Student Research Journey:Getting Started

• Joy of science—research can be fun!
• Clinical question—what is the best treatment of Bell’s Palsy?
• Clinical observation—eosinophilia myalgia syndrome and L-tryptophan
• Solving a practical clinical problem—what are effective non-hormonal treatments for “hot flashes”?
• Secure residency or future training of choice
• Interest in commercialization/industry?

• Medical school is a big adjustment—successfully complete Gross Anatomy and Radiology and Molecules, Cells and Tissues; get settled; develop support system—before launching into research
• Don’t jeopardize excelling academically by getting overly involved in other activities (including community service, research, volunteer work)
• Medical school is hard enough without added stress, deadlines, and potential burnout
• The most successful students pace themselves and focus

Typically, when we talk about research, we think of the scholarship of discovery—e.g., developing vaccines using rat models in the laboratory

• Ernest Boyer, under the auspices of the Carnegie Foundation, described four types of Scholarship:
  • Discovery (traditional research)
  • Integration (Interpret and integrate knowledge such as a meta-analysis)
  • Application (Implementation science—applying what we know to the real world)
  • Teaching (Optimal models of practice and learning)
  • Boyer, E. L. (1990), Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate. Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

Today’s vision of research extends from health services research to rigorous quality improvement projects to focus groups to clinical trials

• Common types of research in which learners participate (not all-inclusive):
  • Health services using large data sets such as Medicare or TriNetX
  • Qualitative or ethnographic research using focus groups, participant observation, depth interviews, rhetorical criticism
  • Clinical trials
  • Laboratory studies
  • Review article or case report
  • Community participative research
  • Quality improvement project
  • Implementation science

I Want to do research on… (e.g., pediatric mental illness, smoking cessation)

• Do a quick scan of the literature—is your idea so wonderful that 15 other researchers have already answered it?
• Is there an existing group you can work with?

I Want to find a mentor who… (e.g., an expert in global infectious disease)

• Find a mentor—preferably someone who has content interest and willingness to work with students
• See list of content areas and contacts Research Points of Contact (existing list)
• Link to departmental research contacts
• Medical student interest groups are an excellent source of contacts

What type of methodology will address your idea?

• Be realistic—hone your question, the resources needed
• Many scholarly methods are specialized, require additional training, and resources
  • No, you can’t go to the BSL 4 facilities and work with Marburg Virus
  • No, you can’t enroll 10,000 patients into a clinical trial or replicate the Framingham Study in Galveston

• Depth versus breadth—know an area deeply
• Don’t be a dilatant—seven superficial projects
• Dissemination—present, publish
• Be able to talk knowledgably and passionately
• Don’t believe self-reports of astronomical productivity to get into plastics or neurosurgery
• They value “auditions” and demonstrated interest in their discipline
• They value hard workers who are credible and team players
• While extraordinary performance on Step 2 helps, you can be an average performer and still get into a competitive residency

• Jeff Susman, MD, Senior Associate Dean, is point person for JSSOM student research. jlsusman@utmb.edu
• Dan Jupiter, PhD, Associate Professor, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Graduate School. He runs the Summer Research Program. dajupite@utmb.edu
• Norma Perez, MD, Assistant Dean, is the Principal Investigator of the Center of Excellence for Professional Advancement and Research (COEPAR). Dr Perez works closely with the Student National Medical Association, the Latin Medical Student Association, First in Family, Allies in Health and Frontera de Salud. She can assist all students wanting to jump into the research journey. noaperez@utmb.edu
• Karen Szauter, MD, Assistant Dean, is an expert educational researcher  kszauter@utmb.edu
• Antonio Bianco, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President and Dean, ad interim, John Sealy School of Medicine, and Chief Research Officer. acbianco@utmb.edu
• Randall Urban, MD, Professor, and the PI on the Clinical and Translational Science Award. rurban@utmb.edu
• Alan Landay, PhD, Vice President of Team Science, is another extremely experienced researcher and administrator. allanday@utmb.edu
• Vineet Gupta, PhD, Vice President of Innovation, Tech Development and Transfer, is an expert on commercialization, innovation, and the incubator. vigupta@utmb.edu
• The Research Administration web site is a wonderful resource for the researcher, covering all the nuts and bolts of grants and contracts

