LMU-DCOM Policies and Procedures for Student Involvement in Research and Scholarly Activity
Any student wishing to participate in a research/scholarly activity project must meet the following criteria:
- Must have completed at least one semester of the curriculum at LMU-DCOM
- Must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher*
- Must not be on probation for academic or professionalism reasons*
- Must have a Research Mentor (see below)
- Must complete a Scholarly Activity Form and receive approval from the Research Director
- Must complete all required forms and training
- Review the DCOM Research Pathways document for required forms and hyperlinks (provided below)
*Students not meeting these criteria will be considered on a case-by-case basis to participate in research upon review by the Assistant Dean of Research and the Office of the Dean of Students.
Research Mentorship
The very first step to beginning research is finding a mentor for your research. This can be a supervising individual inside of LMU or outside of LMU. Students cannot collaborate on research without a research mentor must be faculty, adjunct faculty, or preceptor from an outside institution (Ph.D., D.O. M.D. EdD, PharmD., DPT.) in the field in which you are researching. Fellow students/scholars enrolled at DCOM or other institutions cannot be a mentor.
Please click here to access the list of faculty to identify a Research Mentor.
In addition to the academic requirements listed above, LMU-DCOM has implemented policies and procedures regarding the involvement of students in research/scholarly activity projects. These policies and procedures are intended to provide valuable feedback to the students and to help ensure the success of their research projects.
All students wishing to participate in a research project must first work with their faculty mentor to complete the LMU-DCOM Student Research Form. Participation in research for OMS-I and OMS-II students requires the approval of a Faculty mentor and the Research Director at the student’s designated site. Notably, students can perform research at either location, regardless of their campus designation. Participation in research for OMS-III and OMS-IV students requires the approval of a faculty mentor, Senior Associate Dean of Research, Assistant/Associate Dean(s) of Clinical Medicine, and the preceptor(s) with whom the student is or will be rotating. If the research is being completed as an elective rotation, the research rotation course director must also approve the proposed research. These approvals include assurances that the time in research will not impact nor reduce clinical training hours required at clinical rotation sites. Once completed, the form is reviewed by the Research Director for the student’s respective location and, if recommended, by the LMU-DCOM Research and Grants Committee. Thereafter, any feedback regarding the goals of the study, experimental design, or feasibility of the proposed project is communicated to the student and faculty mentor. Once the proposal is reviewed, any recommendations are taken into consideration and approval is granted by all parties required on the form, the student must submit an application to the relevant regulatory committee (IACUC, IRB, IBCSC) for approval, if the proposal requires such approval. All students will also need to complete the appropriate Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program) courses specific to their proposed research prior to initiating research and/or submission of proposals to any regulatory committee. Students that wish to participate in laboratory research must also complete a General Lab Safety course prior to initiating a research project to ensure that they are in compliance with all laboratory safety policies and procedures. Access to the Lab Safety Module is provided by the Research Director at the student’s respective location and upon successful completion, badge access to the lab(s) can be granted.
Two separate competitive scholar awards are available to support student research and provide an opportunity for LMU-DCOM students to work with experienced basic science investigators in an environment devoted to research. The goal of these scholar awards is to provide students with an experience that will produce better physicians by acquainting students with scientific methodology. The Basic Science/Clinical Research Scholar Award allows for the student to conduct research projects during the academic year for a term of either one semester or two semesters, while the DeBusk Summer Research Scholar Award is for students who would like to conduct short-term research projects over the summer break in any area of basic or clinical sciences, including any branch of the basic or clinical sciences, medical education, and health policy related areas of inquiry.
If a student has results from a research or scholarly activity project that he/she wishes to present at a professional or scientific meeting, a Request for Approval of Presentation Submission form can be submitted to the Research Director at the student’s respective location. This form provides information regarding the name of the meeting, location, dates of the meeting, and the faculty sponsor and is reviewed by the Research Director and the Senior Associate Dean of Research for approval. Once approval is granted, the student can submit the Student Research Travel Funds Request form to request funds to cover the cost of traveling to the meeting for their presentation.
Students who are in their clinical years (OMS-III & OMS-IV) may choose to do an elective research rotation. OMS-III students meeting academic and professionalism criteria are eligible to participate in a 4-week elective research rotation. OMS-IV students meeting academic and professionalism criteria can participate in a maximum of two 4-week elective research rotations, provided they have not already done an elective research rotation in the OMS-III year. If a student has completed a 4-week elective research rotation in the OMS-III year, they can participate in a maximum of one 4-week elective research rotation in the OMS-IV year. The student must first identify a research mentor for any elective research rotation and work with this individual to complete the Research Elective Protocol form. These rotations are intended to provide the student with an opportunity to engage in research activities that help to develop critical thinking skills, reinforce the scientific method, and promote critical review of the relevant literature.
STUDENT RESEARCH FORMS CAN BE FOUND HERE.
