Medical Student Research Program

MSRP/Discovery Pathways Orientation- 9/14/2023

During the Summer you will likely receive a total of $2,000 (some sources pay more). The disbursements will be one lump sum in June.  It is important that if you are considering and/or need financial assistance beyond the $2000 that you first speak with Susana Morales, Coordinator, Student Financial Affairs. There will be a review of your financial aid eligibility to determine the types of available aid you can receive and the amount.

Stipend SUBJECT TO REPAYMENT if final report & course is not completed successfully. Failure to complete course & repay funds may result in disciplinary actions.

First year UFCOM medical students are invited to apply for a scholarship that will support them during a 10-week individual research experience during the summer. Summer scholarships will be available from Maren Endowment, Lawrence M. Goodman trust, and Educational Affairs office. Scholarships will typically be in the range of $2,000 depending upon the funding source.  Students will also receive academic course credit as a 2 credit Medical elective.

Research will be performed with a UF Health Science Center faculty member, and can fall under the description of any of the Discovery Pathway Tracks (see Track Descriptions above).  Applications from students who are new to research or from students who have performed research prior to their entry into medical school will receive equal consideration.


Participation Requirements​:​  Please read carefully.

  1. Students must successfully complete the first year of medical school. (At the time of application submission, students must be in good academic standing.)
  2. Students must each commit to 40 hrs. of research activity per week for a minimum of 8 weeks.
  3. Students are required to complete the Responsible Conduct of Research training.
  4. Students cannot receive concurrent funding from another research stipend or Fellowship.
  5. Students must write and submit a PROGRESS REPORT upon completion of their summer research experience.
  6. Students must present a poster of their research during the annual Medical Student Research Day

The MSRP will begin accepting applications beginning November  for Summer. Please submit a proposal form so we will know you are interestedThe Summer Research committee will review the applications.  You will receive an acceptance letter that you must reply to acknowledging that you are accepting the summer scholarship money and you must supply proof of required training if it wasn’t submitted at the time of application.


Selection of Faculty Mentors:

Students can either select from the list of research projects on this website or develop a research plan together with a faculty mentor on their own.  If you don’t see a project on the list that interests you, students should decide on the research area that they are interested in and then directly contact faculty within that area to determine their availability as mentors and what projects are available.   The best resources that are available to help the students decide on a research area/mentor are the College of Medicine Departments and Research Centers web pages.

If you need advice in selecting a research topic and mentor, please contact Dr. Scott Berceli or Dr. Saleem Islam  to arrange a meeting during which possible projects and mentors can be discussed.


Required Training for All MSRP Students:

UF IRB has integrated the all training types into one training module.

If you are involved in research with human subjects, their tissue, data, or medical records, you must complete the following mandatory training requirements. New myIRB studies cannot be submitted unless all required training has been completed and is up-to-date.

  • NOTE: Once you have completed the training it takes 2 – 4 business days for it to process and load into myIRB.

Researchers and all study staff are required to take the following courses:

IRB 803 (renewal required every 3 years) – The training certificate can be uploaded with MSRP application.

Requirements​:​  Successful completion of first year.

(Submit all forms in PDF format to:  Discovery Pathway Program if the webform is unavailable)


The MSRP Proposal Application will require the following information:

  • Project Title
  • Student Name
  • Faculty Mentor Name
  • Research Protocol Review Status
  • Background and Significance (2 to 3 paragraphs)
  • Hypothesis and Rational (1 paragraph)
  • Specific Aims (1 paragraph)
  • Methods and Materials ( 2 to 3 paragraphs)
  • Plan for Data Analysis (1 to 2 paragraphs)
  • Role of Medical Student (1 paragraph)
  • References ( 5 to 10 citations)
  • IRB-03 certificate.