1. UGME
  2. Scholarly Concentrations Program

Scholarly Concentrations Program

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION / OBJECTIVES

The Scholarly Concentrations Program (SCP) is a four-year track opportunity for medical students to engage in and attain recognition for scholarly pursuits in related areas of medicine. Under this Program, students have the opportunity to do academic exploration in (1) Basic, Translational, Clinical and Social Science Research, (2) Global Health, (3) Medical Humanities & Ethics and (4) Medical Education. The program aims to align the areas of interest of students with the academic mission of the School providing a longitudinal area of work to the student experience at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. For many students, this experience has been extremely helpful in identifying long-term career goals, exploring research project interests and in building an academic track record.

The specific goals of the Scholarly Concentrations Program are:

  1. To provide encourage and support students engaging in extracurricular scholarly pursuits aligned with their own area of interest.
  2. To facilitate students gaining valuable career experience, networking opportunities and research project-based proficiencies to complement didactic medical education. 
  3. To provide special recognition to students who engage in such scholarly pursuits and complete all of the SCP's requirements.
  4. To implement the research methods of the identified track, including the life sciences, social sciences, humanities, law, policy, etc. 

WHO RUNS THE PROGRAM?

The program is run by the Assistant Dean for Curriculum, Dr. Howard Fleit, in the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education. A steering committee with all track leaders and medical students determines specific policies and procedures related to the program. 

TRACKS / CONTACTS

The specific tracks of the Scholarly Concentrations Program are listed below with the Steering Committee members' contact information. Each track has additional information listed on its information page to consider. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with all the information relevant to your scholarly concentration track.

Basic, Translational, Clinical and Social Science Research

Global Health 

Medical Humanities & Ethics

Medical Education

Medical Innovation & Technology

SUPPORT

Office of Academic and Faculty Affairs, HSC, L4-158, Zip 8432 (Fax 4-9521)

REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION

Students devote a minimum of six months of their medical school time to their project, beginning with two months during the summer between first and second year. If accepted, a Summer Work Acknowledgement Form is due no later than May 31 of your first year. 

Participants must spend at least an additional eight weeks after their first summer to complete their project. As a rule, however, students are not allowed to have a single academic activity satisfy two academic requirements. Please contact Caroline Lazzaruolo, Registrar, in the UGME Dean's office with schedule-related questions.

Academic Requirement: All tracks require the completion of an academic requirement in addition to the research/project time. A total of 10 SCP training hours is required. The academic requirement itself varies across tracks to match relevance for the track. For example, in the Global Health track, the academic requirement is one semester of the Global Health elective, whereas in the Basic/Translational/Clinical Research track, the requirement is to attend pertinent lectures as part of the GME research lecture series. Please see each specific track information page for the nature of the specific requirement. In addition, the SCP requires a minimum of 8 weeks of research/project-related elective time dedicated to completing the student’s project successfully.

At the conclusion of your summer project, a short, one-page Summer Report, not to exceed 500 words, should be cosigned by your sponsor and submitted to your track leader and to the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education. Be certain to mention start and end dates, a summary of your progress, and next steps and additional plans. Unless excused in writing before the deadline, failure to turn in this report by October 1 after the summer will cause the student to be terminated automatically from the program. See enclosed suggested reporting format for the end of summer report. In lieu of the suggested format for the end of summer report, however, students may submit an abstract, poster printout or manuscript that describes their research/project summer experience. 

At the conclusion of your research and not later than April 1 in your fourth year, you must submit your final project report (e.g., a copy of your abstract or manuscript) and Final Grade Form signed by your mentor (i.e. verifying that you have spent the required time and successfully completed your project) to the UGME office. 

Each student must be available to present the product of their work at a poster session or as otherwise appropriate on Research Day in the fourth year (usually the last Wednesday in April). Oral presentations will be chosen on merit.

Students must identify at least one full-time Renaissance School of Medicine faculty member who will serve as their research/project mentor. Mentors commit to guiding the student in his or her project and to attending (or sending a suitable surrogate to attend) the Poster Session/Research Day in April of the student's fourth year.

Finding a mentor is an important first step because he or she can help you craft a competitive proposal. A compilation of research and other opportunities may be reviewed on the SOM website (see Research Opportunities on the "Opportunities for Medical Students" page). You are not restricted to this list, and should feel free to approach any faculty member with whom you would like to consider doing research.  Additionally, VA team members with an SBU faculty appointment may serve as your mentor.

The mentor will also be the primary means by which you are evaluated. Metrics of evaluation are rigorous, and students are expected to complete and document their progress at every step of the program. All students must provide an Advisor Form (A1) to mentors for monitoring of student progress throughout the program. Advisor input and approval is paramount in Steering Committee final decisions on approval. Each mentor will submit an evaluation of the student to the UGME office following the first summer of work. A second evaluation is submitted after the research/project elective rotation is completed in Phase 3 (third/fourth year). The mentor must also submit a Final Grade form to the UGME office after completion of the research elective. Additionally, the mentor must be involved in keeping records of the following requirements: 1) documenting the student's completion of research-related training requirements; 2) reviewing/approving all student research/project related reports; 3) verification that all SCP academic requirements have been met successfully. The Advisor Form (A1) must be submitted to the UGME office before mid-April in the fourth year. The SCP subcommittees will review the progress of each student and evaluate any advisor comments for any potential discrepancies and make final recommendations to the SCP Steering Committee.

