MedSTAR

Applicants must be medical students enrolled and in good standing at IU School of Medicine.

Students may apply during any year of their medical school curriculum, but it is recommended that students apply during year two to pursue the MedSTAR research project between Phase 1 and Phase 2 of medical school.

Students must be committed to 12 months of continuous, full-time research. All medical students, regardless of their year, must apply and be approved for a leave of absence from the MD program during MedSTAR. Students who are currently enrolled in a combined degree program such as MD/PhD, MD/MBA, etc. will not be eligible.

Previous research experience (e.g., a summer or part-time experience, such as IMPRS) is required. All applicants should have some form of research experience beyond classroom/laboratory courses.

The applicant is responsible for identifying and engaging a mentor from the IU School of Medicine. The program office may assist if needed but is not responsible for making the arrangements. Please direct inquiries to imprs@iu.edu. The selection of a mentor is a key component in the application evaluation.

• Mentors must be a full-time faculty at IU School of Medicine who will directly supervise/mentor the applicant.
• Mentors should not have more than two students to mentor during training period.
• Mentor should have recent publications in the area of expertise proposed.
• Mentor should be experienced in the research techniques proposed.
• Mentor should have external funding from NIH or other major agencies.
  Mentor should provide the resources necessary to support the research project.
• Mentor should have the time and interest to train the student.

Your research plan should be realistic and practical for a 12-month period. The project should be rigorous, high-quality research training that is hypothesis/discovery-based and not just technical/methodology type work.

The proposed plan should be in the following areas of biomedical research:

• Basic science (research conducted to understand the physical, chemical, and functional mechanisms)
• Translational (process of applying discoveries from basic science to the prevention, management and treatment of diseases)
• Applied (research toward specific objectives, i.e., drug discovery, therapy, etc.)
• Clinical (research conducted to study the health and illness in people to learn how to prevent, diagnose, manage and treat) 

Students will meet with their lead advisor to apply for a leave of absence once they are accepted as a MedSTAR scholar. Students will continue to meet with their lead advisors during the leave of absence to ensure they are on track for graduation when they return to the MD curriculum.

Students who decide to not enroll the minimum of four credit hours per term and have previously borrowed through federal student loans should meet with financial aid to determine the course of action needed to keep student loans in good standing.

The MedSTAR program is full-time for 12 consecutive months. Students will not complete medical school coursework or clerkships during MedSTAR.

• Phase 1 Year 2 applicants (doing MedSTAR between second and third year) will begin their research in April and finish the following March.
• Phase 2 Year 3 applicants (doing MedSTAR between third and fourth year) will begin their research in May and finish the following April.
• Phase 3 Year 4 applicant (doing MedSTAR after fourth year) will begin their research in May and finish the following April.

Students applying during Phase 1 Year 2 are required to take Step 1 by the school’s deadline. Any student who does not pass Step 1 would be released from the MedSTAR program.

Students applying during Phase 2 are encouraged to take Step 2 CK and CS before starting MedSTAR.

MedSTAR scholars will take a combination of coursework and research within this range of options:

• Two courses (one per semester) + 90% research time
• Graduate certificate in clinical research (14 credits) + 75% research time
• Master of Science (MS) in clinical research (30 credits) + 50% research time

Upon acceptance into the program, the trainee, mentor, and MedSTAR program director will determine the appropriate coursework/research path based on the type/intensity/ scope of the research project.

• $31,500 stipend
• Student health insurance (coverage does not include dependents)
• Tuition remission up to $5,000 (does not include university fees, books or related purchases)
• Travel allowance up to $500 for student to present research at a scientific meeting
• One time publishing fee up to $500 for student to publish in a peer-reviewed journal

Application will be completed online using RedCAP. The applicant will be responsible to submit both sections.

Apply now

Applicant section

• Contact information and basic demographic data.
• CV/resume
• Research experience, professional activities, honors/awards, etc.
• Personal statement (one page, 500 words max)
• Research plan including project title, abstract and research project plan (limited to 1,000 words and needs to be practical for a one-year training period)

Mentor section

• Contact information and affiliation
• NIH biosketch (training record, trainee outcome, grant data, if available)
• Letter of support including applicant sssessment and training plan

A panel of faculty reviewers will evaluate the following:

• Applicant’s ability and goal for a research career as a physician-scientist
• Quality of training (mentor identification)
• Applicant’s research experience, personal statement, proposed research plan
• Letter of Support from the faculty member who has agreed to serve as a mentor for the one-year training
• Letter of Reference from a second faculty member who can comment on the applicant’s research potential

• Monthly meetings with the mentor
• Bi-annual training progress report to the program director
• Participate in a poster session at the Indiana CTSI Annual Meeting
• First authored manuscript submitted for publication
• Maintain a grade of B or higher in all course work

October ➡ Application available

December 31 ➡ Application due

End of January ➡ Selection

April or May ➡ Start date

The following April ➡ End date