Research informs everything we do in medicine. That’s why here at Case Western Reserve University, the Office of Medical Student Research helps facilitate meaningful research experiences for medical and graduate students that align with their career goals and give them access to robust resources and dedicated faculty across all five campuses. Through research, students gain a deeper understanding of the investigative process, shaping their professional identity and strengthening their foundation for future career growth.
Medical Student Research and Scholarship Curriculum
Given the importance of research within the medical profession, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine requires a mentored research project and associated written MD Thesis to graduate. The sequence of these requirements and subsequent elective opportunities are illustrated below.
University Program MD students except MSTP
| Fall | Winter | Spring | Summer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | Research & Scholarship Course | R & S Course | R & S Course | 12-week research experience |
| M2 | (Thesis Write-Up) School of Medicine Student Research Day Extracurricular research |
Thesis Due | ||
| M3 | Extracurricular research and/or up to 12 weeks of research elective* |
|||
| M4 | Extracurricular research and/or up to 12 weeks of research elective* |
Bold indicates required components
*Research elective is available in 4 week blocks; cannot exceed 12 weeks in M3&4 combined
Faculty Members
If you are a CWRU faculty member interested in being a medical student research advisor, you can submit a project to enter one or more opportunities. If you have many projects, enter your research interests and contact information, and indicate that students should contact you directly.
Graduate Research
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine offers extensive research training opportunities for graduate and postdoctoral students to engage in rigorous basic, translational, clinical and population-based research across areas such as cancer biology, cardiovascular health, infection and inflammation, metabolism, neuroscience and bioinformatics. With access to state-of-the-art core facilities and leading healthcare partners throughout Cleveland, trainees gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge technologies while contributing to high-impact publications and presentations.
Fellowship and Grant Writing
A career in biomedical sciences will likely involve earning support for your creative ideas. Preparing and winning a fellowship for graduate or postdoctoral work reflects a clear step toward independence. Seminars and workshops are provided several times a year to help trainees select an appropriate fellowship and prepare a winning proposal. Examples of successful applications are also available.
Graduate students and postdoctoral students should plan to submit fellowship proposals and clinically-trained investigators are likely to seek career development with K grants.
Helpful Resources
Responsible Code of Research (RCR)
CWRU trainees acquire the professional values and practices of biomedical research. Generally, these involve decisions about mentoring relationships, the use of animals or human subjects, data acquisition and management, collaborative research, responsible authorship, conflict of interest, peer review, research misconduct, and the scientist as a member of society.
Training in responsible conduct of research is comprehensive and occurs throughout the CWRU experience. Trainees begin to familiarize themselves immediately with mentoring issues in discussions with the first-year advisor and from the Biomedical Graduate Student Organization.
There are numerous RCR experiences available on campus throughout the year. We offer the following two RCR programs:
IBMS 500
Initial training in the responsible conduct of research (students only)
All laboratory-based biomedical PhD students are introduced to RCR in the mandatory IBMS 500 "On Being a Professional Scientist" course in the first year. This 1-credit, pass/no pass course involves presentations followed by faculty-led small groups. This course is not appropriate for postdoctoral trainees.
IBMS 500 meets every spring on Fridays, 2–3:30 p.m. The course begins with a 30–40 minute lecture and continues with faculty-led small group discussions. Both components are mandatory and attendance is taken.
Macrina's Scientific Integrity is the text for the class, complemented by journal articles and other cases as selected by the instructor and posted on Blackboard. Please purchase the book in advance. Some programs may have purchased the book for student and faculty use; please check with your administrator. Readings are mandatory and form the basis for discussion.
RCR+4
Training beyond 4 years (students and postdoctoral trainees)
CWRU trainees who are more than four years beyond successful completion of the IBMS 500 course are required to complete and document additional hours of RCR training each semester. To facilitate this requirement, the School of Medicine offers a new monthly RCR+4 series in which various departments in the school organize and host RCR topics over the course of the academic year. All sessions are open to those students needing additional RCR experiences. The format follows the IBMS 500 model in which a short lecture is given on a topic area, followed by a small group, mentor-guided discussion of case studies or scenarios to help students rationalize through various research ethics questions. Trainees are expected to report their attendance at these events as well as write a brief reflection summarizing the activity and their takeaway impressions of the RCR activity.
Faculty Members
We need your help to facilitate small groups!
NIH Training Grants now require that the names of faculty who facilitated RCR sessions be included in competitive renewals. Faculty often participate in several training grants, and principal investigators can "use" their participation as needed (regardless of the Training Grant pulled down), but many faculty members are needed to make this class successful.
If you experience any difficulty with the course sign-up, please contact Course Director Tracy Wilson-Holden (tjw18@case.edu) or Malana Bey (mcb19@case.edu or 216.368.5655)