An international basic science and clinical research summer program for medical students

2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bram Ramjiawan ◽  
Grant N. Pierce ◽  
Mohammad Iffat Kabir Anindo ◽  
Abedalrazaq AlKukhun ◽  
Abdullah Alshammari ◽  
...  

An important part of training the next generation of physicians is ensuring that they are exposed to the integral role that research plays in improving medical treatment. However, medical students often do not have sufficient time to be trained to carry out any projects in biomedical and clinical research. Many medical students also fail to understand and grasp translational research as an important concept today. In addition, since medical training is often an international affair whereby a medical student/resident/fellow will likely train in many different countries during his/her early training years, it is important to provide a learning environment whereby a young medical student experiences the unique challenges and value of an international educational experience. This article describes a program that bridges the gap between the basic and clinical research concepts in a unique international educational experience. After completing two semester curricula at Alfaisal University in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, six medical students undertook a summer program at St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre, in Winnipeg, MB, Canada. The program lasted for 2 mo and addressed advanced training in basic science research topics in medicine such as cell isolation, functional assessment, and molecular techniques of analysis and manipulation as well as sessions on the conduct of clinical research trials, ethics, and intellectual property management. Programs such as these are essential to provide a base from which medical students can decide if research is an attractive career choice for them during their clinical practice in subsequent years. An innovative international summer research course for medical students is necessary to cater to the needs of the medical students in the 21st century.

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (s1) ◽  
pp. 74-75
Author(s):  
Karen W. McCracken ◽  
Peter Mayinger ◽  
Cynthia Morris

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: The aim of this program is to provide early support to motivated medical students interested in a career as a physician-scientist in a framework of competency-based medical education. The CTSA creates an opportunity to provide clinical research education and protected time for research for medical students in clinical and translational research. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: This physician-scientist experience offers research opportunities in a wide variety of research disciplines, focused on clinical and translational investigations. The program offers both five-month and one-year blocks of protected research time. The five-month option is integrated into the four- year medical curriculum. The one-year option requires enrollment in an established Master of Clinical Research degree. Both options provide research experience under the mentorship of a physician-scientist. The five-month option aligns with UME competencies categorized under the six ACGME Domains of Competence. The one-year option includes coursework in research design, biostatistics, research ethics, data management, scientific communication, and proposal development within the CTSA-based education program. All students in the program attend a bimonthly journal club and seminar series starting in year one and extending through the research experience. This includes discussion of the importance of mentorship, selecting a residency, scientific writing and presentation, and personal narratives of physician-scientists and their pathways to this career. All students will be followed to determine career outcome. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Between 2015 and 2018, 67 students entered the program 46% selected the year out, and 56% selected the 5-month option. Students selecting this program constitute about 10% of the medical student population overall. We have had 17 graduates of the program to date. 55% of the cohort is women which parallels the OHSU medical student population. Long-term follow-up of at least 10 years will be needed to determine career outcomes. We assess student productivity by traditional measures of submitted abstracts, manuscripts, and presentations as well as longer term outcomes such as career orientation in medicine such as entry into a research-oriented residency and ultimately into an academic medicine or research. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The OHSU physician-scientist experience successfully matches medical students with a diverse set of research mentors focused on the CTSA. Although institutional structures determine the variety of specific research opportunities, the integration of physician-scientist training into a CTSA-based training program expands the reach of training programs such as the TL1.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanjay Wang ◽  
Simar S Bajaj ◽  
Aravind Krishnan ◽  
Joseph C Heiler ◽  
Kiah M Williams ◽  
...  

