosophy is that successful MD-based researchers arise from inquisitive MD trainees - the ones who ask the "whys and how’s" about health and disease - who are embraced by a culture of sustained basic science investigation.
Research Training
Open to Internal Medicine, Neurology, Pathology, Pediatrics and Surgery residents, the research training experience encompasses a two-year laboratory-based research program, work-in-progress seminars, rigorous journal clubs lead by faculty investigators and fellows, and career planning. Trainees are encouraged to discover their research interests in their current department or explore training in other participating departments.
Tiered Mentoring
The tiered mentoring structure encompasses a PI, Residency Program Director, Near-Peer and TARDIS Executive Committee Member – thereby engendering a sense of community with accomplishment and the evolution of exciting and plausible plans for a future research career. Through this mechanism, TARDIS will support the resident throughout research training, reinforcing her/his commitment to a career in science, and mitigating real and perceived barriers to MD-based research.