Medical Student Summer Research Program
Overview
Welcome to the Summer Research Internship Program webpage! This program has succeeded in providing over 400 students with a meaningful research experience.
About the Program
The Summer Research Internship Program was founded by Dr. Paula Gregory in 2003. Dr. Fern Tsien and Dr. Gregory have co-directed the program for 19 years to provide opportunities for medical students in basic science or clinical research. The 8-week summer program works to cultivate students’ interest in pursuing medical and research careers. Interns are matched with mentors in laboratories or clinics in New Orleans (LSUHSC-New Orleans campus, Stanley S. Scott Cancer, University Medical Center, or Children’s Hospital of New Orleans), and throughout the state (e.g., Our Lady of the Lake in Baton Rouge).
Students learn laboratory and clinical research techniques used in medical research. Required seminars are on topics such as responsible conduct in research and professional development, including how to prepare and present research results, write an abstract, and network with residency directors. All of the summer interns present their research results at the annual Medical Student Research Symposium which is routinely held in the fall semester.
After completing their summer internship, many student interns present their data at medical or scientific conferences, or have their research published in medical or scientific journals. Those students who wish to continue working on their summer research project throughout their academic education may apply to the Honors Program. The Honors Program allows students additional time to pursue their research goals, have their Honors status included in their transcript, write a manuscript, and to graduate with "Honors in Research" (Honors Program applications are due on September 2023).
This program is funded by the LSU School of Medicine, the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), the National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute (NIH-NCI), and the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
Click here to view abstracts and posters from the 2022 Medical Student Research Symposium