How Far Can I Go? There are a spectrum of research experiences to explore. Find the opportunity that best meets your interests and goals:

• MD-PhD—Michael Laposata, MD, PhD. A six to seven year program resulting both in a PhD and MD degree. Best for those heading toward an academic or research career.
• Honors Research Program—Jiaren Sun, MD, PhD Not as rigorous as the MD-PhD but allows a small select group of students to explore more in-depth research opportunities.
• Internal NIH-supported or other competitive programs:
  • MSTAR: Partnership between the Sealy Center on Aging and the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women’s Health. Intensive research exposure in aging or women’s health.
  • NIAID T35: A NIH-supported program in Infectious Diseases and Inflammatory Disorders. An in-depth and rigorous research experience
  • Translational research TL1 and SCiTR: Outstanding programs focusing on team-based translational research opportunities.
• External competitive programs (e.g., NIH, Howard Hughes):

NIH M-SOAR: A summer program at NIH for medical students who are committed to research, under the tutelage of world-class researchers

Howard Hughes Medical Research Fellowship: A year program typically taken at the HHMI or another outstanding research university.

• Summer Research Program: This eight-week Summer program under the auspices of Dan Jupiter, PhD, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Graduate School, is the most commonly pursued research experience at UTMB.
• Medical School Concentrations and combined degrees: The MD-MPH program is extremely popular and provides many opportunities for scholarship. The concentrations also have a capstone requirement that is scholarly-focused.
• Ad hoc research opportunities: Many faculty offer ad hoc opportunities to work longitudinally with their research teams. There is no right or wrong way to explore scholarship at UTMB!

• What is the difference between research and scholarship?
  • Some experts think of research as one form of scholarship: the scholarship of discovery.
  • Other types of scholarship include: 
    • Integration (interpret and integrate knowledge such as a meta-analysis
    • Application (e.g., implementation science—applying what we “know” to the real world
    • Teaching (optimal models of practice and learning)
  • Other experts make a distinction between work that is primarily focused on process or quality improvement and research
  • In the end, these words are often used interchangeably and inconsistently
• Do I have to do research?
  • UTMB currently has no research requirement
  • We do encourage all students acquire a fundamental understanding of the research method and appreciate how knowledge is generated
  • We also suggest students applying to the most competitive residencies consider doing research to distinguish themselves
  • Many of our dual degree programs and concentrations also have a scholarly requirement
• What if there is no one at UTMB who can mentor me in the area in which I am interested?
  • We strongly encourage students to seek research mentors here at UTMB, but understand your interests may be specialized
  • Our faculty can assist making connections at other institutions or with other formal programs (e.g., at the NIH or specialty groups)
  • Please contact Dr Susman if you are having difficulty finding a mentor in your area of interest
• I am going into a less-competitive residency; why would I want to do research?
  • Certainly, some less-competitive residencies may not emphasize research in their selection of residents
  • Nonetheless, exploring an area of interest through research can be exciting and better prepare you for practice
  • The skills of doing research, presenting your findings and publication are directly transferrable to making critical care decisions (are vaccines associated with autism) and your role as a health care champion
• What is the easiest, quickest way to do research?
  • There is no free lunch in doing research—planning, perseverance and often failure are the hallmarks of successful research endeavors.
  • While some students believe using an existing database such as TriNetX or doing a review of the literature are somewhat easier, there specialized skills and guidelines to do a rigorous health services project or meta-analysis
  • Look for a topic or area for which you are passionate!
• I have heard UTMB is not really a research-oriented school—will I still have opportunities for research?
  • Contrary to some student’s perception, UTMB has a host of exciting research opportunities
    • World-leading facilities for studying infectious disease, including one of two BSL-4 certified labs in the US
    • Global connections for scholarship—from Peru to Japan
    • Over $174 million of NIH funding in 2023
    • Mentors who are accessible and willing to help students
  • If you can’t find what you are looking for, ask us! We are committed to facilitating research and scholarship for all of our students