New Research Elective Approved for Second-Year Medical Students

The Biennium 1 Electives Subcommittee at WSU Boonshoft School of medicine has approved a new elective course titled “Research Learning Community 2.”  It will be listed as SMD 617 in the B1 elective catalog published later this year. It will run longitudinally from September 2011 through April 2012.

The elective for M2 students builds on the concepts and activities established in SMD 616 (Introduction to the Research Learning Community). The M2 elective provides a supportive environment for continuation or completion of research projects begun in SMD 616, but SMD 616 is not a prerequisite.

The M2 elective also supports students who have participated in research SIE’s (student initiated electives) or extracurricular research projects, and it can accommodate students looking for a research mentor during year 2. Students who have not taken WSU’s training workshop on research misconduct and the CITI course on the protection of human subjects (training included in SMD 616) will need to acquire both certifications sometime during the M2 elective.

According to the course description:

In September-December, students will participate in monthly seminars and Collaboration Labs surveying models and methodologies in translational research, clinical research, clinical trials, and evidence-based medicine. In addition, students will participate in ongoing meetings of the Translational Research Lecture Series, the Medical Student Research Club, and the Medical Student Journal Club, completing reading and reflective writing assignments associated with program content. Each student will prepare and lead a discussion of a recent research article at a seminar or Journal Club meeting.

In January-April, students will participate in skills development workshops on making and presenting scientific posters. Students will prepare a capstone project that may take several forms. Option 1 is presenting a scientific poster at the annual Medical Student Research Symposium in April. Option 2 is writing a paper on  a critically-appraised topic (CAT) in evidence-based medicine that could serve as a roadmap for a future translational research project. Option 3 is participating in a faculty-mentored research project during the academic year.

SMD 617 represents approximately 80 contact hours and counts as one of two required elective experiences in Biennium 1.

Permission of the course director is required to enroll in SMD 617. Please contact Mark Willis (937-775-3814; mark.willis@wright.edu) to schedule a meeting to discuss enrollment.

Your Invitation to the Medical Student Research Symposium – April 21

All BSOM students and faculty are invited to attend the 3rd annual Medical Student Research Symposium on Thursday, April 21, from 5:45-8:00 p.m. in White Hall on the WSU main campus.

The symposium opens at 5:45 p.m., when 29 student research posters will be available for viewing in the White Hall Atrium. It continues at 6:00 p.m. in 101 White Hall  (Gandhi Auditorium) with welcoming remarks and the inaugural Distinguished Scholar Lecture. A poster reception follows at 6:30 p.m. in the Atrium.

The Distinguished Scholar Lecture will be presented by Katie Bullinger, an M.D./Ph.D. candidate who graduates this year from Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine.  She completed her Ph.D. research in neuroscience in 2009 in the laboratory of Timothy Cope, Ph.D. After graduation, she will begin a one-year transitional residency at Kettering Medical Center followed by a residency in interventional neurology at Emory University. At the first Medical Student Research Symposium in 2009, Bullinger won awards for Best Overall Poster and Best Presentation.

The symposium is organized by the Wright State Medical Student Research Club with support from the BSOM Office of Research Affairs.

For more information about the Medical Student Research Symposium, contact Adam Deardorff  (deardorff.2@wright.edu). Read more about previous symposia: 2009 | 2010.

AHA Sponsors Medical Student Research Scholarships

The Scientific Councils of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association want to stimulate interest, knowledge and investigative work in students in medicine, nursing, public health, nutrition and other allied health disciplines to conduct research projects related to cardiovascular disease, stroke and basic sciences early during pre-doctoral training.

AHA Council-sponsored scholarships provide valuable stipends for graduate medical students or allied health graduate students for use during a summer research project. The stipends may be used for student expenses, lab fees, or other costs incurred by the student during the project.

Eligible applicants include students in medical schools or in masters or equivalent programs in an accredited school in the United States where research training in cardiovascular disease and stroke is available.

• Student Scholarships in Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke
  (Sponsored by the Stroke Council)
  Up to five $2000 scholarships will be available for students specifically researching cerebrovascular disease and stroke. Scholarship recipients will also have the opportunity to receive a travel grant to attend the AHA’s International Stroke Conference in 2012.
• Student Scholarships in Cardiovascular Disease
  (Sponsored by 12 AHA Scientific Councils)
  Up to twenty $2000 scholarships will be available for students researching cardiovascular disease topics within basic, clinical, or population sciences.

