Welcome to the Research Learning Community

The Research Learning Community is an evolving collaboration  among medical students, faculty, and the Office of Research Affairs at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. The RLC promotes research opportunities and seeks to build a supportive learning environment for medical student research. The development of this research-focused learning community was described in a 2011 paper published in Medical Science Educator. The RLC now includes B1 research electives, student advising, the Medical Student Research Club and Journal Club, the RLC Lecture Series, and the annual Medical Student Research Symposium. For more information about the RLC, contact Mark Willis in the Office of Research Affairs (mark.willis@wright.edu, 937-775-3814).

Research Electives

SMD 616 Introduction to the Research Learning Community: Over the past five years the Medical Student Research Club and the Office of Research Affairs have helped self-motivated students to find faculty-mentored research experiences during their medical education. Research experiences typically took the form of: 1) student-initiated electives (SIE's) in the summer between years 1 and 2; and 2) extracurricular projects conducted at varying intervals throughout the year. Some M1 students came to WSU with significant prior research experience, and for them, developing a research SIE during year 1 was a viable option. Others indicated no prior research experience. Many in both groups expressed a fundamental curiosity about research and how it might contribute to their future professional development. SMD 616 is designed to give M1 students who are curious about research an established curriculum alternative to the SIE. It can also help students to plan and write a subsequent SIE proposal. SMD 616 runs longitudinally from January-July; the admission application deadline is December 1. Read the SMD 616 course description.

SMD 617 Research Learning Community 2: The elective for M2 students builds on the concepts and activities established in SMD 616 (Introduction to the Research Learning Community). The M2 elective provides a supportive environment for continuation or completion of research projects begun in SMD 616, but SMD 616 is not a prerequisite.* The M2 elective also supports students who have participated in research SIE’s (student initiated electives) or extracurricular research projects. SMD 617 runs longitudinally from September-April; the admission deadline is August 30. Read the SMD 617 course description.

Medical Student Advising

Mark Willis in the Office of Research Affairs works with Wright State medical students in good academic standing to help them find research experiences during their undergraduate medical education. See the Research Referral Policy for details. Research experiences within the curriculum may take the form of B1 electives in Years 1 and 2 and B2 electives in Year 4. Medical students also arrange extracurricular research projects with faculty mentors at varying times in all four years of medical school.

Please use our online form to tell us about your previous research experience and the types of research that may interest you during medical school. Then contact Mark Willis (mark.willis@wright.edu) schedule an appointment.

CITI Course on Human Subjects Protection

Wright State University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) requires all investigators (including faculty, students, and staff) who will be engaged in research with human subjects to complete the Basic Course in the Protection of Human Research Subjects offered online by the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI). WSU is a CITI participating institution, and the course is offered free of charge to WSU personnel. WSU requires the renewal of CITI training every three years. Medical students who take SMD 616 (Introduction to the Research Learning Community), SMD 617 (Research Learning Community II), and CMH 811 (Medical Education Research) are required to complete CITI training during these research electives. In 2012 a CITI training requirement was adopted for all other B1 and B2 research electives, including student-initiated research electives (SIE’s). Medical students who seek extracurricular research opportunities involving human subjects (e.g. clinical research) are strongly advised to complete CITI training before contacting potential faculty mentors. Read instructions for access to the online CITI course.

Finding Faculty Mentors

A variety of websites can help you find information about potential research mentors at Boonshoft School of Medicine. No single site has all the information you may need. Using several of the sites listed on the Finding Faculty Mentors webpage should enable you to identify particular BSOM departments and faculty with research projects in fields that interest you.

Medical Student Research Club

The Medical Student Research Club was established in 2007. The Research Club plans a series of meetings, lectures, and workshops every year that introduce you to student researchers and potential faculty mentors and help you to develop research experiences during your medical education. Programming includes the RLC Lecture Series and culminates in April with the annual Medical Student Research Symposium. For more information about the Research Club, contact Adam Deardorff (deardorff.2@wright.edu).

Medical Student  Journal Club

WSU medical students launched the Journal Club in 2010. In the 2011-12 academic year, Journal Club will review articles related to topics covered at the Translational Research Lecture series. For more information about the Club, contact Robbie Beaulieu (beaulieu.3@wright.edu), Riyad Tayim (rtayim@gmail.com) or Volodymyr Karpa (karpa.2@wright.edu).

Research Enterprise - News for the Research Community

Research Enterprise is published online by the Office of Research Affairs. Look here for news about the RLC, the Research and Journal Clubs, funding opportunities, and other student research resources. The news site includes legacy content published between 2008-2011 at Student Research Enterprise . For more information, contact Mark Willis (mark.willis@wright.edu; 937-775-3814).

WSU Libraries Research Guide for Medicine

Find articles, books, drug information, images and more using the University Libraries' Research Quick Start Guide for Medicine. This portal includes links to databases such as PubMed and the Cochran Library and electronic book sources such as AccessMedicine and ACP Medicine. For more information, contact clinical medicine librarian Bette Sydelko (937-775-3840; bette.sydelko@wright.edu).