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SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Student Affairs -- Research Opportunities

How Do I Get Involved in Research?

TUSOM students have plenty of opportunities available for getting involved in research. Finding a project to match your interests and the time which you can commit may take some initial legwork, but once you find a project which intrigues you, the rewards are many. Use the resources below and along the side of this page to learn about what research is currently happening at Tulane, and who to contact to become involved.

 
Select Recent Tulane University School of Medicine Student Publications

 
 
 
Basic/Bench Research

Students interested in basic/bench research should contact Dr. Diane Blake for more information.

More information on research conducted in these areas can be found here.

 
Clinical/Translational Research

Student must watch the following video prior to seeking a clinical/translational research opportunity

Students interested in clinical/translational research should contact Dr. Vivian Fonseca for more information.

More information on research conducted in these areas can be found here. A list of recommended faculty mentors and their areas of research is also available here. 

 
DeBakey Scholars Program

Students interested in The DeBakey Scholar Program should contact Dr. Kenneth Mitchell for more information.

More information on this program can be found here.

 
Physician Scientist MD/PhD Program

Students interested in the Ph.D./MD program should contact Dr. James Robinson for more information.

More information on this program can be found here.

 
Population & Public Health Research

Students interested in population and public health research should contact Dr. Tonette Krousel-Wood for more information.

More information on research conducted in these areas can be found here.

If you are interested in completing the MD/MPH program, more information can be found here. 

 
Clinical Department Research Contacts

  • Anesthesiology – Contact primary researcher; see research page
  • Dermatology -- Opportunities for students to get involved in research are available, including clinical trails, research with residents, and student-initiated studies. Please contact the department for more information: Dr. Andrea Murina , Dr. Laura Williams, Dr. Brittany Stumpf
  • Emergency Medicine -- There are several different research opportunities, including basic science, clinical and social science research. Contact our Research Director, Dr. Lisa Moreno-Walton, for more information.
  • Family Medicine -- Contact either Dr. Rade Pejic or Dr. Kiernan Smith for information about current opportunities to get involved with research.
  • Internal Medicine -- We have over 100 faculty in the department of medicine, and there are research opportunities available in most areas. One way to find out about research in the department and to make some contacts is to attend our research conference. These are held the 3rd Monday of the month at noon in the 7th floor library (room 7001) of the School of Medicine building.
  • Neurology -- To learn about recent research conducted in neurology, click here . Please contact Dr. Roger Kelley for more information on how to get involved.
  • Neurosurgery -- There are laboratory opportunities with Dr. Dumont , working on an animal model of aneurysm formation and rupture. There are also various clinical projects ongoing at different times. Currently, there is a project evaluating different technologies for the endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke.
  • Obstetrics and Gynecology -- Students are encouraged to directly email faculty with whom they would like to work.
  • Ophthalmology -- Please contact Dr. Delmar Caldwell for more information about research opportunities in ophthalmology.
  • Orthopaedics -- The Orthopaedics Department has numerous research opportunities, including in clinical, basic science, biomechanical, and education related studies. They hold research meetings about every six weeks and any students interested in orthopaedics are welcome to attend. Students can find out about dates through the Orthopaedics Interest Group. They are strongly encouraged to join, as this group will provide them with a lot of information about orthopaedics. Additionally, Erica Moore (Residency Coordinator) can share this information with students.
  • Otolaryngology -- The Department of Otolaryngology has research opportunities in health care disparities, health care delivery, rhinology and oncology available. Please contact Dr. Paul Friedlander for more information.
  • Pathology -- To learn more about research opportunities in pathology, contact Bea Delucca, Dr. Skrikanta Dash, Dr. Erik Flemington, Dr. Gilbert Morris, or Dr. Tong Wu.
  • Pediatrics -- For research opportunities, please contact the Vice Chair for Pediatric Research, Dr. Stacy Drury .
  • Psychiatry -- There are multiple areas of research occurring within the Department of Psychiatry including: Infant Mental Health – the effects from neglect and deprivation, Collaborative care models, Genetics – the effects on DNA from stress and trauma, Schizophrenia and outcomes with first-episode psychosis intervention, PTSD in children and the best treatment modalities, PTSD and family therapy. There is a research webpage where details on how to get involved can be accessed.
  • Radiology -- For research opportunities, please contact the Vice Chair for Education in Radiology, Dr. Jeremy Nguyen.
  • Surgery -- The Surgery Department focuses research on Minimally Invasive Surgery, Robotic Surgery, Surgical Education, Endocrinology, Oncology, Transplant, and Trauma. Call Tulane Surgery Education Department (504.988.7123) for more information.
  • Urology -- Our faculty is a very productive one – both in basic sciences and clinical research projects. Each faculty member can be approached individually, so as to filter out what would best suit one’s requirements and career goals
 
