Research conducted by medical students has been an important tradition at UT Southwestern for over five decades. One of the important avenues by which Southwestern has risen to its present level of success has been the recognition of talented students within its student body and their cultivation as clinician-researchers. An important component of this process has been the summer research program.

The summer research program has been existence for over 40 years. The basic premise of this program is that short-term research experiences play an important role in the training of outstanding physicians. This can occur in at least four different contexts. In some instances, these experiences teach a measure of scientific awareness and rigor that extends and reinforces the experiences that are taught in the classroom. In these instances, the participants may complete their clinical training and may be engaged in only clinical practice, but their experiences as researchers continue to influence the way in which these physicians practice medicine. In other instances, these experiences serve as the first exposure to the realm of scientific investigation. In these circumstances, forays in the arena of research may serve to influence the type of practice that the physician pursues. In the third instance, a student has an interest in research, but has not had the ability to translate this interest into a meaningful research experience. In these circumstances - assuming a productive and fulfilling research experience - the innate tendencies to acquire additional training is reinforced, and the individual continues on a path that is consistent with an academic focus. Finally, a smaller number of individuals come to the program with a clear desire to conduct meaningful research and obtain significant research experience. In the case of this latter group of individuals as well, such short-term training experiences serve to permit the establishment of contacts and areas of interest that have lasting impact on the subsequent choices that students make and the types of research careers that can result.

The latest addition to this effort at UT Southwestern is the T-35 training grant, funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). For the first time, this resource will make resources available to fund a limited number of students from other institutions to conduct research at UT Southwestern. These 'slots' will be awarded competitively to students from UT Southwestern and from other accredited US Medical schools. Applicants will be selected on the basis of merit and on the project focus in areas related to the NIDDK mission (specifically, this includes: diabetes, obesity, endocrine disorders, metabolic diseases, cystic fibrosis, liver and intestinal diseases, nutrition, kidney disease, urologic disorders, hematologic diseases, stem cell research, basic biology of organ systems, and developmental and structural biology). In addition to carefully chosen research projects, students are required to attend a series of weekly luncheon seminars in which faculty and former student researchers discuss the fundamentals of basic and clinical research. The weekly schedule of these lectures can be found here.

It is anticipated that the work supported by this grant will in many instances lead to abstract or manuscript publication. In these instances, the manuscript or abstract should acknowledge the support of "T35-DK066141".