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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Surgery
Find information about optional research fellowships after the second or third year in the Department of Surgery at IU School of Medicine.

Professional Development and Research Years (Optional)

The IU School of Medicine Department of Surgery is deeply committed to professional development and research in areas of clinical and translational sciences, global health and surgical education. Research allows the team to identify solutions to clinical problems and bring evidence-based approaches to the bedside that benefit patients.

Surgery residents have an opportunity to participate in an optional research fellowship after their second or third clinical year of residency. For those who commit to research within the department, a minimum of two years is required and completion of an advanced degree is highly encouraged. Advanced degrees pursued within Indiana University come at zero cost to the resident. Advanced degrees pursued by our surgery residents at IU School of Medicine include:

Residents who pursue our Global Health Research Fellowship are expected to complete their Master's in Public Health (MPH) through the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, which is also at no cost to the resident.

Residents who pursue the Surgical Education Research Fellowship are required to complete a Master of Health Professions Education (MHPE) program. Currently, this is not a degree that Indiana University provides, so our research fellows pursue their MPHE online through the University of Illinois-Chicago MPHE program. A stipend of up to $40,000 is provided as well as housing cost for on-site courses. Due to elevated costs with the program being out-of-state, residents who pursue this opportunity do incur a cost of around $10,000. Up to 8 elective courses can be taken at IU School of Medicine, which can decrease the overall cost to the resident.

Professional Development and Resident Research in Surgery

Director of Resident Research, Troy Markel, MD, is available to help answer questions about research fellowship opportunities and assistance in tailoring these experiences to the individual resident’s experience, interests and career ambitions.

Current Research Opportunities

The Surgical Education Research Fellowship in the Department of Surgery was established in 2017 and aims to develop education leaders who will contribute to the advancement of surgical education at IU and nationally through innovation and high impact research output. The fellows work under the mentorship of Dimitrios Stefanidis, MD, PhD and E. Matthew Ritter, MD, MPHE, and are part of a larger education research group that includes surgical educators such as the residency and skills lab directors, research coordinators, research residents, international research fellows, the anesthesia director of education, medical students and other collaborators.

During the program, fellows expand their knowledge and skills in surgical education and engage in challenging and data-driven education research and teaching activities. Fellows are expected to lead innovative research projects within the Department of Surgery and School of Medicine and produce several high-quality presentations, publications and grant submissions. This two year experience provides fellows with the necessary skills, support and a nurturing environment to empower them to excel in education research and become surgical education leaders. 

The Surgical Education Numbered Trials research fellowship offers a funded two year on site fellowship focusing on surgical outcomes, health services, health policy, and surgical education through the Indiana University Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center (IU SOQIC). We are currently seeking applicants for our first research fellow within our department to start in July 2024.

The overall goal of the research fellowship is to help prepare surgical residents for successful careers post residency in areas of surgical health services and outcomes research.  This pathway will allow for residents to gain firsthand experience in research methodology and practical applications for current and future process improvement needs. The IU SOQIC research fellowship will allow for collaboration with Northwestern University SOQIC as well as team members from The SECOND Trial*. The SECOND Trial is a prospective, pragmatic cluster-randomized trial examining how we can improve the learning environment and well-being of residents led by co-PIs, Drs. Karl Bilimoria at Indiana University and Dr. Yue-Yung Hu at Northwestern University.

Residents participating in this pathway will also be expected to pursue a Master's Degree in Clinical Science from Indiana University School of Medicine at no cost to the resident.

  • Note: If an applicant already has an advanced/similar level degree, they will not be expected to enroll into an advanced program.

*The SECOND Trial is made possible by partnerships with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), American College of Surgeons (ACS), American Board of Surgery (ABS), Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS), Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and the Society of Surgical Chairs (SSC). The study is funded by the ACS and the ACGME.

The Regenstrief General HSR Resident Opportunity offers a two-year research fellowship in surgical outcomes, health services, quality improvement, implementation science, health policy, and surgical education research for IUSM surgical residents starting July 2024 in Indianapolis.

IU SOQIC research fellows will work with a team of faculty mentors of their choosing to conduct research in their specialty interests, and will receive training in informatics, technical skills, and relevant clinical disciplines. Research fellows will participate in Regenstrief early career investigator activities, including the writing group, Faculty Development Lecture Series, HSR and Institute-wide works-in-progress meetings.

Research fellows will earn a master’s degree that best suits their needs through one of the programs offered at Indiana University, most often a master’s in clinical research that is tailored for surgical resident research fellows interested in health services, outcomes, quality improvement, and implementation science.

Interested residents should bdorazio@iu.edu to request an application, or if you have any questions about the program.

Participants in the Masters in Public Health in Global Health program spend the first year completing Master’s in Public Health classwork and the second year at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya. Due to the course workload, residents in this program are not be required to participate in lab work during the first year. The second year may require six to nine credit hours to be completed online, but residents work with JoAnna Hunter-Squires, M.D. during the second year in pursuit of research in the realm of surgery and global health.

Participants are eligible to apply for Fulbright Scholar status with this fellowship.