Independent Study Project Learning Objectives

1.) The student will be able to think independently about a specific area of interest, and in collaboration with a mentor, develop an appropriate research question.

2.) The student will be able to generate a hypothesis and develop an appropriate methodology/study design for their Independent Study Project (ISP) in collaboration with their mentor.

3.) The student will be able to analyze data and generate an appropriate discussion of their results in collaboration with their mentor.

4.) The student will be able to gain an appreciation of the medical literature in their topic of interest and apply it to their ISP.

5.) The student will begin to develop skills in technical medical writing, oral presentation, and poster presentation.

6.) The student will be introduced to the principles of translational and clinical research through the formulation of their ISP and by attending the Introduction to Research seminar during their first year.

7.) The student will develop skills in critical thinking as he/she reflects on the results of their ISP in the context of their medical literature review.

8.) The student will learn the following basic principles in the Introduction to Research Seminar:
- the significance of translational research as it applies to patient care(using a model of how a basic science finding can result in a novel treatment for a particular disease entity)
- how to identify and write a clinical vignette, clinical case series, and perform a retrospective chart review
- Clinical Trials design and Phases of drug development