Medical Student Research

At New York Medical College, our medical students have significant opportunities to pursue research projects in every area of medical science. Our extraordinary research environment gives you access to state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, as well as resourceful faculty members dedicated to research projects of their own.

Conducting research as a medical student will teach you to critically appraise the scientific literature, develop effective presentation skills and enhance critical thinking. These skills not only make you more competitive for highly selective residency programs but are essential to professional success throughout your career. Your name on a peer-reviewed publication doesn’t hurt your career prospects, either! Plus, in the long-term, you will be contributing to the expansion of medical knowledge that provides the foundation for the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities.

The Office of Medical Student Affairs funds a limited number of students to pursue research and scholarship under the mentorship of clinicians and scientists. This program is limited to first-year students who have successfully completed their initial course of study.

• The Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship (MSASF) gives each student awardee a stipend of $1000 for at least four consecutive weeks of research.
• While priority will be given to projects conducted at NYMC-associated sites (NYMC campus and clinical affiliates), stipends of $1,000 will be provided for a limited number of positions outside of the NYMC consortium, where funding is not available. Follow the same instructions below as for the NYMC program.
• Mentor stipends: NYMC faculty mentors of MSASF awardees will receive a matching fund of $1000 to be used for research support. Each mentor will receive a maximum of one stipend regardless of the number of students mentored. No separate application is required.

Eligibility Criteria

1. Applicants must be in Good Academic Standing (No summer course make-ups or course remediation)
2. Clinical shadowing opportunities are potentially valuable experiences but do not qualify as scholarly work and are not eligible. Consider combining such an experience with the writing of a suitably researched case report or literature review.
3. Awardees must agree to submit a written summary of work at the end of the program and to present completed research projects at the Medical Student Research Forum.
4. Awardees who are U.S. citizens must complete an IRS Form W-9 upon acceptance to the program (this will be provided to you at the time of your acceptance). Non-U.S. citizens ARE eligible to receive an award and will be asked to complete the applicable tax withholding forms.

Application Procedure

1. First identify a mentor in your area of interest. The Medical Student Research Opportunities Catalog (available on LEO) provides a listing of known NYMC-affiliated research/scholarly activities. However, students are not limited to this list; if you have specific interests not covered, you are encouraged to contact departments and/or faculty directly to discuss the possibilities of working together.
2. Once you and your mentor have agreed to work together, you should complete the Fellowship application by following the link provided below.
3. The MSASF 2024 Summer Research Project Proposal Face Page is accessible through LCMS+. Scroll down to the bottom of the course page titled "MSASF Summer Research Project Proposal Page 2024.” You will need to prepare and combine the face sheet with your proposal for uploading prior to starting the online application process. Please note that this is NOT the same document as the SOM Student Research Application.
4. Complete your Project Proposal following the instructions on the Project Proposal face sheet. You will need to scan the face sheet together with your proposal and upload the proposal to your application submission. you will need a scanned/electronic file of your Project Proposal Face Sheet (signed by your research mentor) and your Project Proposal prior to starting the online application process. Electronic files can be uploaded as .pdf or .jpg files. We strongly recommend having your mentor review your formal Project Proposal prior to its submission.
5. Scan the face sheet together with your proposal (or combine as a single digital document) and upload the proposal to your application submission. NYMC-MSASF Application MUST be submitted through the MSASF application portal. Applications sent by email will NOT be considered.
6. The deadline for submitting your proposal is Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Applications submitted after the deadline will be placed on a waiting list for available remaining funding and processed in the order they are received.
7. Incomplete applications, applications without a faculty mentor signature, or those that do not adhere to the Fellowship application and Project Proposal guidelines, will not be considered.
8. Students will be notified of their acceptance into the program no later than May 24. Applications submitted no later than March 30 will receive “early decision” review with notification in early April.

Disbursements of Funds

The student stipends for the MSASF will be paid in a single installment before June 30, 2024. NYMC faculty mentor awards will be deposited into a designated purpose fund in the mentor’s department.

We believe that a fundamental understanding of the relationship between medical research and the practice of medicine can enable physician-scientists to better serve patients and the community. We encourage you to conduct research or read up on research.

To that end, a Medical Student Research Forum (MSRF) takes place annually, as a way to promote medical student research and to provide an opportunity for SOM students to present and share their findings with the College community. Planned entirely by SOM students, the MSRF features a full day of oral presentations and poster sessions in basic science and clinical science categories. An afternoon keynote address is given by a distinguished guest speaker. Past speakers have included Nobel laureates and other leading scientists.

Several student projects presented at past forums have been candidates for drug patents, scientific articles, and the application of new technology and medical techniques.