Research opportunities
UW School of Medicine and Public Health is internationally recognized for the quality and scope of its basic and clinical research. Medical students can take advantage of this excellence by doing research during the summer between the first and second years, taking research electives during the third and fourth years, or enrolling in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD). In addition, students can take a leave of absence for up to a year to pursue a research interest.

This This rendering shows the planned Interdisciplinary Research Complex (IRC), immediately northwest of the HSLC. Ground was broken for the first phase of construction in summer 2005. Researchers here will concentrate on areas the UW School of Medicine and Public Health has identified as strategically important, including cancer, neurosciences and cardiovascular diseases.

Summer research opportunities
About half of our students participate in summer research between their first and second years. They can choose from a variety of research projects in basic and clinical sciences, health services, public health and global health under the guidance of faculty hailing from our departments, centers and institutes. Student researchers receive a stipend, and some receive matching funds from a variety of sources. Students also may participate in a research seminar series, clinical research course, grand rounds, journal clubs and clinical shadowing opportunities. Programs are available through other medical institutions, foundations and associations, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Students present their research at an annual forum at UW School of Medicine and Public Health, and the dean’s office provides travel support for national conference presentations.

Year-long research opportunities
The UW General Clinical Research Center Year-Long Mentored Research Program helps students obtain external fellowships— usually after their second year of medical school—through agencies such as the NIH, as well as Fulbright Fellowships.

Research electives
Third- and fourth-year students may receive credits for certain research electives at UW or other institutions.

Research honors program
Second-year medical students may apply to a Research Honors Program. Pre-graduation requirements include completing mentored research under the direction of a UW faculty researcher, maintaining a minimum grade point average, completing certain courses, participating in research activities, and submitting a thesis or publishing the research in a peer-reviewed scientific paper. Students present their research findings at local and national meetings.

Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD)
In the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), most candidates spend two years in medical school, then obtain a doctorate degree prior to completing their last two years of medical school. Our MSTP is one of the nation’s top programs producing physician-scientists—healthcare professionals who combine high quality medical training with a rigorous graduate-level dissertation. These individuals are uniquely prepared to work at the inter-face of clinical care and basic science.

The National Institutes of Health has commended the MSTP for the UW’s broad range of research opportunities, the enthusiastic support for the program by faculty at all levels, and the program’s success in attracting a diverse student body from across the United States. The MSTP is jointly sponsored by the UW School of Medicine and Public Health and the UW Graduate School.