Clinical Research Track

Title of Track: Clinical Research Scholar Track

The Clinical Research Scholars Track is a longitudinal academic track designed for students interested in engaging in substantial clinical or translational research. The aim of this track is to help students develop a solid foundation in key skills such as protocol design, data analysis, and manuscript writing that would further their skills as medical students, residents, and future physician investigators. Students will be paired with mentors on a four-year project that will allow them to take the lead and gain experience as the principal researcher. Students will ultimately be expected to present this project during their ISP research day and/or a national conference, with an optional goal of preparing the project for manuscript publication. In addition, students will have the opportunity to obtain a certificate in Principles and Practices of Clinical Research through the NIH, and attend regular meetings with their mentors, journal clubs, and grand rounds given by esteemed pioneers across various fields of medicine.

Number of M1 students accepted into the track: 10 students per year

Educational Rationale

For the mentorship matching process, please see below.

  1. Demonstrate understanding of clinical research methods, statistical analysis, and findings by analyzing primary journals and conducting an independent capstone research project.
  1. Formulate strong research questions, hypotheses, and methods consistent with rigorous clinical research techniques.
  2. Collaborate with other members of a research team, physician and resident collaborators across various departments, and pharmaceutical representatives.
  3. Communicate effectively through oral presentations and manuscript drafting.
  4. Serve as leaders through the execution of an independent research project and as mentors to other medical students who are interested in clinical research.
  5. Obtain skills, mentorship, and network that will serve the career goal of becoming a physician-investigator

Curriculum Overview

M1

  • Application:
    • Students apply for the Clinical Research ScholarsT rack
  • Meeting with director and survey:
    • Students will meet 1:1 with the director to discuss potential interests, goals, and expectations for the track.
    • Students will then fill out a survey ranking their preferences for research topics and mentors.
    • If students do not receive a placement they are satisfied with, the director will work closely with student to find another mentor.
  • Initial mentor meeting:
    Students will meet with mentors to discuss the project.
  • IRB training:
    Students will complete the following Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) training modules for IRB training =>
    • Human Research Group 1. Biomedical research investigators and key personnel
    • Human Research – HIPAA and Human Subjects
    • Good Clinical Practice Course
  • Summer research:
    Students apply for the Medstar or Mitchell summer research scholarship.
  • Summer following M1
  • Summer research: Students will be in their research project with funding from Medstar or Mitchell’s summer research scholarship. Other possible summer funding will also be considered.
  • NIH Course:
    Students will register for and complete the NIH Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research online module. https://ocreco.od.nih.gov/courses/ippcr.html
  • The course is approximately 40 lectures, with lectures ranging between 15- 90 minutes. Students are expected to work on the course throughout the duration of their summer research.
  • The academic track it self will not require students to stay local during the summer following M1, but the ultimate decision will need to be made between the students and their mentors.

M2

  • Research meetings: Students will attend meetings approximately every two months with the mentor to formulate data and discuss progress
  • Grand Rounds

Grand rounds are quarterly talks that are created and scheduled specifically for this longitudinal track. These sessions are usually given by faculty who join this task as mentors or invited speakers. Ground round subjects will include updates on new clinical trials and groundbreaking research, research ethics, skills workshops, and research methods. Some sessions may also be in journal club format led by faculty.

• Annual Clinical Research Scholar Meeting
Students will attend an annual in-person meeting. Sessions will be hosted by the longitudinal track and will include pioneers within various fields of medicine, giving students an opportunity to ask questions and connect with leaders in research.

• IRB Board (optional)
Students will have the opportunity to sit in on IRB review sessions to gain an understanding of the review process and how to effectively evaluate proposals/protocols. Students may apply for IRB board positions as a student representative.

M3

Research meetings: Students will attend bimonthly meetings with a mentor to formulate data and discuss progress

Grand Rounds:
Students will attend quarterly scheduled talks with invited speakers about key topics such as new groundbreaking research, research methods, skills workshops, etc.

Annual Clinical Research Scholar Meeting: Students will attend an annual in-person meeting

IRB Board (optional)

M4

  • ISP Research Day/National Conference: Students will present their project findings during ISP and/or national conferences.
  • Manuscript preparation:

Students will prepare their project for manuscript publication if applicable.
Students will continue to attend the bi-monthly mentor meetings, quarterly talks, and in-person annual meetings.

