A press release from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that it has selected 50 students for the 2019-2020 Medical Research Scholars Program (MRSP). The year-long research training program allows medical, dental, and veterinary students to pause their university studies to live and conduct basic, clinical, or translational research work on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD.
The scholars begin their fellowship in July 2019. The 2019-2020 class was selected from over 130 applicants. More about the scholars:
· The 50 participants who were accepted consist of 48 medical and two dental students.
· The participants represent 39 U.S.-accredited universities.
· The class consists of 10 second-year, 39 third-year, and one fourth-year student.
· Forty-six percent of participants are female.
The selected participants receive mentored training and will conduct research in areas that match their personal interests and research goals. For this class, interest in the fields of oncology and neurology was strong, with additional areas of robust interest including otolaryngology, immunology, genetics, ophthalmology and urology, among others. The training experience forms the core of the program and allows these future clinician-scientists to carry out research across the full spectrum of science in the interest of improving public health. The scholars work with an advisor who provides guidance on creating a career development plan and on selecting an NIH research mentor. Mentors are fulltime NIH investigators with basic, clinical or translational research programs. Over the course of the academic year, MRSP scholars participate in courses, journal club seminars, a structured lecture series and clinical teaching rounds at the NIH Clinical Center. They also present their research to the NIH community and at national and international professional conferences.
The MRSP is supported by the NIH and other partners via contributions to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH). More than 310 students have completed the MRSP program since its initiation in 2012.
NIH has more information, including a list of this year’s scholars