Applications are currently being accepted through 5:00 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday, March 1, 2011. Students may only apply for one of these programs, not both. Please visit www.americanheart.org/scholarships for more information and application instructions. Email council.awards@heart.org with questions.

Feb. 22 Lecture Surveys Medical Education Research

The next lecture in the 2010-2011 Translational Research Lecture Series is scheduled on Tuesday, Feb. 22, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. in Room 120 White Hall. The series is presented by the WSU Medical Student Research Club. All BSOM faculty and students are invited to attend.

The lecture will survey “Medical Education Research at WSU” with a panel of faculty and medical student investigators led by Nicole Borges, Ph.D. (above left), associate professor of community health and assistant dean of medical education research and evaluation.  Faculty presenters also include Gary Nieder, Ph.D., professor of neuroscience, cell biology and physiology; and Brenda Roman, M.D., professor and director of medical student education in psychiatry. Student presenters include Micah Prochaska (M4), Heather Rodabaugh (M4), and Adam Deardorff (M.D./Ph.D. student). Download the agenda (MS Word).

Dinner will be provided on Feb. 22. Please RSVP to Adam Deardorff (deardorff.2@wright.edu) if you plan to attend.

“Framing Answerable Research Questions” is the theme of the 2010-2011 Translational Research Lecture Series. Visit the Research Learning Community on MedU for the series schedule and links to videos and related reading for the lectures.

CNS Offers Summer Research Fellowship

The Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CBS) and Council of State Neurosurgical Societies seek applications for the Medical Student Summer Fellowship in Socioeconomic Research. The fellowship is open to all medical students in the United States and Canada with an interest in the socioeconomic issues that impact the field of neurosurgery. It is an opportunity for a medical student to spend 8-10 weeks conducting supervised research on a socioeconomic topic that affects neurosurgery today.

See the CNS website for additional information and applications,

All applications must be received by February 1, 2011 at 11:00 PM CST.

Informational Meeting on New Research Electives Scheduled Nov. 22

The Medical Student Research Club will host an informational meeting on Monday, Nov. 22, at 12:00 p.m. in 120 White Hall so first-year students can learn  more about the new M1 research elective, Introduction to the Research Learning Community (SMD 616). The deadline for signing up for the elective is Wednesday, Dec. 1. SMD 616 runs longitudinally from January-July 2011.

If you think you may be interested in conducting research during medical school, please come to find out if this elective is right for you. The session will not take too much time. Lunch will be provided.  Please RSVP to Adam Deardorff (deardorff.2@wright.edu) if you plan to attend.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Offers Summer Research Program for Medical Students

The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City sponsors Medical Student Summer Fellowships, an eight-week research program offered to medical students who have a career interest as a physician-scientist in the field of oncology and/or related biomedical sciences. Online application opens Dec. 13, 2010 and closes January 21, 2011. All applicants will be notified of a decision via email by  March 14, 2011.

Medical student summer fellows receive a stipend of $5,500 for eight weeks participation in the program. A limited number of housing spots in Manhattan have been reserved for program participants who come from outside the New York metropolitan area. All housing costs are the responsibility of the student.

See the program web site for more information and online application.

Invitation to the Central research Forum – Oct. 26

Please join us Tuesday, Oct. 26, when the Office of Research Affairs presents the 2010 Central Research Forum in the WSU Student Union.  Program highlights include:

2:30-3:30 p.m. (Room E156) Practice-Based Research at SOARnet: This session is held in conjunction with the Medical Student Research Club’s Translational Research Lecture Series.

3:30-4:30 p.m. (Room E156) Research Centers of Excellence: This session features our newest research centers of excellence, the  WSU and PHP Neuroscience Institute and the National Center for Medical Readiness.

4:40 p.m. (Room E156) Data Blitz: Twelve presenters will get 2 minutes each (using just one overhead transparency) to tell the audience why they should take a closer look at the presenter’s research during the poster session.

5:00-7:00 p.m. (Apollo Room) Poster Session and  Reception: We have 62 posters, including 10 by medical students, showcasing the range of biomedical, clinical, and medical education research at WSU. See the list of poster presenters (MS Word).  See more CRF program details.