Calls for Student Researchers

This section contains contact information SPECIFICALLY seeking student researchers. If you are a faculty researcher who would like to advertise for a student researcher, please email Dr. Katrina D’Aquin.

  • All of Us Research Study: Tulane University has been selected to be a site for the All of Us research study. This multi-site, five-year NIH study will recruit a million patients, the largest ever proposed! Students who want to participate will need to complete CITI training, and will receive basic training in research practices and customer service. There will be no opportunity to collaborate on a paper for involvement, but students will be able to add this experience to their CV, highlighting the unique nature of the largest NIH study to date. If you are interested, please contact Roberta McDuffie to arrange for an interview.
  • Data Entry: 

    We are currently in need of 3-4 T4 students to do some data extraction work for our annual quality data submission to CMS.  

    The work can be done on their free time and we will pay the going rate for students, about $12.25/hr.  It should take about 20-30 hours each over a two-week period.  Anyone interested, they can send me an email directly. 

    Thanks in advance and let me know if you have any questions. 

    Tim Harlan MD

    tharlan@tulane.edu

  • McSwain Trauma Group: If you’re interested in getting involved in research, keep reading! I am looking for 3 students to help data collect for a project I am working on with the McSwain Trauma Group. The research pertains to sleep hygiene protocols in the ICU. The data collection will need to take place in person in the Tulane ICU. The goal will be to have 3 students rotating weekly for a few weeks, so the time commitment will be minimal. Also, we will show you everything you need to know about the data collection process and will get you access to Meditech. No experience necessary! We will start data collecting in the very near future as this project is already ongoing. Please email me if you would like to get involved or would like more information! This is a great way to get involved in research if you have been looking to do so! And the McSwain Trauma Research Group is a great group to be a part of. Contact Caitlin Cook.
  • Mechanisms of Lung Disease Related to Environmental Exposures: I have an interest in a medical student joining my laboratory. My research interests are mechanisms of lung disease related to environmental exposures. More detailed information can be gathered from my website in the Pathology Department. Contact Dr. Gil Morris .
  • Tulane Center for Autism & Related Disorders :We constantly have the need for data entry assistance. We have an extremely large database that we need updating on a weekly basis, which holds the data form our diagnostic evaluations that are completed on patients coming to the center. We have 2 other projects that we have been trying to get off the ground, but have not finished the IRB submissions. One is on the benefits (health and social) of learning how to ride a bicycle in children/adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Bike riding is a skill that is significantly delayed if ever even learned in children with ASD, but there is some qualitative research that suggests bike riding increases overall functioning in activities of daily living, social, and health domains. The second is a comparison of improvement in speech/language skills in very young children depending on the setting of the intervention (i.e., home, school, clinic). Contact Dr. Lisa Settles .
 
Summer Opportunities

  • The AAMC maintains a database including both funded and unfunded clinical and research experiences, which can last for the summer or throughout a year.
  • Rush Summer Research Program: The goal of this program is to provide disadvantaged and/or underrepresented college juniors, seniors and current students or graduates in a post-baccalaureate program with an exciting summer opportunity at Rush University Medical Center. For more information, see this flyer. 

