The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School has a long-standing commitment to fostering research by its students. At the core of this effort is the opportunity for all medical students enrolled at UT Southwestern to engage in a variety of research activities - both basic and clinical - during the summer break in conjunction with the faculty at UT Southwestern. The office of the Associate Dean for Medical Student Research is charged with organizing these activities.
A large number of UT Southwestern medical students take advantage of this program each year. Most students choose to participate during the summer prior to and/or following their freshman year. Students begin the process of choosing the laboratory in which they will work during the school year, and then finalize this choice in the spring. The research begins after the school year is over and lasts for approximately 10 weeks. Students are paid a research stipend during this period and are able to attend a series of weekly luncheon seminars in which faculty and former student researchers discuss the fundamentals of basic and clinical research. The weekly schedule of these lectures can be found here (Summer seminar series - 2010). A compendium of past series can be found here. Students are encouraged to submit their work to national and regional meetings, including the UT Southwestern Medical Student Research Forum. In addition to the UT Southwestern Summer Research Program, a number of other organizations support medical student research opportunities (check this listing).
In addition to summer research activities, students are encouraged to explore yearlong research programs in basic or clinical research. National research programs, such as those supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI, and NIH-HHMI ["Cloister"] programs) and by the Sarnoff Foundation, represent programs that afford comprehensive research training in a variety of disciplines. The recent establishment of a formal clinical research program for medical students at UT Southwestern will permit students to obtain outstanding training in clinical research at the UT Southwestern campus. Additional details about the University of Texas Southwestern Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship Program for Medical Students (Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship).
Questions Frequently Asked About Summer Research at UT Southwestern
Who can participate ?
Any student that is currently enrolled or has been accepted at UT Southwestern. If you are interested in doing basic, clinical, or applied research and you are a medical student who is currently enrolled or has been accepted at UT Southwestern, you are eligible to do research and receive a stipend (read details below).
In addition, students enrolled at any accredited US medical school (including UT Southwestern) may apply for a position on one of two T-35 Training Grants. These positions will be awarded on a competitive basis. Further information can be found here for the NIDDK-funded T-35 and here for the T-35 supported by NHLBI. It is important to note that the subject of the research supported must be consistent with the mission of the supporting NIH institute.
In addition, a limited number of positions are available to support highly qualified undergraduates with a strong interest in biomedical research (but before applying to medical school) through the UT Southwestern Undergraduate Medical Research Fellows Program (UT-SUMR Fellows Program). To qualify for this program, students must 1) be Texas residents, 2) have a strong interest in research, 3) have no plans to pursue graduate education (i.e. not planning to obtain a Ph. D. degree), and 4) be currently enrolled in an accredited undergraduate institution.
If you are an undergraduate student and are only interested in obtaining the Ph.D. degree or if you intend to apply to M.D., Ph.D. programs, you should be applying to the SURF program.
How much experience is required ?
While any experience will greatly accelerate the development of students, none is required.
What types of research can be conducted through this program ?
It is possible to conduct research in both clinical and basic research areas.
When do I need to identify a mentor ?
Usually this is done in January-March preceding the summer that research is to be conducted. It is advisable to begin this process early, as it will then be possible for students to carefully explore the large number of opportunities that are open to them. Additionally, a student who identifies a lab/mentor in the spring will afford him/herself an opportunity to become familiar with the research topic and techniques that are to be employed in advance of the fellowship period.
Students should contact prospective mentors directly (by e-mail or phone) to discuss potential projects and to define the role of the student in the project. Students are encouraged to contact more than one potential mentor. Students needing additional suggestions or help with the choice of a mentor are encouraged to contact Dr. McPhaul.
What laboratories are participating in this program ?
Each year, many laboratories submit projects covering a range of clinical and basic research topics. In addition, several students identified mentors/projects based on their past experiences and interests. Still others identified mentors by exploring the Faculty Listing section of the UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences web page (this site give your the capacity to search by interest of inspect individual faculty listings - each entry has links to short descriptions of the faculty research interests).
How do I identify a mentor / laboratory ?
Review the collection of project descriptions that are posted on the Student Research Projects web sites (see left navigation links). The investigators that submit projects may vary from year to year (some may not respond to request for project description, for example), but as a rule investigators participating in one year will do so in subsequent years. As such, an inspection of all of the Student Research Projects web pages from the last several years will give a good idea of the range of laboratories that participate in the program.
Projects for each summer will be submitted beginning early in the year preceding that summer. As projects are being submitted, they will be posted on the appropriately labeled site (e.g. "Project Index 2010" for the summer of 2010). Please note two things: 1) sometimes individuals who are interested in serving as mentors may not have completed a new form. As such, it is a good idea to browse the Project pages from prior years (e.g. 2007, 2008, and 2009) to get an idea of who has participated in the program. 2) Remember that any member of the UT Southwestern faculty can serve as a research mentor. If a faculty member is not listed on the Student research projects page, discussions between the faculty mentor and student can be used to identify a define a new project. After these discussions have defined the project, this information is submitted to Dr. McPhaul's office. The form for the description and submission of potential projects for summer research are listed in the left navigation links ("Mentor - project description page").
