Student Research Opportunities
Medical Student Training in Aging Research Program (MSTAR)
Grant #: 1 T35 AG026778-01
The Medical Student Training in Aging Research Program (MSTAR), a collaborative effort between the University of Pittsburgh and University of Texas Medical Branch, offers an 8-12 week intensive experience in aging research for first-year medical students. The grant supports 4 students/year with a stipend of $1731 per month for 2.5 months. The goals are to 1) include trainees from diverse backgrounds, 2) offer individualized, structured training that includes a mentor, a research project, didactics and supplementary experiences that results, at minimum, in an abstract presentation at AGS or at a National Student Research Forum, 3) promote a sense of identity and membership with the field of aging research, 4) incorporate responsible conduct of research into the experience and 5) develop and refine innovative approaches to promotion, training and evaluation. The program exposes students early in their careers to exciting opportunities and engaging mentors, and offers support to remain engaged after the experience. It helps prepare a new generation of mentors through the supervised junior mentor program. It provides partnerships between aging and numerous medical specialties. It is based on a structured, successful didactic sequence that focuses on the trainee's concerns as they implement their own project. Training plans are developed for each student to reflect their individual research interests and progress is monitored by mentors chosen specifically with expertise to match the student's research topic. The training plan includes a preparatory phase, the summer experience and post-experience support.
For more information on the MSTAR Program, please contact Tony DiNuzzo, PhD, UTMB MSTAR program director, at (409) 772-5367 or e-mail: adinuzzo@utmb.edu.
For application information, please visit the main MSTAR website at http://www.mstar.pitt.edu/content.asp?id=965