Path of Distinction in Research
Program Contacts:
Vera Tsenkova, PhD, Health Professional Student Research Director, tsenkova@wisc.edu
The Path of Distinction in Research (PODR) awards distinction at graduation for students earning the MD degree who conduct mentored research throughout medical school and meet program standards for high achievement in research scholarship. PODR projects can be in any area of basic science, clinical, translational, health services, global health, or population health research. The student must take substantial independent responsibility for the formulation of a hypothesis, data collection, data analysis, and interpretation. The student should have a distinct and identifiable role in the project.
Requirements:
Graduation with Distinction in Research will be conferred upon those SMPH medical students who, in addition to completing the requirements for the MD degree, satisfactorily complete the following requirements by March 1 of the year of graduation:
- Application to the Path of Distinction in Research (PODR) by the appropriate deadline (see Timeline table below).
- Good student standing at time of application and at the end of curriculum Phase 2.
- Submission of one or more manuscripts written for publication (late stages of preparation, submitted, under review, or published) to a peer-reviewed journal by March 1 of fourth year. First authorship of a manuscript is encouraged but not required. The Student Research Committee evaluates manuscripts on the basis of quality, the candidate’s contribution to the work (using JAMA criteria for authorship), and mentor assessment of work. Submission of a scholarly paper (thesis) in the form of a scientific manuscript, following established guidelines, is also acceptable.
- Presentation of research findings in poster or oral format at one local and one regional or national professional meeting.
- Completion of a minimum of 16 weeks of mentored research under the direction of a UW faculty researcher (or other committee-approved research mentor) while enrolled in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. Research work typically includes research undertaken through a UW or other sponsored summer research program between M1 and M2, and research elective time in curriculum phases 2 and 3 to total at least 16 weeks. A yearlong research fellowship may substitute for this requirement upon review. Students are allowed to complete projects with different mentors and in different areas. Students may not apply research done to obtain another degree to meet PODR requirements. Students enrolled in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD) are not eligible for the program.
- Completion of seven (7) research learning activities in six (6) content areas: Research Methods/Study Design, Sampling and Biostatistics, Human Subjects, Bioethics/Responsible Conduct of Research, Scientific Writing (Abstract and Manuscript), and Presentation Skills.
- Participation in other research- related activities such as seminars, journal clubs, grand rounds, and conferences relevant to the student’s area of research. Students are responsible for tracking their participation. Participation in six (6) activities are required, including a) leadership of a journal club discussion; b) oral presentation of research within department; and c) attendance at grand rounds or seminars.
- Satisfactory evaluation of the student’s work by the research mentor.
- Satisfactory evaluation of student’s ethical and professional behavior by the Dean of Students office.
- Approval of student’s PoDR work by the Student Research Committee.
Students may upload documents and edit their applications at any time prior to the deadline. All uploaded documents must be in pdf format. Exceptions to any rule will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Timeline and Application Process
Students are expected to find a faculty mentor as M1s and arrange to conduct research. Students may start working on their applications to the program in their first, second, or third year. Students can submit their applications for review as “early review” or regular review (see timeline below).
| M1 M2 | M3 M4 |
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Path of Distinction in Research
Path of Distinction in Research
Program Contacts:
Vera Tsenkova, PhD, Health Professional Student Research Director, tsenkova@wisc.edu
The Path of Distinction in Research (PODR) awards distinction at graduation for students earning the MD degree who conduct mentored research throughout medical school and meet program standards for high achievement in research scholarship. PODR projects can be in any area of basic science, clinical, translational, health services, global health, or population health research. The student must take substantial independent responsibility for the formulation of a hypothesis, data collection, data analysis, and interpretation. The student should have a distinct and identifiable role in the project.
Requirements:
Graduation with Distinction in Research will be conferred upon those SMPH medical students who, in addition to completing the requirements for the MD degree, satisfactorily complete the following requirements by March 1 of the year of graduation:
- Application to the Path of Distinction in Research (PODR) by the appropriate deadline (see Timeline table below).
- Good student standing at time of application and at the end of curriculum Phase 2.
- Submission of one or more manuscripts written for publication (late stages of preparation, submitted, under review, or published) to a peer-reviewed journal by March 1 of fourth year. First authorship of a manuscript is encouraged but not required. The Student Research Committee evaluates manuscripts on the basis of quality, the candidate’s contribution to the work (using JAMA criteria for authorship), and mentor assessment of work. Submission of a scholarly paper (thesis) in the form of a scientific manuscript, following established guidelines, is also acceptable.
- Presentation of research findings in poster or oral format at one local and one regional or national professional meeting.
- Completion of a minimum of 16 weeks of mentored research under the direction of a UW faculty researcher (or other committee-approved research mentor) while enrolled in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. Research work typically includes research undertaken through a UW or other sponsored summer research program between M1 and M2, and research elective time in curriculum phases 2 and 3 to total at least 16 weeks. A yearlong research fellowship may substitute for this requirement upon review. Students are allowed to complete projects with different mentors and in different areas. Students may not apply research done to obtain another degree to meet PODR requirements. Students enrolled in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD) are not eligible for the program.
- Completion of seven (7) research learning activities in six (6) content areas: Research Methods/Study Design, Sampling and Biostatistics, Human Subjects, Bioethics/Responsible Conduct of Research, Scientific Writing (Abstract and Manuscript), and Presentation Skills.
- Participation in other research- related activities such as seminars, journal clubs, grand rounds, and conferences relevant to the student’s area of research. Students are responsible for tracking their participation. Participation in six (6) activities are required, including a) leadership of a journal club discussion; b) oral presentation of research within department; and c) attendance at grand rounds or seminars.
- Satisfactory evaluation of the student’s work by the research mentor.
- Satisfactory evaluation of student’s ethical and professional behavior by the Dean of Students office.
- Approval of student’s PoDR work by the Student Research Committee.
Students may upload documents and edit their applications at any time prior to the deadline. All uploaded documents must be in pdf format. Exceptions to any rule will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Timeline and Application Process
Students are expected to find a faculty mentor as M1s and arrange to conduct research. Students may start working on their applications to the program in their first, second, or third year. Students can submit their applications for review as “early review” or regular review (see timeline below).
| M1 M2 | M3 M4 |
|
|