  • NEW TULANE PROGRAM: 

    A limited number of summer research stipends ($2000 each) is available in 2019 for students between their first and second year at Tulane School of Medicine. These fellowships will require a minimum 8-week commitment to full-time laboratory, translational or clinical research at Tulane University School of Medicine, Tulane National Primate Research Center or the undergraduate Tulane campus. In addition to research, students will attend weekly sessions that will cover topics including research integrity, animal care and use, protection of human subjects, and proposal preparation. Students will be required to attend at least 6 of the 8 sessions.

    Students may chose faculty from any of the three campuses as a research mentor. If you have not already identified a mentor, lists of potential mentors for Basic/Bench Research and Clinical/Translational Research are available at the Student Research Website: https://medicine.tulane.edu/student-affairs/student-resources/research-opportunities.

    The application (in pdf format) should be submitted by March 22, 2019 using the attached form (also available on the Student Research Website, see above). The following elements should be included in your application:

    • A brief summary of the proposed project (~1 page), including no more than 5 background references.
    • A timeline of project activities, preferably in a Gantt Diagram (1/2 page). Please include your preferred start and end date for this 8-week research program.
    • An updated CV of the applicant, including any previous research experience.
    • The CV/Biographical Sketch of your proposed mentor (NIH-style format is preferred).
    • Letter of support from other faculty that may be participating in a collaborative project (if applicable).

Funds will be dispersed in two payments: $1,000 at the beginning of the 8-week session and an additional $1,000 when your mentor has certified your effort and approved your final research report (usually 3-5 single spaced pages).

A committee will evaluation the applications and applicants will be informed of the funding decision no later than April 2, 2019. Please direct any questions to Dr. Diane Blake (blake@tulane.edu).

 

  • VT PNHP Summer Internship: 

    You may be happy that you are in New Orleans rather than Vermont this month, where we have to allow extra time to sweep off our cars and scrape ice off windshields in the morning, and may be blinded by snow driving home; or be stuck behind a snowplow and not want to pass and have rock salt pelt our car to then not have good traction or even know exactly where the road is.

    But come July!  You could spend five weeks getting paid* to read about and discuss the organization and financing of health services in the US; alternate health systems; and barriers to change. You could be traveling around the state interviewing an array of individuals who are influential in Vermont’s health care system, such as advocates on many sides of the health reform issue; government officials—including high level elected officials and key appointees; hospital CEOs; and individuals working at primary care sites, the Dartmouth Institute, the Veterans Administration Hospital, a free clinic, and a large community health center. 

    You could also take advantage of the opportunity to hike, kayak, and otherwise take advantage of our glorious summer.  

    The Vermont chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program (pnhp.org) is offering three, five-week summer internships targeted to health professions students, especially medical students.  The primary goal of the internship is to cultivate leaders who will fuse a solid understanding of health policy with the basic values of kindness and human decency so that they can transform the US healthcare system to be on the one hand efficient, and on the other humane.  We are seeking geographic and cultural diversity in our interns, to enhance their learning from each other, and their opportunity to network more broadly.

    The student will help to tailor his/her individual program.

    *Interns will receive a stipend of $1250 for the 5-week period.  Additional funds may be available to assist with transportation expenses.  Solidarity housing may be available for students from out-of-state.   

    Students from anywhere in the US are eligible to apply.  

    For a job description and instructions for applying, go to http://pnhp.org/news/pnhp-vermont-internship-summer-2019/

    Physicians for a National Health Program is a non-profit research and education organization of 20,000 physicians, medical students and health professionals who support a universal, comprehensive single-payer national health program.

    For more information, contact Marvin Malek MD, mmalek66@gmail.com or Betty Keller, MD  bjkellermd@gmail.com.

    Applications will be accepted and interviews offered on a rolling basis.  

    If this sounds really exciting to you but you have some barriers, we can be flexible on dates and could look at whether we can help with other barriers.

    Hope to see your application soon!

    All best,

    Betty

    Betty J. Keller, MD

    St. Johnsbury, VT

    802-748-1966 

    802-274-8180 

    Please leave a message since I often don't pick up due to so many spam calls.  It can also be helpful to text or email first.

