Medical Student Summer Research
There are various research opportunities available to FAU medical students during the summer and throughout your four years of medical education.
Summer M1 Fast Track
Students may participate in a structured research program during the summer of their M1 year. These projects are already active with regulatory approvals in place and are relatively easy for students to participate. Application details are emailed to M1 students in January of each year. Please contact Ewa Wojcikiewicz, Ph.D., 561-297-2678 with any questions. Select a fast track below to learn more:
Fast Tracks
Faculty Oversight: Dr. Patrick Grant
Summer research opportunities are available for FAU medical students interested in basic science and/or translational research experience on the Boca and Jupiter campuses. Students will be matched with a mentor, based on research interests. Students are expected to participate in journal club/lab meetings, give an oral presentation at the program end, and present a poster on Research Day. Slots are available for up to 6 students. A full-time commitment of approximately 40 hours per week for 8 weeks is expected. Students can explore the different areas of research on the COM website.
Faculty Oversight and Program Contact: Dr. Lea Sacca
Dissemination and Implementation Science (D&I) is a growing research field that seeks to inform how evidence-based interventions can be successfully adopted, implemented, and maintained in health care delivery and community settings. The following research track will provide mentorship on the development of scoping reviews and systematic reviews. Students will also be exposed to public databases for secondary data analysis. The primary goal is to develop scientific writing skills for peer-reviewed publications, assess the quality and rigor of the evidence provided by health promotion studies, and nurture critical thinking when it comes to the design of health promotion interventions for cancer prevention. Students are expected to work in groups of 2-4, attend weekly research meetings, present a poster at COM Research & Scholarship Day, and submit their research to a regional or national public health conference. Slots are available for up to 4 motivated, hard-working students who are genuinely interested in public health scholarship and prevention research. A full-time commitment of approximately 40 hours per week for 8 weeks is expected.
Faculty Oversight & Program Contact: Dr. Scott Alter
About Department of Emergency Medicine Research
Faculty Oversight: Dr. Charles H. Hennekens
We will provide mentorship to FAU COM students, residents, fellows, and faculty in scholarship and descriptive epidemiologic research utilizing existing databases. Our primary goal is to nurture critical thinking. In scholarship, this includes reviews of the medical literature and hypothesis formulation. In descriptive epidemiological research, this will, in addition, including data analyses. We can offer 2 slots for highly self-motivated, hard-working students genuinely interested in epidemiology scholarship and research. Students are expected to present a poster on Research Day.
Faculty Oversight: Dr. Joseph Ouslander
Program Contact: Dr. Gabriella Engstrom, 561-297-3188
Summer opportunities are available for FAU medical students interested in participating in research in the areas of geriatric medicine and gerontology. Potential projects are outlined and the students are guided to formulate research questions. Students are expected to attend group meetings, present a poster on Research Day and submit their research to a regional or national conference. Slots are available for up to 4 students. A half-time commitment (approx. 20 hrs per week) for approximately 8 weeks is expected.
Faculty Oversight: Dr. Vibhor Agrawal
Summer opportunities are available for FAU medical students interested in amputee rehabilitation research. Current project involves a longitudinal study assessing osteoarthritis and back pain in individuals with lower limb amputations. Students are expected to attend meetings, present a poster on COM research day and submit their research findings to local or international conferences. A part-time commitment of 20 hours per week for 8 weeks is expected.Medical Specialties
Students may be mentored by FAU faculty or affiliate faculty outside of the summer fast track program. There is no formal application process or timeline. Students need to follow all training and regulatory requirements from the institution at which they are participating in research. Students should contact their desired mentor directly.
External Track
Students may participate in projects conducted at external academic sites or hospitals. Students need to follow all training and regulatory requirements from the institution at which they are participating in research. COM will share external opportunities with the students as we hear about them.