Student research focus of new office
Created as a one-stop shop for student research, McGovern Medical School leadership has created the Medical Student Research Office (MSRO), which is up and running as part of the Office of Educational Programs.
Co-led by Gary Rosenfeld, PhD, director and associate dean of Educational Programs, and by Mary Kollmer Horton, PhD, associate director and assistant professor in the Office of Educational Programs, the office’s mission is to promote the training of medical students interested in research and to support the interests of research faculty who wish to mentor students.
“The opening of this office really allows us to focus on two of our important missions — education and research,” said LaTanya Love, MD, dean of education, ad interim. “We look forward to providing more opportunities and support for our students who wish to engage in scholarly activity and research.”
Services of the office include guidance on medical research opportunities, identification of faculty mentors, and application and proposal development for MMS research programs (e.g., Summer Research Program, Scholarly Concentrations Program, Dual Degree Programs), or research programs at other institutions.
MSRO also will serve as the central repository for student research records, thereby supporting UTHealth initiatives to secure grant and philanthropic funding for medical student research.
“We have lots of students doing research at the Medical School independent of the Scholarly Concentration Program and Summer Research Program,” Rosenfeld said. “We want to capture all of this information as a central point of contact.”
Students will receive an annual survey to gauge their research activity and will be directed to the MSRO website for all things research.
“The most important thing is for students to have the right mentor,” Rosenfeld added.
Students are encouraged to contact the office at MSRO@uth.tmc.edu.