If you have questions about the Central Research Forum, please contact Mark Willis (mark.willis@wright.edu).

New Research Elective Approved for First-Year Students

The Biennium 1 Electives Subcommittee at Boonshoft School of medicine has approved a new elective course titled “Introduction to the Research Learning Community.”  It will be listed as SMD 616 in the B1 elective catalog published later this fall. M1 students can sign up for it beginning in December. It will run longitudinally from January-July 2011.

Over the past four years the Medical Student Research Club and the Office of Research Affairs have helped self-motivated students to find faculty-mentored research experiences during their medical education. Research experiences typically took the form of:  1) student-initiated electives (SIE’s) in the summer between years 1 and 2; and 2)  extracurricular projects conducted at varying intervals throughout the year. Some M1 students came to WSU with significant prior research experience, and for them, developing a research SIE during year 1 was a viable option. Others indicated no prior research experience. Many in both groups expressed a fundamental curiosity about research and how it might contribute to their future professional development.

The new elective is designed to give M1 students who are curious about research an established curriculum alternative to the SIE. It can also help students to plan and write a subsequent SIE proposal.

According to the SMD 616 course description:

In January-May, students will attend monthly seminars that introduce them to the Research Learning Community (RLC) at Boonshoft School of Medicine. The RLC includes students and faculty engaged in a wide range of biomedical, clinical, translational, and medical education research.

The seminars will include training in basic research skills that will prepare students to contribute to a faculty research project. Skills training will cover library and reference tools, using statistics, human subjects and lab animal research regulations, and university standards for the responsible conduct of research. Seminars will be supplemented by assignments and discussion in an online learning environment.

During the first part of the elective, students will identify and consult with potential mentors in participating BSOM departments. The student and mentor will develop a suitable plan for a research experience involving at least 40 hours of contact time. Plans will be finalized by May. Research experiences will be completed in June-July.

For the purposes of this elective, a research experience means participating in some meaningful aspect of a faculty mentor’s research project. The research experience might include: conducting a literature search, drafting a human subjects or lab animal protocol, obtaining informed consent from patients, conducting retrospective chart reviews and other kinds of data collection and analysis, or observing and learning specific research procedures. While the experience is not expected to be a fully developed and independent research project, it could provide a pathway for developing such a project later in medical school.

SMD 616 represents approximately 80 contact hours and counts as one of two required elective experiences in Biennium 1.

If you have questions about the new research elective, contact course director Mark Willis (937-775-3814; mark.willis@wright.edu).

Practice-Based Research: Parents’ Perspectives On Their Children’s Health Insurance

Wright State researchers with SOARnet, the Southwestern Ohio Ambulatory Research Network, report that children covered by private health insurance were twice as likely to be underinsured than children with public health insurance. Their study, presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics in San Francisco, is titled “Parents’ Perspectives On Their Children’s Health Insurance: Plight of the Uninsured.”

According to a news story in today’s Los Angeles Times:

Researchers from the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine in Ohio surveyed 1,978 parents to see if health insurance — or the lack of it — was a factor in following doctors’ orders. About 13% of parents said they couldn’t fulfill at least one of their child’s doctor’s recommendations in the last year because they couldn’t afford it. This constituted being underinsured by the researchers.

There was a divide among insured and underinsured children. The study authors found that children with private insurance were about two times as likely as children with public insurance to be underinsured, after they adjusted for annual family income and health status. And after controlling for various demographic factors, the authors discovered that having an annual family income between $15,000 and $34,999 was the best forecaster of a child’s health taking a hit because the family couldn’t pay.

Those with the lowest and highest incomes were less inclined to have a tough time getting needed healthcare for their kids, since those with the lowest incomes probably had public insurance, and those with the highest incomes likely had better private insurance than those with middle incomes.

Authors of the study were John M. Pascoe, M.D., M.P.H.; William Spears, Ph.D.; and Caroline McNicholas. WSU medical student Jessica Zagory participated in the study in 2009 and presented a poster about it at the 2010 Medical Student Research Symposium last April.

SOARnet investigators, including WSU medical student Meaghan Ebetino, will discuss the practice-based research network at the 2010 Central Research Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 26.