Program Overview

This program is designed to expose students to the fundamentals of performing clinical research.

Students will actively engage in a research project under the guidance of enthusiastic faculty and medical student mentors. A significant portion of the student’s time will be spent engaged in a research project. These projects may include studies of existing clinical data or assisting with clinical trials of new drugs or medical devices.  Some of our past projects have included:

• How public reporting of hospital performance has impacted CABG Outcomes
• Disparities in Complex Surgical Procedures
• Shared Mental Model in Trauma Simulation Cases
• Effectiveness of surgical coaching in order to teach surgeons in low and middle income countries
• Gastrostomy tube management and complications in pediatric patients
• Surgical simulation training for physically disabled students
• Looking at margins and recurrence rates in breast cancer patients
• Benefits of a multidisciplinary committee in the treatment of necrotizing pancreatitis
• Relationship between patient satisfaction and surgical complications
• The magnitude of change between the initial and Euthyroid Dose

Expectations

During the first week of the internship, students are required to complete a background report on a disease or surgical procedure related to their research study. This report will help them familiarize themselves with the topic of their research and help them place their research study into a larger context. Throughout the internship, there are seminars and learning experiences to learn about the conduct of clinical research. This may involve additional reading and writing. Students will also be required to give an oral and poster presentation on their research project at the end of the program.

Enrichment Activities

In addition to research, structured enrichment activities will be provided each week to expose students to a variety of opportunities and experiences in surgery, our partners at UW Health, and the academic community at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Students will learn about the field of surgery and the training required to become a surgeon as well as other careers in surgery and healthcare.

Some of these activities include: tours of our clinical and research facilities, weekly seminars on topics important to clinical research, remote observation of operating room cases, and surgical skills training sessions in our state-of-the-art simulation center. Students will also attend research seminars with medical students and see presentations of medical student research projects.  Activities can vary based upon time and options but our coordinators keep the schedule busy!

The program currently accepts up to 10 students per year. For more information on eligibility requirements and how to apply, please visit the corresponding Application Process section of this website.