Source: Buffalo Prehealth

The Research Associates (RA) Program has grown such in the past year that we now have two positions available for Chief Research Associates.  We are looking for graduating seniors or post-bacs who have solid GPAs and test scores for whom a year of clinical research work will have a significant impact on their application to medical school.

Chief RAs
• work as the administrative assistants for the program
• are responsible for day-to-day supervison of the RAs serving in the emergency department as data collectors in our clinical research
o this includes significant patient contact in the emergency department
• have direct involvement in all aspects of the research from study initiation through publication
o this includes work to associate authorship on a clinical paper.
• participate in all research meetings
o this includes presenting our work to the Institutional Review Board and at regional and national meetings
• assist in recruiting new RAs and their orientation to the program
o this includes formal lecturing and direct bedside teaching
These are
• one-year commitments of approximately twenty (20) hours per week starting in mid-May and ending when medical school starts..
• unfunded, except for grants
o Chiefs will be a part of the grant-writing process, so they will “sing for their supper”
o in the past, Chiefs have routinely held other paying positions
So far, all of our Chiefs have matriculated to medical school, except one, who went on to a PhD program in clinical research.

There are still slots available, but it’s “first come, first serve” until positions are filled.  Again, details are the web link above.

Keith Bradley, MD
Director, Research Associates Program
www.RAProgram.org

Source: Buffalo Prehealth

The Georgetown Summer Medical Institute (GSMI), a program of the Georgetown School of Medicine, will be offering medical school courses, seminars and workshops for premedical (rising juniors and seniors), post-bacc, graduate and medical students this summer. For undergraduate and post-bacc premedical students, this is a unique opportunity to experience the medical school environment, get to know medical school faculty, and get an in depth education in an actual medical school course. Our courses include:

- Gross Anatomy (with cadaveric dissection)
- Medical Biochemistry
- Medical Histology
- Human Physiology

Students may enroll for one of the above courses only. In addition, students who want to learn more about the medical profession and the application process are encouraged to enroll for two seminar series:

- Physician and Society Seminars
- Medical Admissions Workshops

This is the fifth year of this program. If you have questions, you may address them to me (myersa@georgetown.edu) or click on the link above.

Adam Myers, Ph.D.
Director, GSMI, GUSOM
Associate Dean for Graduate Education, GUMC

Thanks Jbassiri for notifying us regarding the following:

For the 19th Better Government Competition, Pioneer seeks innovative proposals to improve health care.

Health care spending currently accounts for almost 15% of Gross Domestic Product and, according to the Congressional Budget Office, is projected to grow to over 30% by 2035. Public sector programs account for a significant portion of this growth, with Medicare projected to grow from 3% to more than 7% of GDP over the same period.

Health care reform efforts are underway across the country, especially at the state level, but the goal of affordable, clinically appropriate, and broadly accessible health care remains elusive.

Pioneer encourages entries that involve public sector policies, programs, or practices, which can be implemented, reformed or eliminated in order to:

• Control Health Care Costs
• Deliver Services More Efficiently
• Increase Health care Quality
• Improve Clinical Outcomes
• Lower Administrative Costs
• Decrease Waste and Unnecessary Treatment
• Increase Access to Services

Guidelines for this year’s Competition can be found here.

To enter the 2009 Better Government Competition, download and fill out a Better Government Competition entry template [DOC file]. You may either print the attached form and mail your entry or complete the form electronically and e-mail it to us.

By mail, return to:
Better Government Competition 2009
Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research
Attn: Shawni Littlehale, Director
85 Devonshire Street, 8th floor
Boston, MA 02109

or by e-mail to:
bgcpioneerinstitute.org

All questions regarding the competition should be directed to Shawni Littlehale at 617-723-2277 or to slittlehalepioneerinstitute.org.