What is the level of support and what are the time periods during which research is conducted?
Research is conducted during a ten-week period. In 2010, students will be appointed from approximately Monday, June 1, 2010 – Friday, August 7, 2010. Students are permitted to take a week off during the ten-week period (the timing of this is to be decided after consultation with the mentor). A $3000 stipend (divided into 3 monthly checks) is provided as support for this period. Those students that successfully compete for a position supported by one of the two NIH-funded T-35 grants (see left navigation links) will be supported at a slightly higher level (in addition, a small amount of money will be available for travel to a conference).
Is there paperwork ?
Once a suitable mentor and project is identified, minor paperwork must be completed prior to the appointment of the student as a student researcher at UT Southwestern. This form ("Mentor and student - commitment form") can be downloaded as a Word file (see left navigation links). The completed form must be signed by the student and the prospective mentor and brought or faxed to Dr. McPhaul (Y5.322, fax number: 214-648-8917). Please note that there may be limitations in the number of spots that can be supported in any given summer period. In these instances, awards will be made after an assessment of the quality of the proposed project and consideration of the proposed mentor. Paperwork completed and submitted after all of the 'slots' are allocated may not be eligible for stipend support. Please see the left navigation link "Summer Research Paperwork Requirements and FAQs" for additional details.
Are there other requirements?
Yes. Each student must submit a summary of their research experience at the conclusion of the program. The description should include 1) the question asked, 2) the methods employed, 3) the results obtained, and 4) the conclusions drawn. Note that with proper formatting, variations on this summary would be acceptable for submission as an abstract to the Annual UT Southwestern Medical Student Research Forum (abstracts submitted to the research forum are published and can be listed on your curriculum vitae).
Are there additional programs to distinguish students who excelled in the research that they have conducted at UT Southwestern?
Yes. Students may apply to the 'M.D., with Distinction in Research' Program. This program is designed to recognize students that distinguish themselves in the conduct of meaningful clinical or basic research activities during the course of their medical school training. Individuals satisfying the program requirements would be recognized at graduation and on their diploma as graduating with the degree of: "Doctor of Medicine, with Distinction in Research". Additional information can be found here.
Is it possible to obtain elective credit for research that I conduct?
Yes. The requisite paperwork can be found here. Note that 1) it is not possible to get paid and get credit for your work, and 2) that the credit earned can only be applied to the year of medical school in which it is taken.
MD-Masters in Clinical Science
Although the pace of biomedical discovery continues to accelerate, there is a pressing need to provide additional avenues to train physician-scientists that are capable of moving these discoveries to the bedside. In recent years, greater attention has been paid to providing opportunities for medical students at early points in their schooling. Such opportunities are provided by a number of programs at UT Southwestern and nationwide, and include short-term training opportunities (such as those provided by the NIH funded T-35 grant) and the Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship for Medical students.
In order to provide a more robust opportunity by which interested medical students can enhance the level of clinical research training, UT Southwestern has established a combined MD-Masters in Clinical Science Program. This training program will combine rigorous didactic training with a mentored clinical research project. The completion of the didactic and practical training will be marked by the successful submission and public defense of a Masters thesis. More information can be found here.
In publications, do I need to cite support by any particular program?
Yes. You should be sure to cite support for the program that you were supported by.
Those supported by the NIDDK T-35 should indicate that they were supported by this grant (the manuscript or abstract should acknowledge the support of "T35-DK066141").
Those supported by the NHLBI T-35 should indicate that they were supported by this grant (the manuscript or abstract should acknowledge the support of "T35-HL086346").
Those supported by the NHLBI R-25 should indicate that they were supported by this grant (the manuscript or abstract should acknowledge the support of "R25-HL096367").
Undergraduate students supported by the UT-SUMR fellows program should acknowledge support by the "UT Southwestern Undergraduate Medical Research (UT-SUMR) Program".
Medical students that are participating in summer research at UT Southwestern not supported by the UT-SUMR or T-35 programs should acknowledge support by the "UT Southwestern Medical Student Research Program".
Medical students that are participating (have participated) in the Doris Duke Program at UT Southwestern should acknowledge that such students have "been supported by the Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship for Medical Students".
Where is Dr. McPhaul and how do I contact him ?
Office number: 214-648-3465
Fax: 214-648-8917
Office location: Y5.322A
E-mail address: michael.mcphaul@utsouthwestern.edu
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Internal Medicine Housestaff Research Opportunities
