Vanderbilt Student Research Training Program

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Project Summary This T35 grant application from the Vanderbilt Student Research and Training Program (SRTP) requests continued support for medical student research training in the areas of diabetes, obesity, digestive diseases, and kidney diseases. The SRTP started in 1975, and NIH-funded since 1980, has provided research training for over 1200 students from 130 medical schools. This includes students from 45 states including Hawaii and Puerto Rico, and nearly 1/3 have been from groups underrepresented in science. Each year the SRTP supports 32 medical students to visit Vanderbilt and conduct research with some of the top experts in diabetes, digestive, and kidney diseases (20 students in diabetes research groups, 6 in GI, and 6 in kidney). The SRTP also provides leadership and infrastructure support for the national NIDDK Medical Student Research Program that trains an additional 90 students at 16 Diabetes Research Centers around the country. The goal of the SRTP is to train physician-scientists and provide exposure to mentors that inspire this career trajectory. A major focus of the SRTP is outreach to those that might not otherwise have opportunities to engage in experiences that would help them develop a physician-scientist career. We additionally provide exposure to key clinical topics in diabetes, GI, and kidney diseases in order to guide the students’ clinical and research careers toward a focus on these important diseases. The SRTP is affiliated with three Vanderbilt research centers: a NIDDK- supported center grant in diabetes (P30), a NIDDK-supported center grant in digestive disease (P30), and a NIDDK-supported center grant in kidney disease (P30). These three centers provide the SRTP research base and preceptors for the student’s research experience. The SRTP has three main components: 1) A two-to-three-month intensive mentored research experience designed to “light the fire” for discovery; 2) A twice-weekly enrichment program focused on educating about the diverse career pathways of physician-scientists and key clinical and research topics in diabetes, GI, and kidney disease; 3) A national research symposium: This is held at the end of the summer jointly with students from the NIDDK medical student research program. The students present their work, hear keynote talks from visiting professors about career development, have meals and network with faculty and near-peer mentors, and learn about the next steps with regard to research options in residency and fellowship. We propose aims and innovations that will help SRTP adapt to a rapidly changing world of research, clinical care, and medical education. These aims center around: 1) building better flexibility with changing medical school curricula, 2) vertical integration with other physician-scientist training programs and near-peer mentoring, 3) promoting diversity for the SRTP, and 4) continuing to develop robust post-program support to guide career paths. With continued support from the NIH/NIDDK, we propose a comprehensive and exciting experience early in students’ medical careers that will help them make career-defining decisions.