# Short-term Training: Students in Health Professional Schools

> **NIH NIH T35** · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · 2024 · $111,288

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The University of Utah (UU) Health Sciences Center (HSC) has a strong commitment to basic, clinical, and
translational research and a rich history of fostering medical student research. Since 1993, and with the
support of this T35 grant, the UU has developed a structured Medical Student Research Program (MSRP) that
provides a mentored, practical research experience for 15 medical students from the UU and University of
Puerto Rico (UPR) during the summer between their first and second year of medical school. The MSRP is
highly successful, as evidenced by the training records of medical student alums and corresponding faculty
mentor participants.
The UU MSRP is requesting continued support for 15 medical students to participate in the summer research
program. In brief, interested medical students from the UU and its partnering institution, the UPR, identify an
MSRP mentor and submit a proposal related to heart, lung, and/or blood research that undergoes a rigorous
evaluation by an independent review committee. Students whose meritorious projects are chosen for support
work in a laboratory under the guidance of their mentor and his/her team. Medical students enrolled in the
MSRP are trained in the ethical conduct of research and they participate in a structured summer training
program that includes classes on scientific writing, planning for careers in academic medicine, presentations
from established physician investigators in heart, lung and/or blood research, and team lab meetings. At the
end of the summer program, the students write an abstract and present their work in poster format at a fall
scientific symposium at the UU. Students are also encouraged and provided financial support to attend and
present at national meetings, continue working relationships with their mentors, publish their work, transition to
the UU MD-PhD program, and in some cases, apply for extramural grants to further pursue their research.
Importantly, analyses of the previous funding period revealed that UU medical students who participated in the
MSRP have strong publishing records and excellent career placement. It is the goal of the MSRP leaders and
faculty to continue this program so that UU and UPR medical students are exposed to heart, lung, and/or blood
research and positioned for careers as physician-scientists.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10809573
- **Project number:** 5T35HL007744-29
- **Recipient organization:** UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
- **Principal Investigator:** Matthew Thomas Rondina
- **Activity code:** T35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $111,288
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1993-07-01 → 2026-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10809573

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10809573, Short-term Training: Students in Health Professional Schools (5T35HL007744-29). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10809573. Licensed CC0.

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