Medical Student Summer Research
Medical Student Summer Research Program
Please Note: The WSU Medical Student Summer Research Program is open to current WSU medical students ONLY.
Medical Student Research Symposium
Summer Research Announcement
Grant Application Instructions
Medical Alumni Grant Application
PDF Format
Faculty Mentors for Summer Research Fellows
To: First Year WSU Medical Students
From: Noreen F. Rossi, MD
Dennis Goebel, PhD
Subject: Summer Research
Date: January 19, 2009
If you are interested in research, the School of Medicine provides an excellent opportunity for you to engage in a research project with a WSU faculty member. Typically, the First Year students’ schedule is the only one that can accommodate the time for this program. However, if any Second or Third Year student is able to identify a suitable block of time (8 – 10 weeks) to do research while completing the other requirements of the medical school curriculum, the application will also be considered for funding. Information and application forms are available on our website.
The research activity may be a basic laboratory project or clinical/outcomes research. You will be awarded a stipend of up to $2,400 for 10 weeks of research during the summer. This program is strongly encouraged by the WSU Medical School Alumni Association who provide the funds.
Briefly, the Medical Student Summer Research Program works like this. You choose a research mentor with whom to study. If you are not familiar with the potential mentors available or of a mentor in an area of research of interest to you, some names are available on the website but this is not an all inclusive list. You may call Dr. Goebel at 577-8724 or Dr. Rossi at 576-4525 for more information regarding faculty in a field you are interested in or if you require assistance in locating investigators or deciding upon a potential mentor. In an effort to increase the opportunities for students who wish to perform clinical or outcomes research, we are expanding the program to include adjunct WSU faculty at affiliated hospitals, but we may not be aware of all the possible mentors at these locations.
The only stipulation of the grant is that the student research be a project designed for you to learn and participate in the approach to medical research, including formulating an hypothesis, experimental design and executing the work as well as analyzing the results.
You may pick up the information packet in the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Scholars in Room 1128, Scott Hall. Arrange an interview with the mentor. Once you and your mentor agree on a project, fill out the application forms. You must write your proposal in accordance with the instructions enclosed in the application. Applications will be reviewed and, if found acceptable, will be funded. Our intent is to fund all interested students, however a revised proposal or clarifications may be necessary. Nothing less than an eight-week effort will be funded. The application deadline is March 13, 2009. Applications should be to be delivered to Room 1128, Scott Hall. Notification of awards will be given no later than April 10, 2009.
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Grant Application Instructions
WSU Alumni Summer Research Grant Application Instructions
Students interested in the WSU Alumni Summer Research Program are required to fill out application provided on the website. Applications are due in the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Scholars, 1128 Scott Hall, at 5:00 pm March 14, 2008. Please include the signed Award Agreement form along with the proposal. Notification of Alumni Association awards will be made within 4 weeks of the deadline.
The faculty member with whom you choose to study will suggest a project for you, This project will be part of the sponsor's ongoing research efforts. However, the project on which the student decides to participate in should be focused with expectations that it will be completed by the end of the summer. The student is required to write the proposal. Poorly written or scientifically weak Medical Alumni Association proposals will be returned to the student for improvements and reviewed a second time. Unsatisfactory proposals will not be funded. The faculty member with whom you choose to work should help critique the proposal prior to submission. Every effort will be made to fund all grant applications as long as they provide the requested information in adequate detail, meet scientific and ethical standards, and have a probability of successful completion by the end of the summer. A final report of the experimental findings, usually a one page summary, will be requested from you near the end of the summer. This report must be submitted prior to receiving the balance of the stipend. Students are required to present the results of the research project at the Medical Student Research Symposium. It is anticipated that this Symposium will held in early January of 2010.
Please give your prospective sponsor the Memorandum to Participating Faculty in your application packet. Your effort is not used in lieu of a research assistant or technician, but truly for an educational experience in medical research. We are available if you need assistance in finding a Wayne State U. faculty member whose research coincides with your interests or need help in contacting a given faculty member. Alumni Association funding is only provided to students choosing an sponsor who is on the WSU full-time or adjunct faculty, who has demonstrated willingness, competence and dedication to student research endeavors. Once you have identified a prospective sponsor, arrange to meet with them. Your success and experience in the laboratory will primarily depend on the enthusiasm of the faculty member more than the project itself. You should have a good feeling after meeting with the prospective faculty member that they are pleased to have you work with them on a project during the summer. If not, you may wish to meet with other potential faculty members.
The stipend is $2,400 for the Alumni Association Fellowship for a 10 week effort and is prorated to $1,920 for an eight week effort. Your effort on the project should not be less than eight weeks of full time effort during the summer. This is a "training fellowship" and your complete intellectual commitment as well as time commitment is expected for the project. You will be paid in three installments with the last one coming after receipt of a report on your project. If you have failed any units during the year or need to take any classes during the summer, you are not eligible for this program.
If you have any questions, please call the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Scholars at 577-1455 or Dr. Goebel at 577-8724 (dgoebel@med.wayne.edu) or Dr. Noreen Rossi at 576-4525 (nrossi@intmed.wayne.edu).
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To: Participating Faculty, First Year Medical
Medical Student Summer Research Program
From: Dennis Goebel, PhD , and Noreen F. Rossi, MD, Coordinators
Medical Student Summer Research Program
Subject: Medical Student Summer Research Program
Date: January 19, 2009
We are pleased that you have agreed to participate in the First Year Medical Student Summer Research Program. The students participating in this program are required to submit a two-page proposal, which they have written themselves describing the research project. The project should include some aspect of your current research efforts. This is expected to be a research training experience so the project should have reasonable expectations for an 8-10 week effort. We ask that you assist the student in the submission of this proposal. Please read the student's proposal and offer suggestions where appropriate. We are limiting the number of students to two students per faculty member supported through this program. Faculty sponsors in this program are limited to two student applicants.
The student's effort on the project should be no less than 8 weeks of full time effort. The students typically finish classes the third week of May and resume classes in early August. Thus, they have a 10-week summer break. If the student's effort is less than 8 weeks, please notify one of us. The project should be completed by the end of the summer and not left for completion after the academic year begins. A final report is required prior to the student’s receiving the balance of the stipend. This report should also be completed prior to the start of classes.
Students who may need to repeat a class during the summer are not eligible for the program. Since students are required to pursue this program on their own, we do not know if any marginal students are making an application. Therefore, we encourage you to call Dr. Kertia Black’s office at 577-1463 to determine whether the student has had any academic problems. A definitive answer cannot be given until mid January after grading comprehensive exams. In the interim, we suggest that you ask the student if they have scored above the comfort line on their exams to date.
We appreciate your enthusiasm in participating in this program. We hope that from this experience, students may be inspired to pursue an academic career in medicine. We hope that this will be a rewarding experience for both you and the student.
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