DEADLINE: To be considered for a 2009 Better Government Competition award, all applications must be postmarked or e-mailed by April 13, 2009, 4:30pm et.

http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/get_involved_enter_bgc.php

Global Health Corps (GHC)

GHC connects outstanding young leaders with organizations working on the front lines to promote global health equity. GHC works with partner organizations to identify an area of their operations that stands to benefit from a fellowship team. We then match those projects with young people who have relevant skills, providing tremendous value to the organizations and field experience for that GHC fellow.
Fellowships focus on everything from digitizing health records to community health work, supply chain logistics to data analysis.

I’m writing to let you know that we’ve made an official call for applications. If you know anyone who is interested in public health and may want to apply to our fellowship program, please let them know about us!
I’m including a flier and our application below. Since fellowships vary, we welcome applicants from diverse academic and professional backgrounds. If potential applicants have any questions, they can reach out to me at charlie@ghcorps.org or info@ghcorps.org.

Unfortunately the deadline of April 6th is fast approaching, so we wanted to send out last minute emails to our friends and family to make sure we get as many applicants as possible.
We’d appreciate your help!
Thanks,
-Charlie

Interested in joining the movement for Global Health equity?

Apply NOW to
Global Health Corps

Application deadline for American Fellows is April 6th, and for Rwandan/Malawian/Burundian/Tanzanian fellows is May 1st
-Work with Clinton HIV/AIDS
Initiative, Partners In Health,
the Nuclear Threat Initiative,
and other leading health
organizations

-Participate in a paid
yearlong fellowship in
Tanzania, Burundi, Malawi,
Rwanda, or the United
States

-Use YOUR skills — fellows
with a background in
engineering, finance,
technology, education, and
other fields are NEEDED

http://ghcorps.org

Source: Buffalo Prehealth

The AAMC Graduate Education, Research, and Training (GREAT) Group and its MD-PhD Section have developed new informational websites for students considering biomedical science careers.  The websites can be accessed at the links. The sites are linked through a Considering a Career in Medical Research hub which can be accessed at the link.

Biomedical and Health Sciences Research
Association of American Medical Colleges
2450 N Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20037

Source: Buffalo Prehealth

The MCAT administrators expect to open registration for the June through September administrations of the MCAT exam this Thursday, March 5.  The MCAT web site will be updated soon with this information.  They are unable to announce a specific opening time, however, once registration is open, they will update the web page accordingly.

Source: Buffalo Prehealth

The AAMC’s has developed an Official Guide to the MCAT(R) Exam, a 400-page publication developed under the direction of the MCAT staff.

Among the content included, are:

• Passages and questions from actual MCAT exams, with detailed explanations of both the correct and incorrect answers.
• Tips to help examinees come up with the right solutions
• “Difficulty levels” of questions, revealing what percentages of examinees answered correctly in the real-life tests
• Data to help your students determine how likely they are to increase or decrease your scores upon a retake, and by how many points
• Data that show what percentage of applicants were admitted to medical school, based on MCAT scores and GPAs combined
• A look at how MCAT scores factor into the admissions decision, with insights from a former associate dean of admissions

The guide is available under a two-tiered pricing schedule. Students may purchase the guide itself for $30, or they may buy an upgraded version for $45 that includes free access to an official AAMC practice test (which, as you know, ordinarily sells for $35 alone). We are pleased to make this low-cost – or, in some instances, no-cost* — preparation resource available to your students.

*Any student who registered for the MCAT exam under the Fee Assistance Program will receive a complimentary copy.
Frequently Asked Questions

1. How Do I Order?
Please order via the AAMC publications page at www.aamc.org/officialmcatguide. Individual and bulk orders may be placed online using a credit card.  If you need to pay by check or simply prefer to speak with someone to place your order, you may contact the publications department at 202-828-0416.

2. Which Practice Test is Available with the Upgraded Purchase?
Students may select any one of the online practice tests currently available for purchase through the AAMC Web site.

3. Will There be a New Edition Every Year?
We expect a revised edition at the end of 2009 for the 2010 testing cycle. Details regarding revised editions after that time have not yet been determined.

