Why provide opportunities for medical students to do research?

• • Basic science courses are being trimmed from the curriculum in many medical schools; we need physicians with strong basic science background to identify research solutions for unmet medical needs.

  • Studies (e.g. Ognibene et al, 2016) show that more than 25% of students who spent an extra year in medical school to do research go on to include research in their careers; in particular, among those who become internists or pediatricians, over 75% of them become physician-scientists.

  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute ended its long-standing research support for medical students; as a result, there is only one funded slot per 1,000 medical students nationwide.

PSSF is building a Medical Student Research Fellowship program (MSRF) so medical students may pursue laboratory-based biomedical or data science in addition to their medical school training.

The MSRF will support a cohort of medical students for a full year of rigorous basic research, and mentor them toward a physician-scientist career.

With your support, the PSSF will:

• Identify, select, and support the most promising medical students to do basic research outside of MD-PhD programs

• Engage medical schools to supplement our program by providing additional stipend, tuition, housing, and health benefits

• Develop activities such as monthly online journal clubs led by physician-scientists to allow students across the country to interact with each other

• Host an annual meeting for students to present their research to distinguished physician-scientists and program alumni

• Engage in formal longitudinal career development by PSSF Faculty