Medical Student Research Committee

 

 

Introduction to Fundamentals of Research in Medicine (INFORM) 

The INFORM Lecture Series is an educational initiative designed to provide medical students with a practical foundation in clinical research early in their training. Led by Dr. Moaven and his lab, the series offers structured, step-by-step instruction across the full research pipeline, from developing a research question to presenting final results. Sessions are tailored for first- and second-year medical students with limited prior experience, while still delivering the depth and practical guidance needed for abstracts, manuscripts, and future residency applications. Through a combination of lectures, interactive workshops, and on-demand recorded materials, the series serves as a lasting resource supporting the Medical Student Research Committee’s mission to expand research education and involvement at LSUHSC.

Lecture Topics by Session:

1. Introduction to Medical Research & Formulating a Research Question

• Date and time: February 11th, 5:00 PM
• Faculty presenter: Dr. Kevin Sullivan
• Subtopics:
  • Importance of research in medicine, translational research, and clinical research
  • Types of research (basic science, translational, clinical, epidemiology, health services)
  • Transforming clinical questions into structured research questions (PICO framework)

2. Study Design and Methodology

• Date and time: February 18th, 5:00 PM
• Faculty presenter: Dr. Denise Danos
• Subtopics:
  • Observational vs. experimental study designs
  • Cohort, case-control, cross-sectional studies, and randomized controlled trials
  • Identifying biases and confounders in example studies
  • Critiquing a published study design

3. Research Ethics and Regulatory Considerations

• Date and time: February 25th, 5:00 PM
• Faculty presenter: IRB Office Staff
• Subtopics:
  • Informed consent
  • HIPAA considerations
  • Protocol writing and IRB submission
  • Animal research ethics

4. Literature Review and AI Tools

• Date and time: March 11th, 5:00 PM
• Faculty presenter: Library staff
• Subtopics:
  • Literature review strategies
  • Reference management tools
  • Searching scientific databases
  • Using AI tools responsibly in literature review workflows

5. Basic Biostatistics and Data Interpretation

• Date and time: March 18th, 5:00 PM
• Faculty presenter: Dr. Denise Danos
• Subtopics:
  • Data collection, management, and reproducibility
  • Descriptive vs. inferential statistics
  • Measures of association, p-values, and confidence intervals
  • Interpreting statistical results in published studies

6. Scientific Writing

• Date and time: March 25th, 5:00 PM
• Faculty presenter: Dr. Omeed Moaven
• Subtopics:
  • Writing research manuscripts
  • Citations and reference management
  • Journal selection, author guidelines, and the publication process
  • Responding to reviewers
  • Grant writing fundamentals
    
    

Recordings of sessions are available via the Sharepoint site accessible here.

 

Acknowledgements:

The MSRC executive board would like to acknowledge the work of both the Moaven lab and the LSUHSC IT department for their roles in helping facilitate the creation and availability of this student resource.

 

Student Research Resources:

• Specialty Specific Research Contact/Opportunity Resource Sheet
• LSUHSC Requirements for Research-Courses and Trainings
• LSUHSC Office of Medical Student Research