Research Contributor(s): Obinna Ugwuegbu (’22), Gina Whelan (’24)
Conducting medical research can serve as a way to explore a specialty of interest further, and a way to apply the basic science knowledge gained during the preclinical years of medical school. Medical students have access to researchers at Case and at any of our affiliated hospitals. The University Program provides protected time for students to conduct research during the 3rd year in order to complete the required MD thesis and the College Program students spend their 1st and 2nd summers as well as their fourth year doing research. Students from either program with a passion for research, or students eyeing a competitive specialty, can begin conducting research as early as the start of their first year or in the summer.
Typically, students identify a handful of principal investigators (PIs) within a specialty or research focus
that interests them and email the PIs directly to inquire if the lab is taking new students and to set up an interview. From the interview, the student can gauge if they are interested in the current projects being conducted in the lab and if they would be a good fit. Often PIs will hand you a project to get started on but some will expect you to contribute to the design of the project. Students are encouraged to pursue research that interests them whether it’s basic science research, translational research, or clinical research.
What's the difference between basic research, translational and clinical research?
Basic Research:
The goal of basic research is to understand at a very basic level some aspect of biology. That being said, basic research often does create the foundation that is required for other researchers to apply to solving a problem.
Translational Research:
Translational research is how basic research and biological knowledge is translated into the clinic. Often called “bench-to-bedside” or “applied” research, this research is needed to show that a drug or device works in some living system before it is used on humans. This is the research that happens after the results from basic research are obtained and before clinical research.
Clinical Research:
Clinical research is what is performed in a healthcare environment to test the safety and effectiveness of drugs, diagnostic tests, and devices that could be used in the detection, treatment, prevention or tracking of a disease. There are 4 basic phases to a clinical trial.
List of basic science research labs MD/PhD students have worked in
Spreadsheet for Friendly Research Mentors
Neurosurgery
The Neurosurgery research group at UH has research meetings every month or so and med students are welcomed to come. Students can network and get on research projects by attending these meetings. The group is looking for medical students who are interested in pursuing clinical research in neurosurgery, neurology, and/or neurocritical care. Students work directly with neurosurgery residents to complete projects in their topic of interest. No prior research experience is required, but experience in statistics and excel would be beneficial. The research group meets monthly to discuss project updates. Students who are interested can contact M4 Raleigh Ems ([email protected]) for more information.
Spine Lab
Students interested in Orthopedics and Neurosurgery and willing to commit to an intense, productive research group may also be interested in conducting research with the Cleveland Clinic Center for Spine Health. This group takes about 20 or so new CWRU and CCLCM students to join the clinical research group each year. Many students in the lab gain experience presenting both posters and oral podium presentations at national meetings such as the upcoming Congress of Neurological Surgeons annual meeting and the North American Spine Society annual meeting. There will be an informational during the fall (~September) and more information will be sent out by Bob Winkelman (4th year Case Med student who coordinates everything for the group). If students want to express interest early it doesn’t hurt to email Bob ([email protected]) and let him know that you are interested in joining the group.
Heart, Lungs, and Blood Summer Research Program
Students interested in the cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematological, and sleep disorders disciplines may apply to the HLBSRP, a program designed to expose students from underrepresented groups to biomedical research. Throughout the course of the program, there will be weekly seminars that highlight research in these areas, and at the end of the program, each student will present a poster based on their research in the program. Additionally, each student will be matched with a faculty member in their preferred area of research. A stipend of $1750.00 per month, for a minimum of two months will be provided. Of the eight spots available for medical students, Case students are given priority for three spots. To learn more about how to apply to this program, check out the website.
Interprofessional Scholars Collaboration in Teaching and Learning Program (iSCTL)
iSCTL is a competitive research program for first-year medical students who are interested in medical education. Students will be paired with a faculty member who has also applied to the program, and will work with the faculty member to develop a curriculum project for the WR2 curriculum. A stipend of $2500.00 from the Summer Student Fellowship in Medical Education will be provided with an additional dissemination stipend of $1000.00. For more information, check out the website.
Summer Mentorship Program
The American Center for Reproductive Medicine at Cleveland Clinic has a Summer Mentorship opportunity for medical students that offers early exposure to high quality professional experiences. Through the mentorship and guidance received throughout the program, students will develop an understanding of how reproductive research is conducted. Participants will also learn how to:
Find out more about the Center for Reproductive Medicine's Summer Mentorship Program at: http://www.clevelandclinic.org/ReproductiveResearchCenter/info/traininfo_int7.html
Typically, students identify a handful of principal investigators (PIs) within a specialty or research focus
that interests them and email the PIs directly to inquire if the lab is taking new students and to set up an interview. From the interview, the student can gauge if they are interested in the current projects being conducted in the lab and if they would be a good fit. Often PIs will hand you a project to get started on but some will expect you to contribute to the design of the project. Students are encouraged to pursue research that interests them whether it’s basic science research, translational research, or clinical research.
