Year-Out Program for Medical Students Supports Ophthalmology Research

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) announced a partnership to fund medical students doing research in ophthalmology, particularly those investigating inherited retinal degenerative diseases. FFB will fund up to four research fellowships for medical students through the HHMI Research Training Fellowship for Medical Students Program.

The purpose of the initiative is to foster the development of physician-scientists conducting research in inherited retinal disorders. The year-long fellowships will begin in the summer of 2010 and students may apply during any year of medical school. Applicants in the last year of medical school must defer graduation until completion of the fellowship.

The HHMI Research Training Fellowships for Medical Students Program (Medical Fellows Program) enables medical, dental, and veterinary students from U.S. schools to spend a year conducting basic, translational, or applied biomedical research at any school or nonprofit research institution in the United States, except at the NIH in Bethesda, MD. For the 2010-2011 program year, Fellows will receive a stipend of $27,000, a fellow’s allowance of $5,500 that may be used for health care and other expenses, and a $5,500 research allowance.

The application deadline is January 11, 2010. For further information, visit: www.hhmi.org/medfellowships.

Dec. 3 Lecture Explores Translational Research on Orthopaedic Surgery

The Research Club will present the third lecture in its series, “Translational Research: From Bench to Bedside,” on Thursday, December 3, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in Room 101 White Hall (Gandhi Auditorium) on the WSU main campus.

The faculty speakers will be Richard Laughlin, M.D. (left), professor and chair of the WSU Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and Matthew DiPaola, M.D., assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery. Dr. Laughlin was a featured speaker at the Boonshoft School of Medicine’s 2007 Central Research Forum. See the slide presentation (PDF download) for a preview of his talk to the Research Club.

Dinner will be provided on Dec. 3. Please RSVP to Adam Deardorff (deardorff.2@wright.edu) if you plan to attend.

DDCF Fellowships Fund Year-Out Clinical Research Training For Medical Students

The Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship (CRF) provides support for one year of full-time clinical research training. The main goal of the program is to encourage medical students to pursue careers in clinical research. Interested medical students must be willing to take a year out from school and conduct fellowship research and training at one of 12 hosting medical schools.

The 2010-2011 program is open to medical students in good standing at any US medical school. The application deadline is January 6, 2010. The start date of the fellowship is July 1, 2010. The fellowship includes a $27,000 stipend, health insurance, financial support to attend the year-end CRF meeting, and supplementary research and training funds.

For information on how to apply, see the Doris Duke CRF website.

NIH Publication Traces Career Paths of Women In Science

“Women in Science at the National Institutes of Health 2007-2008″ is a new publication showcasing the achievements of some of the accomplished women at the NIH and is intended to inspire a diversity of girls and boys, women and men to enter or continue in science careers.  Sponsored and prepared by the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) with assistance from the members of the NIH Coordinating Committee on Research on Women’s Health, the book celebrates the careers and accomplishments of 289 talented female scientists and administrators who are part of the NIH community.  Each NIH Institute, Center and Office recommended up to 15 doctoral-level women to be featured in the publication.

The book features a wide range of the roles, positions, and contributions of women across the NIH, including but not limited to, clinicians, basic scientists, program directors, policy analysts, computer scientists, epidemiologists, geneticists, and statisticians, as well as directors and deputy directors of NIH Institutes and Centers.  Each profile consists of biographical information and research interests, descriptions of experiences that shaped their careers, how they manage work/life balance, and each woman’s thoughts on the importance of mentoring-both being mentored and mentoring others.

Readers will learn about the different paths each woman has taken and be encouraged by the women’s personal stories.  The book features women who started their education at community colleges, women who didn’t go to graduate school until they were in their 40’s and women whose childhood circumstances led them into a particular field of interest, such as addiction science.  Some of these women pursued high-level science careers while raising children alone; others balanced the demands of their job with the demands of a husband’s equally challenging job.

To download a free PDF copy or order a print copy of “Women in Science at the National Institutes of Health 2007-2008,” go to: http://orwh.od.nih.gov/pubs/pubs_list.html#wis.

The Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH), Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH) serves as a focal point for women’s health research at the NIH. For more information about NIH’s Office of Research on Women’s Health, visit http://orwh.od.nih.gov/.

NIH Peer Review and Grant Compliance Workshop Scheduled Dec. 9

All BSOM medical students are invited to attend a workshop on “NIH Peer Review and Compliance Issues” on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009 from 1:00–3:00 p.m. in 101 White Hall (Gandhi Auditorium). The workshop is sponsored by theOffice of Research Affairs and the WSU Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP).

This workshop will be of interest to faculty, residents, advanced graduate and medical students, and others involved in or likely to become involved in the submission of NIH research grants and/or in the administration of funded proposals. Although focused on NIH grants, the compliance topics will be of interest to all extramurally funded investigators. The workshop will include brief presentations and opportunity for discussion of issues including the new NIH scoring system, new page limits, and grant compliance.

