Undergraduate Clinical Scholars Program: Pathway to Clinical Research Careers

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PROJECT SUMMARY The translation of research from the bedside to real-world practice utilizing disciplines including disease epidemiology, biostatistics, comparative effectiveness research, evidence synthesis, decision modeling, quality improvement, and implementation science is essential to improve the health of populations. The NIH, FDA and other organizations have increasingly recognized the importance of this broader sense of translational research. However, the pool of clinician investigators trained to perform such research is limited, particularly in the fields encompassed by the mission of the NIDDK. Training in these disciplines requires the same rigor as traditional “wet-bench” research; and undergraduate exposure and training in public health and epidemiology are relatively uncommon, leading to a significant underrepresentation of these fields in graduate training. This shortage of qualified clinical investigators is particularly evident among women and underrepresented minorities, a key focus of the 2021 NIDDK Strategic Plan for Research. To address these needs, in 2017 we established the Undergraduate Clinical Scholars Program (UCSP), an innovative undergraduate research opportunity (URO) at the University of Pennsylvania. The specific aims of the UCSP are two-fold: Aim1. To foster a strong interest among talented undergraduates in human clinical research with a focus on digestive, pancreatic, liver, kidney, and diabetes research; and Aim 2. To establish durable mentoring relationships between talented undergraduates interested in pursuing clinical research and supportive faculty mentors. The cornerstone of the UCSP is an intensive clinical- research experience that entails close interaction with and mentorship by a UCSP faculty member. UCSP students also complete a structured curriculum in epidemiology and biostatistics that is enhanced with a statistics laboratory and lectures/discussion groups in ethics, scientific writing and pathways to medical school admissions (MD and combined degree programs). The in person program culminates with a formal research symposium where students present and defend their work. The UCSP infrastructure provides administrative support to help sustain the mentorship relations after the summer program. The highly competitive program receives approximately 500 applicants per year. To date, we have had 28 UCSP students including 13 underrepresented minorities and 15 women. Students have been involved in 13 peer-reviewed publications, received a number of honors including 2 Marshall Scholarships, and 8 students are currently in medical school with another 8 applying this year. In aggregate, this innovative URO has successfully provided superb faculty, exceptional scientific resources and exciting intellectual environment for trainees to be exposed to and expand their knowledge and interest in clinical and health services research with a key outcome to motivate trainees in clinical research careers with a focus on digestive, pancreatic, liver, kidney and endocrine related research.