After final review and approval, if approved by the Steering Committee, you will receive an additional certificate during graduation indicating your successful completion of the Scholarly Concentrations Program and the track chosen.

Students must be in good academic standing to be eligible for the Program and must maintain good academic standing to continue in it. Failure to satisfy administrative requirements, e.g. submission of the summer report, may also lead to dismissal from the Scholarly Concentrations Program.   

APPLICATION

Applications are submitted through CBase. Please contact Rhonda.Kearns@stonybrookmedicine.edu for questions regarding the application process.

OFF-CYCLE APPLICANTS

Off-cycle applications will be accepted up until no later than the beginning of Phase 3. These applicants will not be eligible for Dean's office stipend funding support. 

REVISED APPLICATIONS 

Revised applications (e.g. related to changes in the SBU faculty mentor and/or research/project experience) will be accepted up until no later than the beginning Phase 3. 

TIMELINE

March 1st or earlier (1st year)

Students should identify and meet with their mentor(s) to discuss the necessary SCP requirements and to clarify expectations of the student vs. the mentor, as well as firming up details of their project.  Do this as early as possible! See link below for SCP Mentor/Project List.

March 1st

Applications to the Stony Brook International Fellowship program are due.

March 31st

Applications to the Program are due.

Mid-April

Recommendations from the Subcommittees of each Concentration track are made to the Steering Committee for review and approval.

April 30th

Results, funding, and acceptances are announced to the applicants.

May 31st

All accepted applicants must submit a Work Acknowledgment Form to the UGME office.

Summer

The summer between the first and second year of school is dedicated to beginning projects. Students are expected to devote a minimum of eight weeks' full-time work to their projects.

October 1st
(2nd year)

Post Summer Report is due (500 words max) or a copy of an abstract, poster or manuscript.  The report should be submitted to the UGME office as well as to the student's mentor.  The report should summarize progress to date and include accomplishments, benchmarks reached, subsequent plans, and next steps to take. 

Fourth year

A minimum of 8 weeks must be dedicated to completing your project. This time can include periods of writing and editing, research, publication, etc. See individual track information pages for options within each track. 

April 1st

A final report and abstract is due to student's mentor and to the Steering Committee.  The report should summarize accomplishments achieved in the Scholarly Concentrations Program. Specific elaboration of completing all necessary requirements is mandated. 

End of April

Final approval by the Steering Committee is announced for students who have completed all necessary requirements for their track and approved. Advisor Forms (A1) are due at this time to the Steering Committee.

End of April/ Beginning of May

Stony Brook Research Day. All students must take part in the research day. Either a poster or an oral presentation is mandatory. Final Grade Form signed by mentor is due to the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education.


FUNDING 

Students selected for the Program may be eligible for Dean's office, Departmental, or other funding. Each application to the program is reviewed and ranked by the subcommittee for each track and recommendations for funding and acceptance are made to the Steering Committee. Students are notified in the Spring of the application year of funding results. Funds are limited and are awarded to those students who are most highly ranked by the Steering Committee. The quality of the project, evidence of commitment and likelihood of successful completion are factors that the Committee considers in its decision making.

Students in the Global Health track receive funding through the Stony Brook International Fellowship Program and are, therefore, considered separately from the remaining concentrations. However, applicants are ranked and selected in the same manner within this track. Likewise, students in the Medical Humanities & Ethics track may be funded through the Berken Scholarship (see track information page as well). 

Students in the Basic Science, Translational, Clinical and Social Science Research, Medical Education and Humanities tracks are eligible for funding based on track-specific requirements and resources.    

To be eligible for funding in the Basic Science, Translational, Clinical and Social Science Research, Medical Education and Humanities tracks, students must do their research on campus (i.e. at SUNYSB, BNL, Cold Spring Harbor), or one of our four affiliated hospitals (SBUH Southamption, SBELIH, Northport VA or NUMC). Please see the relevant track information pages for additional specifics.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  • It is very important that you do not procrastinate. Faculty will be delighted to have you contact them (but not at the last minute). There are openings suitable for every level of prior experience. We very strongly encourage that work be done locally. Though it is possible to conduct projects elsewhere, the reasons for doing so must be very strong, and there must be a local faculty sponsor in every case.  For off-site Basic, Translational and Clinical Science Research projects, an IRB/IACUC approval at both the off-site facility and SBU CORIHS must be received prior to starting the project.
  • In exceptional circumstances, students may be accepted into these programs after their first year as off-cycle applicants.
  • Students who participate will be required to take, as appropriate to their project, University training in Right to Know regulations, rules governing the use of human subjects, animal use in research and the employment of radioactive substances, each as appropriate for the project. All students will be required to complete requisite research-related HIPAA, Responsible Conduct of Research and Conflict of Interest training. For research that involves human subjects in any way, students will not be eligible for the recognition or money unless and until they have received the appropriate approval and certification from CORIHS (e.g. IRB or IACUC approval). Once your project has been approved, submit your CORIHS letter fora approval to the UGME office. Please refer to the Office of Research Compliance website for all pertinent training, information and/or questions you may have regarding your research.
  • The website for human subjects training is: http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/orc/human-subjects.shtml. Please note that obtaining approval is a long process, and may sometimes take up to 4 to 6 months (i.e. start early!!). 

MENTOR/PROJECT LIST

SCP Mentoring Listing