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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Department of Medicine
Residents have the opportunity to pursue research in combination with clinical training during the Internal Medicine Residency at IU School of Medicine.

Research during Residency

Indiana University School of Medicine has been nationally recognized for its research success across many specialties. In 2022, the school received $460 million in funding for research and ranked 14th out of 145 accredited schools in NIH funding.

The school also has unique relationships with two local scientific institutes, the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) and Regenstrief Institute. The Indiana CTSI is an NIH-funded collaboration between Indiana University, Purdue University, and University of Notre Dame that provides research expertise, financial support, and other resources to help support translational science innovations in Indiana. The Regenstrief Institute is an organization that supports faculty within the IU School of Medicine with research discovery and technological advances. Opportunities to work on research projects within these institutes are available for internal medicine residents.


Four residents at ATI conference.
a person writes on a clipboard

Research Mentors

All residents are paired with a faculty mentor during their intern year. Residents interested in research are paired with faculty members within their field. These mentors can connect them to the projects best-suited to advance their scholarly experience and prepare them for conferences and publications.

Research Electives

Residents are allowed three non-clinical electives throughout residency which can be used to pursue research projects. This time is dedicated entirely to scholarly pursuits, with the exception of one half-day of continuity clinic each week.

the skyline of indianapolis is visible from the highway

Travel Fund

Residents who are invited to present their work at academic conferences are granted a travel stipend to help cover expenses of transportation, lodging, meals, poster printing, and conference fees.

a resident stands in front of her poster presentation

Internal Medicine Research Competition

Every year, the internal medicine department hosts an internal research competition for residents and fellows to present their scholarly work during Grand Rounds. This is a fun opportunity for residents to practice answering questions about their research, get feedback on their presentations, and share their contributions to science.

A group of IM residents at a research conference.   A group of IM residents at a research conference.

Associated Research Centers

This immunotherapy center was established in 2016 to develop new treatments and cure disease through the use of cell-based immunotherapies. Working in partnership with leaders from private industry, researchers at the center work to improve application of cellular therapy for cancers and pioneer its use for other diseases. 

Geriatric Resources for Assessment and Care of Elders (GRACE) Team Care, was initially developed and implemented more than a decade ago by the Indiana University School of Medicine's Center for Aging Research, and is designed to assist primary care physicians (PCPs) working with low-income seniors to optimize health and functional status, decrease excess usage of health care services, and prevent unnecessary long-term nursing home placement.

One of only 16 NIH designated centers in the country, this collaborative research group includes over 90 investigators engaged in many phases of diabetes and other related metabolic disorders.

This center is working with the Indiana Center for AIDS Research (Indiana CFAR) to increase collaborative HIV/AIDS prevention and care research throughout Indiana.  Since 2016, the Indiana CFAR has supported a pilot grant program for junior investigators seeking academic careers in HIV/AIDS research.  Four Indiana CFAR awardees have received funding to conduct research in Western Kenya in partnership with AMPATH Research Programs. 

This is a NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center that has 250 researchers conducting all phases of cancer research. In 2018, 380 clinical trials were managed at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, and 104 of those were investigator-initiated trials.

This multi-disciplinary team of over 30 breast cancer physicians and scientists are working on new customized breast cancer therapies, as well as ways to avoid the often life changing side effects from breast cancer treatments.