Student Requirements

  • Completion and submission of the NIH Introduction to Principles and Practice of Clinical Research certificate
  • Students must maintain contact and meet regularly with their mentors. Mentors will be asked to fill out form to assess and verify student participation during the end of M4 year.
  • Students must submit annual reports that detail their progress with their project.
  • Students must present their findings in poster form at ISP research day and/or a national conference. An electronic copy of their poster must be uploaded during the second semester of M4 year.
  • Students must attend 80% of quarterly grand rounds (additional excused absences will be granted based on director discretion)
  • Students must attend annual meeting.

Capstone Project

The goal of the project is for medical students to gain experience with long-term research projects that will develop their skills in protocol design, data gathering, data interpretation/analysis, presentations, poster design, and manuscript writing. From start to finish, students will have ownership over their research projects over the course of the four years they are in medical school. During M1 year, the students will submit their proposal for director approval. Students will continue working on their project during their M2-M4 years. With mentor approval, the capstone project will culminate when students to present their posters during ISP research day and/or a national conference* during their M4 year at the latest. Students are allowed to present earlier if their projects progress at a faster pace. *Presentations at national conferences must comply with updated student absence policy.

  • Presentations at national conferences must comply with updated student absence policy.

Leadership: Students will take the lead in their research projects. That will include coordinating across multiple departments and positions, managing communications with collaborating

labs/pharmaceutical representatives, and recruiting/leading other medical students if the project requires more assistance.

Once they are in their third year, medical students will be paired with an incoming M1. They will serve as research mentors/advisors for their mentees, and meet at least every 6 months.

Additionally, students may have the opportunity to join the IRB Committee as student representatives if they are interested. This activity is optional.

Mentorship:

Physicians with active research projects who are interested in medical student mentorship will be recruited into the program. During the first meeting, they will present on their project and student expectations for 10-15 minutes, after which interested students will send them their CVs and have a face-to-face interview. After the allotted time, students and physicians will each rank their mentor/student preferences and be matched. Students who do not match will be able to reach out to potential mentors who are willing to take on another student. After the initial meeting, students will meet regularly with their research mentors on a bimonthly basis to discuss progress on the project. They can also use this time for residency/specialty advice or other areas of support as the students progress through their medical school education. If either mentor or student expresses dissatisfaction with the partnership, the director will assist in helping the student find a new mentor.

Assessment:

Mentors will submit an annual report to certify that students have been meeting on a regular basis with them. They will also be able to note within their report whether they are satisfied with the progress of the student and of the project. At the same time, students will also submit their annual report that reflects upon their progress on the project and areas of improvement or concern. They will also be able to signal at that time their satisfaction with mentorship. Students and mentors who do not meet the basic satisfactory criteria will meet with the director to discuss issues of concern and areas of improvement. Attendance for the annual meeting and quarterly talks will also be recorded.

Core elements will be assessed on a survey that uses a satisfaction scale from 1-5 for each element. Questions for the students will assess mentorship availability, willingness to mentor, respect, and support in project development. Questions for the mentors will assess student responsiveness, quality of performance, areas of growth, and willingness to meet on a bimonthly schedule (or whatever is mutually decided upon between student and mentor). If either mentor or student drop below 3.5/5 average across all questions on the survey, the director will meet with both the mentor and student to discuss concerns and opportunities for improvement.

Mentors for Clinical Research Scholar Track =>

  • Mima Akinsanya, MD

Dr. Akinsanya is the PI for a project that aims to identify and address barriers to equitable access to care for Black patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite progress in the diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis, Black people with MS often experience worse disease progression, higher rates of disability, and limited access to specialized care. The mediators of these inequities are not well understood and successful access to care interventions are understudied. This project employs a mixed-methods and community engaged approach to identify and understand access to care disparities for Black people with multiple sclerosis, with the ultimate goal of developing targeted interventions to enhance access to specialty MS care.

  • Yewande Alimi, MD

    Dr. Alimi is the PI for a study, funded by the Society of Black Academic Surgeons, explores barriers to bariatric surgery referrals and completion for non-Hispanic Black patients in Washington, DC. Led by Dr. Alimi, they are identifying factors behind underutilization and designing a patient- and provider-centered intervention to improve referral rates. By interviewing primary care providers, we will gain a deeper understanding into decision-making, patient education, and systemic barriers affecting bariatric surgery referral practices

    • Faria Amjad, M.D./Cameron Mohammadi, MD

     Drs. Amjad and Mohammadi are the PIs for a project titled “ Exploring the Effects of Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors on the Diagnosis, Treatment, and Outcomes in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis”, whose mission is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the experiences of our patients living with multiple sclerosis and to determine how and why these experiences may differ among patients of diverse backgrounds.

