Research Pathway Drexel University College of Medicine Introduction Sites and Personnel Goals and Objectives Description of Pathway Pathway Summary Table Textbooks and Learning Resources Evaluation

Introduction

The goal of this Pathway is to provide all medical students an opportunity to devote part of their time at Drexel University College of Medicine to exploring a research topic in sufficient detail and dedication both to hold promise for achieving tangible results and to enable the student to determine if research is an attractive career option.

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Sites and Personnel

Pathway Director:	Jane Clifford, Ph.D. Professor and Chair Department of Biochemistry Drexel University College of Medicine 245 N. 15th Street, M.S. 497 Philadelphia, PA 19102-1192 Phone: 215-762-4446 Fax: 215-762-4452 Email: jane.clifford@drexel.edu Contact: Lucia Boyer, Executive Assistant email: lb32@drexel.edu
Pathway Advisory Committee:	All Basic Science Chairs All School of Medicine Center Directors Chairs, Departments of Medicine
Teaching Site for Didactic Courses:	Queen Lane
Teaching Sites for Research:	At the laboratories and research centers of the faculty

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Goals and Objectives

The pathway will enable the straight medical student who is, or might be, interested in research: 

• An opportunity to spend a 4-month block of time engaged with one research mentor participating in a project.
• A selection of clinical electives that might build on the research experience.
• A pathway-specific course that prepares for or builds upon the research experience.

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Description of Pathway

Click here for a table summary of the Research Pathway.

Pathway-specific Courses	To be determined with Pathway Director's advising and approval.
A minimum of 4 months of Research will need to be completed. This project will be determined by the student and Pathway Director and must be approved through the Special Electives process prior to beginning.
Suggested Electives	To be determined with Pathway Director's advising and approval.  Clinical electives cannot overlap with research area.

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Textbooks and Learning Resources

It is crucial that the medical student entering the Research Pathway spend the 4 months consecutively and totally immersed in the mentor's research activities, be it the clinic, the computer or the laboratory. It is expected the student will participate in all of the academic activities of the research environment--journal clubs, research seminars, rounds, etc.

Each of the required or suggested electives will develop its own set of learning resources.

Evaluation

Evaluation of the Student

The student's performance will be judged primarily on the basis of:

• their performance in the research environment, as assessed by the research mentor; and
• a formal paper presenting the student's research that will be evaluated by the Pathway Advisory Committee.

Student Evaluation of the Rotations

At the conclusion of the research experience, the student will be strongly encouraged to complete an evaluation form to assess:

1. the quality and quantity of the didactic experiences;
2. the quality of the research mentor;
3. whether and how the student's plans for a career have been altered by the research experience; and,
4. how the research experience could be improved.

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