Everyone is welcome, but if you wish to attend, please RSVP to Mark Willis (mark.willis@wright.edu; 775 3814) no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday December 4.

NIH Peer Review and Grant Compliance program:

• 1:00-1:25 p.m.: Changes in page limits for NIH grant applications – Robert Fyffe
• 1:25-1:45 p.m.: Enhancing Peer Review – the “1-9” scoring system – Robert Fyffe
• 1:45–2:30 p.m.: Grant Compliance Ellen Reinsch Friese & Robert Fyffe
• 2:30 – 3:00 p.m.: Final discussion and wrap-up

Please download this announcement (PDF) to post where your classmates will see it.

Research Opportunities in Pediatrics

The American Pediatrics Society and Society for Pediatric Research offer a medical student research training program to encourage gifted medical students to consider careers in research related to pediatrics. This program is specifically designed for students seeking a research opportunity at an institution other than their own medical school. Students selected to the program are able to choose or are assigned to leading research laboratories. Currently, the APS-SPR directory lists research opportunities at more than 300 laboratories in the United States and Canada. Each research experience allows the student to spend eight to ten weeks at 40 hours per week in a research environment. The program provides students with a stipend of up to $4,300. The application deadline is January 22, 2010. See the APS-SPR web site for application details. Further information can be obtained from the student research program coordinator at student-research@aps-spr.org.

Student Fellowship Supports Research in Medical History and Humanities

The American Osler Society requests applications for the 2010 William B. Bean Student Research Award, which supports research in the broad areas of medical history and medical humanities. Candidates must be currently matriculated students in approved medical schools in the United States or Canada. The successful applicant may be eligible to present a paper based on his or her findings at the annual meeting of the American Osler Society. The fellowship stipend for the coming year will be $1,500, and up to $750 additional may be available to support travel to the annual meeting contingent on submission of a paper acceptable to the Committee at the conclusion of the fellowship.

A letter of support from a faculty sponsor who will assume responsibility for planning and guidance of the fellowship must accompany the application form, which may be obtained along with further information from Paul S. Mueller, M.D., Secretary-Treasurer of the American Osler Society (mueller.pauls@mayo.edu).

Completed applications must be received by mail (not by fax or e-mail) by March 1, 2010. Notice of award will be made by May 15, 2010. See the Bean Research Award web page for more details and links to application forms.

Translational Research Lecture Probes Role of Human Gut Microflora in Pediatric Disorders

Translational research by Sonia Michail, M.D. (above left), and Oleg Paliy, Ph.D., examines clinical problems in pediatric gastroenterology using gene-array technology. [Photos by Will Jones/WSU Center for Teaching and Learning]

The Research Club will present the second lecture in its series, “Translational Research: From Bench to Bedside,” on Tuesday, November 3, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in Room 101 White Hall (Gandhi Auditorium) on the WSU main campus.

The faculty speakers will be Sonia Michail, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics, and Oleg Paliy, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. They will be joined by Matthew Durbin, a medical student on their research team. An introduction to the speakers will be provided by Arthur Pickoff, M.D., chair of WSU’s Departments of Pediatrics and Community Health.

Drs. Michail and Paliy are collaborating on a series of projects that explore the role of microflora in gastrointestinal disorders of children. Their translational research is funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Read more in Vital Signs (PDF).

Dinner will be provided on Nov. 3. Please RSVP to Adam Deardorff (deardorff.2@wright.edu) if you plan to attend.

Research Club Handouts

You can download two handouts (PDF) distributed at the Sept. 24  Research Club meeting: 1) a list of faculty research mentors in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; and 2) Student Research Enterprise monthly digest for September.

Research Club Meets Thursday, Sept. 24

The Research Club will present a series of meetings this fall exploring the theme of “Translational Research: From Bench to Bedside.” The first meeting in the series is scheduled on Thursday, Sept 24,  from 12:00-1:00 p.m. in Room 120 White Hall on the WSU main campus.

The faculty speaker will be Steven Berberich, Ph.D. (left), professor and interim chair of biochemistry and molecular biology. He will provide an overview of translational research at Wright State and discuss his lab’s translational work with tumors and the p53 oncogene. Joining him in the presentation will be research team members Rebecca Tuttle, M.D. resident instructor of surgery, and M.D./Ph.D. students Kelly Miller and Kevin Kelley.

Dr. Berberich was the keynote speaker last March at the Boonshoft School of Medicine’s 2009 Central Research Forum. See the slide presentation (PDF download) for a preview of his talk to the Research Club.

Lunch will be provided on Sept. 24. Please RSVP to Adam Deardorff (deardorff.2@wright.edu) if you plan to attend.