Introduction: There is growing concern regarding the attrition of surgeon-scientists in cardiothoracic (CT) surgery. The academic impact of conducting basic science research (BSR) during training, however, remains unknown. We hypothesized that CT surgeons who publish a first-author BSR paper during training exhibit enhanced future academic productivity. Methods: CT surgeons on faculty at accredited United States CT surgery training hospitals in 2018 who published a first-author BSR paper or a first-author clinical research (CR) paper during training were identified (n=762). To normalize for environmental differences in research exposure, we specifically studied the surgeons who pursued a research fellowship and who attended a top-50 NIH-funded institution at every stage of training (n=252). Data regarding each surgeon’s professional history and publication record were obtained from publicly-available online sources. Results: As shown in Table 1, surgeons who published a first-author paper in BSR during training and those who published a first-author paper only in CR share similar characteristics and have practiced as an attending surgeon for a similar duration (11.0 years each, p=0.486). However, surgeons who published a first-author BSR paper during training ultimately published more papers per year as an attending (4.3 vs 2.8, p=0.017), resulting in more total publications (73.5 vs 47.5, p=0.003) and a greater H-index (22.0 vs 18.0, p=0.004). The surgeons who published a first-author BSR paper during training were also more likely to have published a BSR paper in the past 2 years as an attending, both as a first or last author (12.0% vs 2.0%, p=0.004), or as a co-author (34.0% vs 15.7%, p=0.001). Conclusions: Academic CT surgeons who published a first-author BSR paper during training exhibit enhanced research productivity and scholarly impact. Funding and institutional support for aspiring CT surgeon-scientists may yield career-long academic benefits.


1996 ◽  
Vol 8 (S1) ◽  
pp. 21-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey L. Cummings

Barriers to behavioral research are multifactorial. They include attitudinal, conceptual, financial, and administrative factors. In general, behavioral research and clinical research have received less support than basic science research (Marshall, 1994). The traditional emphasis has been on funding of basic research with the expectation that clinical research can be pursued without specific financial support. Although this might have been possible in the past, the increasingly tight control of clinicians' time and the need for cost-effective healthcare delivery have rendered this approach obsolete. Advances in clinically applicable information will require the type of research funding usually reserved for basic science endeavors.


Author(s):  
Emir Festic ◽  
Ognjen Gajic

Even though it is considered a 21st century term, translational research has been present for much longer. Idea of translating experimental discovery to its’ clinical application and use is old as research itself. However, it is the understanding of missing links between the basic science research and clinical research that emerged in the past decade and mobilized scientific and clinical communities and organizations worldwide. Hence term, translational research, which represents an “enterprise of harnessing knowledge from basic sciences to produce new drugs, devices, and treatment options for patients” (1). It has been also characterized as “effective translation of the new knowledge, mechanisms, and techniques generated by advances in basic science research into new approaches for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, which is essential for improving health” (2).This translation is a complex process and involves more than one step for transfer of research knowledge. At least 3 such roadblocks have been identified (Figure 1) ; T1 translation: “The transfer of new understandings of disease mechanisms gained in the laboratory into the development of new methods for diagnosis, therapy, and prevention and their first testing in humans”, T2 translation: “The translation of results from clinical studies into everyday clinical practice and health decision making”, and T3 translation: “Practice-based research, which is often necessary before distilled knowledge (e.g., systematic reviews, guidelines) can be implemented in practice” (3-5).The international research community rapidly recognized importance for promotion of translational research and made it their priority(5). In the USA, National Institutes of Health, (NIH) expects to fund 60 translational research centers with a budget of $500 million per year by 2012 (6). Besides academic centers, foundations, industry, disease-related organizations, and individual hospitals and health systems have also established translational research programs and at least 2 journals (Translational Medicine and the Journal of Translational Medicine) are devoted to the topic. In Europe, translational research has become a centerpiece of the European Commission’s €6 billion budget for health related research, and the United Kingdom has invested £450 million over 5 years to establish translational research centers (7).In this issue of Bosnian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences, members of medical section of Bosnian and Herzegovinian-American Academy of Arts and Sciences (BHAAAS), contributed their own work and expertise to bridge the gap between basic and clinical research, between inventing the treatments and getting them used in practice, and laid down foundations for future collaborative development of translational research in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in the region (8).At the first glance of this issue’s table of content, a reader will easily notice the variety and breadth of topics and themes, from medical informatics and genetics, to hematology and oncology, pulmonary and critical care medicine, orthopedics, trauma surgery and neurosurgery. However, all of the articles share common ideas of translation of knowledge, from bench to bedside and back, and individualized approach to medicine, which are the true hallmarks of the 21st century medicine.Deeper under the surface and titles, there lies our common privilege and honor to be part of a broader mission of BHAAAS: to connect with our fellow physicians and scientists, and to build bridges of cooperation with our homeland, to promote the spirit of intellectual diversity and free exchange of ideas with the strong belief that this knowledge sharing will promote betterment of health in Bosnia and Herzegovina


