Distinction-Research

Program Contacts

Curriculum

The primary goal of the third year of Dell Medical School is to focus students on the distinct challenges of 21st century healthcare and medicine through a rigorous scholarly experience. This distinction offers students the opportunity to design and implement a mentored research project in collaboration with a faculty member. Students have the opportunity to work across the full spectrum of research, including basic, translational, applied pre-clinical, clinical, health services, population health, and outcomes investigation.

The Distinction in Research intends to benefit students through practical exposure to research design and implementation in a rigorous scholarly environment where they can develop skills for investigation, pursuit of discovery, and dissemination of knowledge, while learning to incorporate ethical principles in research. The overwhelming majority of the experience will be in the practical research setting. It is expected that students will spend approximately 40 hours per week on their project.

In addition to project work, students in the Research Distinction are expected to enroll concurrently in the Research Methods 1 & 2 enrichment electives, offered in the Fall and Spring semesters by the Health Transformation Research Institute, to satisfy the need for additional didactic components. This expectation may be waived, with approval from a student’s research mentor and the Research Distinction Advisory Committee, in certain circumstances including but not limited to prior completion of the Research Methods portion of the I2R course, a clinical research Master’s degree or equivalent training, or a schedule conflict with their research lab obligations.

Students choose an individual mentor during their second year from participating faculty members in the health sciences within Dell Medical School and other UT Austin colleges and schools. In exceptional circumstances, students may work with a mentor outside of UT Austin, but this requires approval from leadership of the Research Distinction as well as the Undergraduate Medical Education Associate Dean and MS3 longitudinal faculty. Mentors assist students in preparing realistic project proposals and timelines before the nine-month block begins. Mentors also provide research space, equipment and supplies, allocate time and attention on a regular basis to students to ensure a positive and meaningful research experience, and help in preparation of students’ final papers, posters and oral presentations for a culminating student research symposium. In addition to the mentor, the Research Distinction Advisory Committee (RDAC) will oversee all student research projects. The distinction committee will approve project proposals and monitor the student experience and progress through individual research advisory committees. The individual committees, with feedback from the mentor, will work with the RDAC to recommend a final grade of pass, fail, or honors for their students. Given the low didactic component of the distinction, selection of an appropriate research mentor is critical to the student’s success.

Program Structure

There is structure and oversight built within the Research Distinction, but students who have prior research experience and students who are skilled in self-discipline will do well in this distinction. 

Tuition and Fees

There are no additional tuition or fees associated with this distinction. 

Application Instructions and Timelines

MS1s

• Attend the MS1 Open House in the Spring

• Read about previous work in the Research Distinction:

  • “Cutting to the Core: Student-Led Research Informs Surgery Best Practices”

  • Michelle Bach: "An Advocate for Those in Pain"  

  • Alexander Chu: "Lessons Learned from a Global Classroom: Improving Tuberculosis & Mental Health Care"

  • Freda Coren: “Advancing Harm Reduction Through Research”

  • List of recent Research Distinction students and projects

MS2s

• MS2 Intersession 1: Attend the information session during the first MS2 Intersession

  • Read about the research going on at Dell Med, search for projects, and set up meetings with potential mentors

• MS2 Intersession 2: Get advising from Distinction leadership or set up meetings with potential mentor

• MS2 Intersession 3: Distinction Application is due

  • Meet with your mentor and spend time working on the proposal template

• MS2 Intersession 4: Proposal is due: Distinction Proposal Submission Form

  • The RDAC may send you comments for revisions

Orientation

A multi-day orientation to the distinction takes place in August, typically around the same time as the first MS3 Intersession. 

Grading Rubric

As the culmination to this nine-month long scholarly endeavor, all students are expected to complete a thesis, poster, and oral presentation at the end-of-experience Discovery & Inquiry Symposium. We strongly encourage students to submit their abstracts for poster or oral presentations at national and regional conferences. We also encourage manuscript submissions for publication, grant proposals, commercialization activities, including patents, or hand-off of the project to another UT or outside entity for further development.