Summer Research Training in Aging for Medical Students

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 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed T35 program will provide annual financial support to fourteen medical students to spend nine weeks during the first summer of medical school working on aging-related research. The program's objectives are: (1) provide students with a pre-selected list of mentors and aging related research projects; (2) get medical students interested in principles of clinical care for of older adults and in geriatric medicine; () run a high quality program that identifies highly qualified students, assures strong mentorship, and optimizes the probability that research will lead to presentations and publications; and (4) acquire data that can be used to judge the success of the program for improvement. The Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) program will coordinate with the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) so that students from other medical schools can participate, although most students are expected to be from the NYUSOM. An experienced Geriatrician and researcher will be the Program Director (PD) assisted by an Associate Program Director (APD) familiar with career mentoring for medical students, geriatric curriculum development, and the NYUSOM's new curriculum that emphasizes research. An internal advisory board (IAB) will advise the Program Director (PD) on selection of mentors, projects, and once per year an external advisory board (EAB) will review the program. Each year the PD and the IAB will select experienced researchers who are also successful mentors and solicit from them aging research projects for students. These researchers will work closely with students to ensure the successful implementation of a research project suitable for abstract, presentation and publication. Students will also have faculty mentors in geriatrics who will sometimes be the research mentors, but if the research mentor is not closely involved with clinical geriatrics; the faculty mentor will be the PD, APD, or an appropriate member of the IAD. The students' research experiences will begin with an informational session to explain the program and distribute the list of approved mentors and projects. Research mentors will interview and select a student for each project. Selected students will write a proposal with the mentor's guidance and submit to the PD and APD for approval. During the first month students will have weekly lunch meetings with research mentors to discuss their research; and during the last 5 weeks, the students will present journal articles or works-in-progress. Students will also have another interactive didactic session each week; five related to research and four to geriatrics/aging. Students will also have the opportunity for clinical experiences appropriate for rising M2's. Students will be required to submit an abstract for the AGS Annual meeting, the same abstract for NYUSOM Internal Medicine (IM) Research Day and a special research day for the T35. Students will also be strongly encouraged to attend the AGS annual meeting to present their research. To track the success of the program, students and mentors will be surveyed at the end of the program regarding their experience and how the program can be improved.