BJS Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Ng ◽  
W A Cambridge ◽  
K Jayaraajan ◽  
C M Lam ◽  
A Light ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Urological conditions account for approximately 25% of acute surgical referrals and 10-15% of general practitioner appointments. In 2012, the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) produced ‘An Undergraduate Syllabus for Urology’, advising on common clinical areas of urology that must be covered during undergraduate medical training. However, its uptake nationally remains unknown. This project aims to assess undergraduate urology teaching across UK medical schools. Methods A targeted advertising drive using social media, medical school societies, websites and newsletters was performed over 4 weeks. Collaborators are responsible for recruiting survey respondents (year 2 medical students to foundation year 1 (FY1) doctors). Survey respondents will complete a REDCap survey retrospectively assessing their urology teaching to date. The primary objective is to compare current urology teaching in medical schools across the United Kingdom with the BAUS undergraduate syllabus. Results Currently, 522 collaborators have registered from 36 medical schools nationally. Of these collaborators, 6.32% (33/522) are FY1s and 93.68% (489/522) are medical students. Each collaborator will be responsible for recruiting at least 15 survey respondents to be eligible for PubMed-indexed collaborator authorship. Conclusion LEARN has recruited successfully to date, with all collaborators from the medical student and FY1 cohort. With the role of collaborators to further recruit survey respondents, LEARN will provide the most representative and thorough evaluation of UK undergraduate urological teaching to date. It will provide evidence to support changes in the medical school curriculum, and allow re-evaluation of the current national undergraduate BAUS syllabus.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-69
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Leong ◽  
Gurkaran S. Sarohia

Medical students across the globe are being impacted by COVID-19. We are Canadian third year medical students who offer our experience as to how COVID-19 has impacted our medical training. We offer insight as to what medical students are doing despite being away from clinical duties. Questions regarding medical student responsibility during COVID-19 are raised. Our lived experience during this time will be beneficial to learn how the role of medical students during a pandemic evolve over time.


1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (6) ◽  
pp. S87 ◽  
Author(s):  
R G Carroll ◽  
M G Lee-Tyson

A summer enrichment physiology course for matriculating medical students has met a number of short-term goals, including bringing the students to the level of average medical student performance by the end of the summer. The long-term benefit of the program was evaluated by constructing a prospective expectation for each member of the medical class. Physiology grades obtained by past medical students were regressed on their undergraduate grades and MCAT scores. This regression model was used in a prospective manner to predict a physiology course grade for the entering class. Six of the seven summer program participants achieved scores equal to or higher than their predicted scores. Additionally, the regression model identified prospectively four of the six medical students who scored below 70% for the medical physiology course. This study suggests that a summer enrichment program can benefit participants.


2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 296-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Egnew ◽  
Peter R. Lewis ◽  
Kimberly R. Meyers ◽  
William R. Phillips

Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore medical student perceptions of their medical school teaching and learning about human suffering and their recommendations for teaching about suffering. During data collection, students also shared their percerptions of personal suffering which they attributed to their medical education. Methods: In April through May 2015, we conducted focus groups involving a total of 51 students representing all four classes at two US medical schools. Results: Some students in all groups reported suffering that they attributed to the experience of medical school and the culture of medical education. Sources of suffering included isolation, stoicism, confusion about personal/professional identity and role as medical students, and witnessing suffering in patients, families, and colleagues. Students described emotional distress, dehumanization, powerlessness, and disillusionment as negative consequences of their suffering. Reported means of adaptation to their suffering included distraction, emotional suppression, compartmentalization, and reframing. Students also identified activities that promoted well-being: small-group discussions, protected opportunities for venting, and guidance for sharing their experiences. They recommended integration of these strategies longitudinally throughout medical training. Conclusions: Students reported suffering related to their medical education. They identified common causes of suffering, harmful consequences, and adaptive and supportive approaches to limit and/or ameliorate suffering. Understanding student suffering can complement efforts to reduce medical student distress and support well-being.


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