What's the difference between basic research, translational and clinical research?
Basic Research:
The goal of basic research is to understand at a very basic level some aspect of biology. That being said, basic research often does create the foundation that is required for other researchers to apply to solving a problem.
Translational Research:
Translational research is how basic research and biological knowledge is translated into the clinic. Often called “bench-to-bedside” or “applied” research, this research is needed to show that a drug or device works in some living system before it is used on humans. This is the research that happens after the results from basic research are obtained and before clinical research.
Clinical Research:
Clinical research is what is performed in a healthcare environment to test the safety and effectiveness of drugs, diagnostic tests, and devices that could be used in the detection, treatment, prevention or tracking of a disease. There are 4 basic phases to a clinical trial.
- Phase I: This is the first time the drug or device has been in humans and it is used on a small number of patients in low doses to see whether or not it is safe and what the side-effects may be. At this point, the clinicians are not trying to determine if the treatment works or not.
- Phase II: In this phase, more patients are treated with the device or drug to test safety (because more side effects may be identified in a larger, more diverse population) and whether the drug or device is effective (in other words, does it work?).
- Phase III: This is the phase that focuses on whether the drug or device is effective compared to what is typically already used to treat patients. It’s used on a large group of people and “end points” like increase in survival or decrease in tumor size are used to evaluate its effectiveness.
- Phase IV: These trials are done after the drug has gone to market to see if it works in various populations.
List of basic science research labs MD/PhD students have worked in
Spreadsheet for Friendly Research Mentors
Neurosurgery
The Neurosurgery research group at UH has research meetings every month or so and med students are welcomed to come. Students can network and get on research projects by attending these meetings. The group is looking for medical students who are interested in pursuing clinical research in neurosurgery, neurology, and/or neurocritical care. Students work directly with neurosurgery residents to complete projects in their topic of interest. No prior research experience is required, but experience in statistics and excel would be beneficial. The research group meets monthly to discuss project updates. Students who are interested can contact M4 Raleigh Ems ([email protected]) for more information.
Spine Lab
Students interested in Orthopedics and Neurosurgery and willing to commit to an intense, productive research group may also be interested in conducting research with the Cleveland Clinic Center for Spine Health. This group takes about 20 or so new CWRU and CCLCM students to join the clinical research group each year. Many students in the lab gain experience presenting both posters and oral podium presentations at national meetings such as the upcoming Congress of Neurological Surgeons annual meeting and the North American Spine Society annual meeting. There will be an informational during the fall (~September) and more information will be sent out by Bob Winkelman (4th year Case Med student who coordinates everything for the group). If students want to express interest early it doesn’t hurt to email Bob ([email protected]) and let him know that you are interested in joining the group.
Heart, Lungs, and Blood Summer Research Program
Students interested in the cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematological, and sleep disorders disciplines may apply to the HLBSRP, a program designed to expose students from underrepresented groups to biomedical research. Throughout the course of the program, there will be weekly seminars that highlight research in these areas, and at the end of the program, each student will present a poster based on their research in the program. Additionally, each student will be matched with a faculty member in their preferred area of research. A stipend of $1750.00 per month, for a minimum of two months will be provided. Of the eight spots available for medical students, Case students are given priority for three spots. To learn more about how to apply to this program, check out the website.
Interprofessional Scholars Collaboration in Teaching and Learning Program (iSCTL)
iSCTL is a competitive research program for first-year medical students who are interested in medical education. Students will be paired with a faculty member who has also applied to the program, and will work with the faculty member to develop a curriculum project for the WR2 curriculum. A stipend of $2500.00 from the Summer Student Fellowship in Medical Education will be provided with an additional dissemination stipend of $1000.00. For more information, check out the website.
Summer Mentorship Program
The American Center for Reproductive Medicine at Cleveland Clinic has a Summer Mentorship opportunity for medical students that offers early exposure to high quality professional experiences. Through the mentorship and guidance received throughout the program, students will develop an understanding of how reproductive research is conducted. Participants will also learn how to:
- Conduct literature searches
- Research and write- up a scientific research topic of interest
- Prepare and present PowerPoint talks at research conferences
- Present scientific writing projects in departmental meetings
- Hone their public speaking and presentation skills
Find out more about the Center for Reproductive Medicine's Summer Mentorship Program at: http://www.clevelandclinic.org/ReproductiveResearchCenter/info/traininfo_int7.html