 
Funding Opportunities

  • VT PNHP Summer Internship: 

You may be happy that you are in New Orleans rather than Vermont this month, where we have to allow extra time to sweep off our cars and scrape ice off windshields in the morning, and may be blinded by snow driving home; or be stuck behind a snowplow and not want to pass and have rock salt pelt our car to then not have good traction or even know exactly where the road is.

But come July!  You could spend five weeks getting paid* to read about and discuss the organization and financing of health services in the US; alternate health systems; and barriers to change. You could be traveling around the state interviewing an array of individuals who are influential in Vermont’s health care system, such as advocates on many sides of the health reform issue; government officials—including high level elected officials and key appointees; hospital CEOs; and individuals working at primary care sites, the Dartmouth Institute, the Veterans Administration Hospital, a free clinic, and a large community health center. 

You could also take advantage of the opportunity to hike, kayak, and otherwise take advantage of our glorious summer.  

The Vermont chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program (pnhp.org) is offering three, five-week summer internships targeted to health professions students, especially medical students.  The primary goal of the internship is to cultivate leaders who will fuse a solid understanding of health policy with the basic values of kindness and human decency so that they can transform the US healthcare system to be on the one hand efficient, and on the other humane.  We are seeking geographic and cultural diversity in our interns, to enhance their learning from each other, and their opportunity to network more broadly.

The student will help to tailor his/her individual program.

*Interns will receive a stipend of $1250 for the 5-week period.  Additional funds may be available to assist with transportation expenses.  Solidarity housing may be available for students from out-of-state.   

Students from anywhere in the US are eligible to apply.  

For a job description and instructions for applying, go to http://pnhp.org/news/pnhp-vermont-internship-summer-2019/

Physicians for a National Health Program is a non-profit research and education organization of 20,000 physicians, medical students and health professionals who support a universal, comprehensive single-payer national health program.

For more information, contact Marvin Malek MD, mmalek66@gmail.com or Betty Keller, MD  bjkellermd@gmail.com.

Applications will be accepted and interviews offered on a rolling basis.  

If this sounds really exciting to you but you have some barriers, we can be flexible on dates and could look at whether we can help with other barriers.

Hope to see your application soon!

All best,

Betty

Betty J. Keller, MD

St. Johnsbury, VT

802-748-1966 

802-274-8180 

Please leave a message since I often don't pick up due to so many spam calls.  It can also be helpful to text or email first.

  • The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine is accepting applications for the Orthopaedic Surgery Research Fellowship.  There are  5 positions available for the 2019-2020 academic year.  The ideal candidate is one looking to take time off between their 3rd and 4th years of medical school to enhance their exposure to the field of Orthopaedic Surgery.  Past fellows average 8-12 publications from the fellowship.  Details regarding this fellowship can be found at: https://www.uab.edu/medicine/orthopaedics/education/fellowships/research. 
  • The AAMC maintains a database including both funded and unfunded clinical and research experiences, which can last for the summer or throughout a year.
  • The Warren R. Bourgeois, III, MD and Usha Ramadhyani Bourgeois, MD Student Research Endowed Fund is a generous endowment which provides support each year to one or two first year medical students for a summer research experience in the Department of Physiology. The donation provides, but is not limited to, stipends, grants, and assistance with conference attendance, travel and other expenses related to the recipients’ research experience. This research experience for medical students brings to the student a potential dual career in research as well as medicine. It reveals to the student they can be involved both in the healing of a patient and in the process of finding cures. For more information, please contact Dr. L. Gabriel Navar, Professor and Chairman, Department of Physiology, SL-8639, 504.988.5251.
  • The DeBakey Scholars Program offers medical students the opportunity to pursue and complete a longitudinal structured, closely supervised research experience culminating in a capstone presentation prior to graduation. Limited summer funding is available for projects and students who qualify. More information on this program can be found here.

​​​​​​​ Many professional societies provide competitive grant funding for research. The links below should take you directly to the grant pages for the societies listed:

 

Publication and Presentation Information

Wondering where you can present your research? Click on our calendar of professional conferences to see when a relevant conference may be happening! (Links to conference information are provided.)

Additionally, see our Student Publication Venue guide for inspiration on where to publish. 

 

Tulane Opportunities and Resources