The Virtual Summer Research Program: supporting future physician-scientists from underrepresented backgrounds

Briana Macedo; Briana Christophers; Rio Barrere-Cain; Yentli Soto Albrecht; Michael C. Granovetter; Rachit Kumar; Dania Daye; Elizabeth Bhoj; Lawrence Brass; Jose Alexandre Rodrigues

doi:10.1017/cts.2022.447

Journal of Clinical and Translational Science (Jan 2022)

The Virtual Summer Research Program: supporting future physician-scientists from underrepresented backgrounds

Briana Macedo,
Briana Christophers,
Rio Barrere-Cain,
Yentli Soto Albrecht,
Michael C. Granovetter,
Rachit Kumar,
Dania Daye,
Elizabeth Bhoj,
Lawrence Brass,
Jose Alexandre Rodrigues

Affiliations

Briana Macedo: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA American Physician Scientists Association, Westford, MA, USA
Briana Christophers: ORCiD; American Physician Scientists Association, Westford, MA, USA Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD program, New York, NY, USA
Rio Barrere-Cain: ORCiD; American Physician Scientists Association, Westford, MA, USA University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Yentli Soto Albrecht: American Physician Scientists Association, Westford, MA, USA Medical Scientist Training Program of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Michael C. Granovetter: American Physician Scientists Association, Westford, MA, USA University of Pittsburgh-Carnegie Mellon University Medical Scientist Training Program, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Rachit Kumar: American Physician Scientists Association, Westford, MA, USA Medical Scientist Training Program of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Dania Daye: American Physician Scientists Association, Westford, MA, USA Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA
Elizabeth Bhoj: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Lawrence Brass: American Physician Scientists Association, Westford, MA, USA Medical Scientist Training Program of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Jose Alexandre Rodrigues: ORCiD; American Physician Scientists Association, Westford, MA, USA Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, East Lansing, MI, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/cts.2022.447
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 6

Abstract

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Abstract Introduction: Physician-scientist training programs expect applicants to have had extensive research experience prior to applying. Even at the best of times, this leaves individuals from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds at a competitive disadvantage, especially those remote from major academic centers. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated that disadvantage by closing research laboratories and suspending summer research opportunities. Methods: The Virtual Summer Research Program (VSRP) was designed to combat this shortfall by helping participating students become better informed and better prepared for applying to MD/DO–PhD programs. 156 participants were recruited from historically black colleges and universities and from national organizations for underrepresented trainees. Participants were paired with medical school faculty members and current MD/DO–PhD students from 35 participating institutions. The program lasted for at least 4 weeks and included a short research project, interactive sessions, journal clubs, social events, and attendance at a regional American Physician Scientists Association conference. Results: In follow-up surveys, participants reported improvements in their science-related skills and in their confidence in becoming a physician-scientist, applying to training programs, and navigating mentorship relationships. A follow-up study completed one year later indicated that participants felt they had benefited from an enhanced skill set, long-term relationships with their mentors, and connections to the physician-scientist community at large. Discussion: The results suggest that VSRP met its primary goals, which were to provide a diverse group of trainees with mentors, provide skills and resources for MD/DO–PhD application and matriculation and to support the development of longitudinal relationships between VSRP mentees and APSA. VSRP provides an approach that can be applied at an even larger scale when the constraints caused by a global pandemic have lifted.

Published in Journal of Clinical and Translational Science

ISSN: 2059-8661 (Online)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Medicine
Website: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-clinical-and-translational-science

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