    • Hannah Arem, MD

    Dr. Arem is the PI of a project that is addressing disparities in colorectal cancer screening in primary care. They have a few possible projects, some of which are coordinated with Dr. Melanie Grady. 1) Conducting patient interviews to understand preferences for Twistle messaging for screening reminders and orders; 2) Helping to develop and test culturally sensitive messaging; 3) (requires in person commitment)- in clinic recording of provider-patient conversations about CRC screening to analyze conversations for shared decision making and bias in conversation; 4) assisting in chart reviews as needed to clarify outcomes that were unclear from automatic extraction and/or validating these findings

    • Bonnie Carney, Ph.D.

    Dr. Carney’s is the PI on a project that studies dyschromia in post-burn hypertrophic formation. Through this project, students will have the opportunity to contribute to small and large animal models of dyschromia, perform assays on tissue biopsies collected from patients, enroll patients into clinical trials aimed at treating scar dyschromia, and contribute to data analysis surrounding large databases of patients with post-burn scar

    • Nadiesda Costa, MD, MPH

    Transplant Nephrology

    • Carter Denny, MD

      Dr. Denny is the PI for STroke Research Initiative to adVance Equity (STRIVE), a community-engaged longitudinal cohort study aimed at understanding the impact of social determinants of health (SDoH) and experiences of discrimination on HRQoL outcomes in stroke survivors in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and northern Virginia (DMV). STRIVE study participants also provide real-time feedback on the intermediate SDoH factors that are barriers in their stroke recovery, which have included obtaining outpatient rehabilitation therapy appointments (physical, occupational and speech therapy); enrolling in paratransit services when they can no longer drive post-stroke; and making their homes handicap accessible. The next phase of STRIVE will be the development and pilot a stroke patient navigator intervention to tackle the intermediate SDoH, particularly access to healthcare, transportation, and accessible housing, identified in the ongoing STRIVE study, which will be called the STRIVE-Intervention (STRIVE-I) study

      • Alexis Dieter, MD

       DR. Dieter’s research studies are varied and include everything from large multi-center randomized trials to small retrospective cohort studies and qualitative focus group assessments.  They have a lot of learners involved in our research program including residents, medical students and even occasional undergraduates and all their faculty are involved as mentors within various research studies. 

      • Avi Giladi, MD

      Dr. Giladi’s team has a very diverse portfolio of projects that focus mostly on the hand/upper extremity but also cover other areas pertinent to plastic surgery and orthopedic surgery. It is mostly health services research, including clinical outcomes studies, policy studies, cost/quality studies, and some qualitative/survey studies. We also have a strong portfolio of biomechanics and engineering-based work (including machine vision, machine learning analysis of different data sources, and others). The team includes PIs with plastic surgery and orthopedic surgery backgrounds so being specifically interested in hand surgery is not a requirement, but it is most likely to be of benefit to someone with a future career interest that includes surgery/surgical subspecialties. Also, the summer program is based in Baltimore with an in-person requirement (housing is provided by MedStar/Georgetown) so that we get to work more closely for a number of weeks.

      • Hunter Groninger, MD

      The Palliative Care research strategic priorities are models of palliative care engagement in disease specific groups, particularly advanced cardiac disease. This includes, but is not limited to, understanding how interprofessional palliative care teams engage with patients living with advanced cardiac disease (and their families) and strategies to improve palliative care-related clinical outcomes of interest, such as maximizing hospital free days. We are also interested to develop and test new models of palliative care delivery. Dr. Groninger is the PI for an ongoing NIH study evaluating the impact of social determinants of health on patients living with advanced heart failure after discharge to home. For the most part, engagement in these projects can      take place remotely; for medical students interested to engage on campus, in person, there may be related smaller pilot projects in which to participate

      • Erin Hall, MD

      Dr. Hall is a general surgeon who has mentored students through the MedStar Summer             Research Program since 2018, which allows rising second-year medical students from Georgetown University to participate in a research project over eight weeks. She was awarded the MedStar Washington Hospital Center Surgery Keystone Educator Award in 2018.

