M.D., with Distinction in Research

I. Purpose: To recognize students that distinguish themselves in the conduct of meaningful clinical or basic research activities during the course of their medical school training.

II. Outcome: Individuals satisfying the program requirements would be recognized at graduation and on their diploma as graduating with the degree of: Doctor of Medicine, with Distinction in Research

III. Rationale: An increasing number of programs are available to encourage individuals with an interest in research to develop their capabilities and enlarge their research experience during their medical school training. A number of schools have or are developing programs to encourage students to take advantage of such programs by formally recognizing them for their achievements.

Program Outline

- An outline of the program will be provided at the time of acceptance into medical school.

- Students will need to make a formal application to the program. They may do so upon acceptance to UT Southwestern or at subsequent times, but application to the program must be made prior to January 31st of the year prior to the anticipated graduation date (e.g. by January 31, 2003 for an expected May 2004 graduation). The application can be downloaded here.

- Applicable research:

Research may be conducted at UT Southwestern or at other institutions, subject to approval of the Associate Dean for Medical Student Research (such approval will be granted depending on a description of the research, the role of the prospective students [including the number of contact hours], and the demonstration that the proposed work has been formally approved by the relevant regulatory committees [human IRB or animal IACUC]).

Research may be performed beginning with the summer preceding enrollment at UT Southwestern, or at any time during medical school training. Research done prior to formal application and acceptance into the program may be considered as meeting the criteria for completion. However, students will benefit from the experience of a mentor and committee in structuring a research program and are therefore encouraged to apply early. While it is hoped that students would complete the program, there is no academic obligation to do so.

Research may be in the area of clinical or basic research.

Research should encompass a minimum of 16 weeks. Activities conducted through the summer research programs at UT Southwestern fulfill the required research period, as do formal research electives (see Medical Student Research page for details on arranging a research elective). Other research activities may fulfill the requirement, but must be reviewed and approved in advance by the Associate Dean for Medical Student Research.

Research successfully performed toward attainment of a Ph.D. degree would not be eligible for this program.

Research performed under the auspices of a nationally recognized research program (e.g. Sarnoff, Cloisters, HHMI, or Doris Duke Clinical Research programs) during medical school will be eligible for fulfillment of the research requirement.

- Upon application, a committee will be assembled, comprised of 2 or more faculty in the department in which the research is to be conducted. This committee will be responsible for assuring that the subject matter and scope of the project are adequate (Departmental approval), and will be responsible for forwarding the completed proposal to the Associate Dean for Medical Student Research (Programmatic approval).

- The student's progress will be monitored by the mentor and by his/her committee. As the project nears completion, a thesis will be submitted to the committee describing the objectives, hypothesis, methods, outcome, and implications of the research conducted. An example of the format of such a thesis can be found here.  Please visit the Library's Electronic Theses and Dissertations Development Process for more information.

- After approval by the departmental committee, the thesis together with a recommendation will be forwarded to the Associate Dean for Medical Student Research for review. Following approval by the Associate Dean, a formal presentation of the results will be made to an audience that includes the members of the student's committee. A copy of the thesis will be archived within the library collection (electronic thesis and dissertation format is required according to the library guidelines; print submission is optional). The formal signed paperwork will be kept by the Associate Dean. Ideally, all components of the program (thesis approval, submission, and presentation) should be completed by May 1st the year of graduation; all components must be completed at least two weeks prior to graduation.

- Following approval by the Associate Dean, a recommendation with a brief summary of the research will be forwarded to the Faculty Council for approval that the student graduate with the degree of:

"M.D., with Distinction in Research"

- Faculty Council will need to approve awarding of this honor by September of the fourth year of medical school for inclusion in the dean's letter, or at the latest by February of the last year for inclusion on the diploma.

- In the event that a student disagrees with the decision of the committee or the Associate Dean for Medical Student Research, it is first the obligation of the student to make a good faith effort to resolve the matter with the faculty member(s) involved. Further appeals should be directed to the Associate Dean for Medical Student Research, and then to the Dean of the Medical School. The determination of the dean is final.