# Baylor Research Education Program in Neurosurgery

> **NIH NIH R25** · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2021 · $91,044

## Abstract

Baylor Research Education Program in Neurosurgery
Abstract
The Baylor Neurosurgery Residency has been in place for over 60 years, and has long been one of the
nation’s largest and most well respected neurosurgical training programs. The program has always had a
strong academic tradition, and graduates have served as faculty at many leading medical schools, but
historically there was a decidedly clinical emphasis. A decade ago, a strategic decision was made to focus on
research and research education by capitalizing on the extraordinary scientific resources at Baylor College of
Medicine and affiliated institutions in the Texas Medical Center. The residency was retooled to substantially
enhance its ability to train the next generation of academic neurosurgeons. In addition to developing a culture
that emphasizes evidence-based practice, clinical and basic research, and didactic training in basic
neuroscience underlying neurosurgical practice, the program was expanded by a full year in order to provide
residents with a deeper and more meaningful academic experience, and the program implemented the Baylor
Research Education Program in Neurosurgery funded by an NINDS R25 grant. The Baylor R25 Program
empowers an elite subset of trainees in the Baylor Neurosurgery Residency Program to develop into
academicians who effectively combine clinical neurosurgery practice with research that advances the field. We
select outstanding individual neurosurgery residents who have the background, talent, and motivation to
become successful physician-scientists, and then carefully integrate additional specialized research education
into their residency training. The R25 program mentors these residents through the entire research process,
from project conception to experimental design, data analysis and interpretation, to publication of results, and
finally to the development of an effective plan for beginning a career as a physician-scientist, with mentorship
extending beyond residency. While the early results of the program reveal clear success in producing
neurosurgeon-scientists, the structure and curriculum of the R25 program has been continually revised and
enhanced based on ongoing analysis of evaluations from participants and mentors, and an improved iteration
of the program has been developed for this renewal application. The hallmark of this program is a research
block during the 5th and 6th years of the residency, which has been expanded to 18-months. During this block,
the trainee engages in a mentored research project on a near full-time basis. This hands-on approach is the
most effective way to prepare young neurosurgeon-scientists for a productive research career by allowing
them to conduct research independently, but with enough support to avoid the common pitfalls experienced by
young researchers. In addition to carrying out a research project, residents selected for the research education
program will be trained in experimental design, scientific writ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10224345
- **Project number:** 5R25NS070694-12
- **Recipient organization:** BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Sameer Anil Sheth
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $91,044
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2010-04-01 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10224345

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10224345, Baylor Research Education Program in Neurosurgery (5R25NS070694-12). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10224345. Licensed CC0.

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