      • 1. Benjamin Krohmal, Bioethics

      Dr. Krohmal’s team is interested in the following questions 1. Can medical team communication with a patient’s family prior to contact by an organ procurement organization increase rates or organ donation? Preliminary results from a pediatric hospital suggest that when clinicians use neutral “bridging language” to alert families in advance that they will be contacted by an OPO, rates of organ donation increase. We hope to further test these results in an adult patient setting at MWHC, MGUH, and potentially additional transplant centers, to assess whether use of bridging language may be an ethical and low cost intervention to increase rates of organ donation.

      2. How have rates of sepsis, hospitalization, and other medical complications changed for pregnant patients in states that have restricted legal access to abortion? We are in the early stages of exploring use of Truveta data to identify the health impact of abortion restrictions, for instance by identifying changes in the rate of sepsis and other complications in pregnant patients before and after the implementation of restrictions, and between states that have implemented abortion restrictions and those that have not.

      • Victoria Lai, MD, M.S.

      Research mentees will gain experience in research in cancer survivorship, surgical outcomes and care disparities among patients with endocrine surgery conditions, with a focus on patients with thyroid cancer.  Mentees will participate in an array of research activities and methodologies (quantitative and qualitative), and will have the opportunity to participate in different stages of research – from design to implementation, analysis, and writing.  Mentees will have the opportunity to present at national meetings and have authorship on manuscripts.

      • Paul Leger, MD, MPH

      Dr. Leger is conducting a large retrospective analysis of prostate cancer treatment outcome disparities in the Medstar Network looking at survivorship and patient reported outcomes via a prospective questionnaire as well as chart review, data gathering, data management and analysis of EMR data.

      • Brent Levine, MD, MS

      Dr. Levine is the PI of a two prong study looking at the development of a new patient satisfaction scoring system for hip and knee replacement. This would potentially replace some of the current scoring systems that are inadequate. If done correctly, the scoring system will be generalizable to many fields of medicine.

      • Tina Liu, Ph.D.

      Dr. Liu is the director of the Visual Perception and Plasticity Lab and investigates novel mechanisms to promote visual recovery following stroke. She is the PI on the  VIBRANT (Vision Improvement through Behavioral Rehabilitation And Neuroplasticity Training) study. Every year, over 12 million people worldwide suffer from stroke, affecting one in four adults at some point in their lives. The VIBRANT study integrates visual behavior (psychophysics, eye-tracking), neuroimaging (structural and functional MRI), and neurorehabilitation (transcranial electrical stimulation) with the long-term goal of achieving precision vision recovery. In addition to the CITI training, MD students will receive MRI safety training through CFMI  and transcranial electrical stimulation training through the Visual Perception and Plasticity Lab , all of which can be completed in the Spring semester. 

      • Charbel Moussa, MD, Ph.D

      Dr. Moussa is the director of the Laboratory for Dementia and Parkinsonism which investigate the pathogenesis and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders in animal models as well as in Phase II studies in humans.

      • Dr. Rachel Scott

      Dr. Scott and her research team are currently working on several studies which largely focus upon (1) understanding and improving pregnancy outcomes for women with HIV and (2) addressing barriers to engagement and retention in the PrEP cascade for cisgender women. There will be opportunities to participate in clinical shadowing in women’s health, including labor and delivery and the women’s health and wellness center (a regional HIV referral center for OB/GYN care).

      • Suzanne Simkovich Pulmo

      The critical care outcomes group focuses on observational outcomes of large cohorts of critically ill patients, comparative effectiveness research of novel practices compared to standard of care in the intensive care unit (ICU) and implementation of evidence-based strategies to improve uptake and fidelity to protocols in the ICU. The group is led by Drs. Suzanne Simkovich MD, MS and Nathan Cobb MD both experienced investigators and actively clinically practicing pulmonary and critical care physicians.

      • Sadaf Kazi,

      Dr. Kazi’s work focuses on maternal health related to substance use in pregnancy. She has a CDC-funded project investigates longitudinal impacts of polysubstance (i.e., simultaneous use of two of more substances) during pregnancy on maternal and child outcomes. The primary method is retrospective chart review, so this provides an opportunity to become familiar with the clinical interface of the Cerner EHR, and learning how to read, interpret, and abstract data from the EHR.

      Faculty and Contact Information

      Faculty Director Contact

      Dr. Carlo Tornatore

      Carlo.S.Tornatore@gunet.georgetown.edu