Program Components: Research Distinction Track

The goal of the RDT is to encourage students to participate in research in a meaningful and substantial way. This exposure to training in scientific thinking should be an experience that will enrich their medical training.

Briefly, the RDT is designed to allow students to be formally recognized for their participation in medical research during medical school. This is not considered to be a program in which a "degree" (e.g. Master's) is granted. Recognition of completion of the RDT will result in documentation within the student's Dean's Letter and transcript, and special acknowledgement during the graduation ceremony.

The Following 6 Criteria Must be Met:

1. Identification of a Research Mentor
   1. Students will identify a faculty member at the University of Iowa College of Medicine who is willing to sponsor and supervise their participation in the RDT program. Faculty members are not limited in the number of students they can mentor at one time.
   2. Potential mentors will be available for students through the Medical Student Research Program (MSRP) web site.
   3. Students may also help for assistance in identifying a mentor by contacting the Director of the Medical Student Research Program, Christie Thomas
   4. Mentors must write a letter of nomination for the student that accompanies the application. Click here for the nomination letter instructions (Note: link is a MS Word file).
2. Participation in an active research project:
   The minimum requirement of active research time devoted to a project is 16 weeks*. This could be achieved in several ways
• Combination of Pre-M1 student summer fellowship and M1 student summer fellowship
• Combination of M1 12-week student summer fellowship and Research elective in the 4th year
• One year research fellowship
Students must be in good academic standing: Research done while students are not in good academic standing will not count toward the 16 weeks required for RDT.
Extended schedule: Students on extended schedules, and in good academic standing, may count one pre-M1 summer fellowship and one post-M1 summer fellowship toward the 16 week requirement for RDT. Additional fellowships completed during extended time will not count toward the 16 weeks requirement.
3. Participation in research related activities throughout the four years of training
   1. The student and mentor develop a "research activities plan" in which they outline the relevant seminars, research clubs, conferences and journal clubs that the student will be attending. The student and mentor must meet three times per year to discuss and update the plan. A specific form needs to be filled out for the meeting. Each student needs to fill out the form here. Once the student completes the form and submits it electronically, he/she should print it out and take it to the mentor for discussion. Students should be aware that they are many opportunities to participate in research related activities, such as:
      • Meetings that are specific to the department that the student/mentor team is working in.
      • "General research" meetings such as attendance at the MSTP grand round series.
   2. In addition to the seminars and meetings described above, the student will be expected to continue with ongoing research activities such as literature searches, manuscript preparation, additional data collection, etc. These should be described in the mentor meeting form as well. Once the student has met with the mentor and the form has been signed, it should be returned to Stephanie Whitlock in 100 CMAB. Due dates for the planning meeting and forms are: December 1, May 1, and September 1.
   3. All students and mentors must fill out an online evaluation of the program twice yearly. Students fill out their evaluations at the following location, and mentors may fill out their evaluations here.
4. Preparation of a final report
• This is in the form of manuscript formatted in a standardized manner such as: Objectives, background, methods, statistical analysis, results and discussion. This could, in fact, be a submitted or published article, but doesn't have to be. A sample manuscript can be viewed at the following location.
5. Presentation of Research
• The student will be required to present the results of their research project on at least two occasions. The possible formats for presentation include Medical Student Research Day, College of Medicine Research Week, or regional / national scientific meetings.
• Student presentations cannot be of the same nature (oral or poster), for the same general audience, within a 6-month period of time. In other words, students cannot do the same presentation for Research Day as they do for an on-campus group within a 6-month period of time and count both presentations toward RDT. The same presentation can be given in different venues, such as regional or national conferences. The same data can be presented orally in one presentation and in poster form in another. Presentations for lab meetings will not count toward this requirement.
6. Final Approval by the Medical Student Research Council
   • This is an evaluation form that will document completion of all criteria. This will also include a letter from the mentor describing the student's participation in research and research related activities. Click here for an example of a graduation nomination letter.
     

Application Process

• Students submit a basic application which will identify their mentor and outline their "research activities" plan as described in #3 above. This can be done on-line at the following location.
• The Medical Student Research Council will review and vote on approval of all applications. The Council may request clarification or modification of the application prior to approval. Students must be in good academic standing and not held to repeat a course to be accepted into the RDT.

Declaration of Participation

Students can apply to participate in the RDT program as early as soon after acceptance into medical school. In fact, the "easiest" way to fulfill the 16 weeks of research criteria is by participating in two summer research fellowships – one prior to starting medical school and one after the first year of medical school. Therefore, students are encouraged to consider this program at the time they are accepted to medical school in order to take full advantage of the opportunity for completing a pre-M1 summer fellowship.

The latest date that a student can apply to the RDT program is by the end of the second semester of their second year of medical school.

Completion of Requirements

Students will need to complete all requirements prior to graduation. Acknowledgement of participation in RDT is contained in the Dean’s letter, which most likely will be prepared / completed prior to the student’s completion of RDT requirements. Therefore, the Dean’s letter discussion of the student’s participation in the RDT will be description of completed, current, and expected participation / requirements. This information for the Dean’s letter should be written in conjunction with the student’s mentor. Your mentor will be asked to submit a letter to the Medical Student Research Council indicating you have completed the requirements. A notation will be made on the student's transcript indicating graduation with Distinction in Research, as well as on the graduation program.