All orders should be placed at by clicking on the site. Please continue to direct general MCAT questions to mcat@aamc.org.)

Michelle Sparacino
Director, MCAT Administration & Reporting

Source: Buffalo Prehealth

Research Associates (RAs) are college students and post-bacs recruited by the Department of Emergency Medicine at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, CT as part of our clinical research team.  This summer, RAs will enroll subjects in a study on compliance with colon-rectal cancer screening recommendations among patients and visitors in the emergency department.

Based on the results of prior studies by RAs, RAs will also be asking questions about primary care practitioner visits, Pap tests, mammograms, Prostate Specific Antigen tests, digital rectal exams and tobacco cessation.

With both the research and service protocols, we estimate that each RA will have direct interactions with well over 100 patients and visitors during the summer semester.

Numerous additional clinical and research opportunities are available to summer RAs.

Housing options can be made at local college campuses.

Applications for the two sessions of the summer semester of the RA Program are now open.

• Session One – Saturday, 30 May through Sunday, 16 August
• Session Two – Saturday, 20 June through Sunday,  6 September

Eighty-four (84) RA positions are available for the summer sessions.

Students interested in joining the RA Program for the summer semester, 2009 have two good reasons to submit their application materials ASAP.

1. Applicants are accepted according to the date their application materials are received – applications received after the first 84 acceptances will be placed on a wait list
2. New RAs choose the weekly four-hour shift they serve over the eleven weeks of the semester according to the date application materials are received.

Early birds get the pick of the best shifts!

Our new website has complete information about the RA Program, the summer sessions and the application materials.

Please note the change in our website domain from .com to .org  reflecting our pending designation as a non-profit, educational research organization as a 501c3.
Keith Bradley, MD
Mentoring for Medicine
Director, Research Associates Program

This is a nine-week program from Delaware State University.  Students receive a stipend of $3819 for the nine-week duration of the program. Additionally, housing and meals are also provided.  More information is available here.  Applications are due February 28, 2009

Delaware State University (DSU) will host a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site in Molecular Genetics & Genomics in Summer 2009. Students will work with research mentors in a 9-week multidisciplinary summer research program. Students will be provided stipends, meals, housing, and funds for travel to and from DSU. Using an established network of faculty from DSU, Delaware Technical and Community College (DTCC), Wesley College and the Delaware Biotechnology Institute (DBI), ten students will be trained each summer in state-of-the-art techniques in molecular biology and genomics.

Activities will include workshops in lab techniques and bioinformatics, ethics, and scientific communications skills. Interaction between students as well as with various levels of researchers in academia, government, and industry will be fostered. Students will get the opportunity to work on specific research problems by interaction with the research mentors, while developing capabilities to work both individually and as part of a team with fellow students. The REU program will conclude with a Student Research Symposium where REU students will present posters, and showcase their summer research to other students, faculty, family, friends, high school students and teachers.

Case Western Reserve University has a 10 week summer program in pediatric research open to undergraduates who have completed their first year.  Applications are due March 1, 2009.

The Department of Pediatrics at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital and Case Western Reserve University provides a program for undergraduates to obtain experience in biomedical and psychosocial research relating to pediatric disorders. It should be noted that this program is not designed for clinical experience, but rather basic research is the focus.  Undergraduates who have completed their first year of study from any US college or university are eligible to apply. Students’ responsibilities will include full time work on the research project for 10 weeks, as well as weekly attendance at a meeting in which students will describe their projects to the other students in the program. A stipend is provided.

Application: Applicants are selected on a competitive basis.  Letters of recommendation, GPA and candidates’ personal statements are evaluated. Please visit their web site to complete the application.

Program Dates: 10 weeks summer

Application Deadline: March 1, 2009

Contact information:

Ms. Connie May, Program Manager  Connie.May@case.edu 216-368-6896
Mitchell Drumm, Ph.D., Program Director mitchell.drumm@case.edu 216-368-6893