We appreciate the faculty who are participating in research projects with the medical students and residents. These are invaluable experiences for our students and residents. Several of the faculty have been requesting information on the requirements to be research mentors for the third year medical student six-month discovery project and/or the residency research track so here is a brief description:
Discovery Mentors
Contacts: Jeff Rakofsky and Tamara Wright
The requirements for being a Discovery mentor are 1) at least 5 published, peer-reviewed papers (research papers, not review articles) and 2) status as the PI on a peer-reviewed grant within the past 3 years (2012-2014). This can be a federal, private foundation, pharmaceutical company or internal Emory grant.
Mentors submit a short description of their project along with info about whether IRB will be required and a CV or biosketch including funding information to the Discovery site. As long as they meet the criteria, and the project seems reasonable, the project is approved and posted in a database that the students can review to look for prospective projects/mentors.
Mentors may have only 1 student per year. Students must be signed up with a project/mentor by December 16 for Discovery starting next spring. This is to allow time for them to prepare a 2 page research proposal that needs to be reviewed before they can start. Experience says that we will get another rash of project submissions in early December from prospective mentors who did not originally submit a project but have a student who wants to work with them. Mentors must have IRB approval for the project before the student can start Discovery.
Resident Research Track Mentor
Contact: Andy Miller
The requirements for being a research mentor for a resident on the research track are 1) at least 15 published, peer-reviewed papers (research papers, not review articles) and 2) status as the Principal Investigator (PI) on a peer-reviewed grant within the past 3 years, including federal, private foundation, pharmaceutical company or internal Emory grants. A second mentor can be added to fill a gap in the mentoring process.
Residents applying to the research track submit a short description of their project along with information about their mentor and their own professional goals. The proposal is evaluated by the Executive Committee, consisting of senior faculty in the Department. Residents on the research track participate in specialized curriculum and are given protected time during their PGY-3 and PGY-4 years to complete research activities. We ask that mentors meet with their research resident at least once per month, provide them opportunities to learn specific skills relevant to their research goals, provide an opportunity for them to contribute to at least one published manuscript, and help them shape a feasible independent project that can be completed by the end of residency.
Residents interested in research who are not on the research track are still eligible for a research mentor; these mentoring relationships are less formal and the nature of the work is decided upon by the resident and his/her mentor. The requirements for being a research mentor for a resident not on the research track are 1) at least 5 published, peer-reviewed papers (research papers, not review articles) and 2) status as the PI or co-Investigator on a peer-reviewed grant within the past 3 years, including federal, private foundation, pharmaceutical company or internal Emory grants. Interested residents are encouraged to submit a “mentor match” application and meet with Dr. Miller to discuss their goals. Dr. Miller will then reach out to a specific faculty member and ask them to act as a mentor.
PGY-2 residents are encouraged to participate in a 2-month research intensive elective with their research mentor. The focus should be on exposure to research and skill building, and ideally the elective should lay the groundwork to apply for the research track.
A list of potential research mentors and a brief description of their research are listed on the residency research website. Current projects and opportunities are also listed. Should you have an upcoming research opportunity that would be available to residents, please contact Andy Miller with the details so that we can advertise the opportunity to residents.