Academic Medicine Open Forum

I am new to AAMC forum and am hoping to link to groups working in two main areas:

1. High school research programs. A key to improving the diversity of our nation's STEM and physician scientist (PS) workforce is to engage students as early as possible in K-12 training. Many high school research programs exist across the country, usually for summers. However, they are largely working in silos and most are not sustainable, despite long track records of success. I founded such a program 24 years ago (see simr.stanford.edu). I would be interested in trying to organize all such programs under a single umbrella to share resources and best practices, and to advocate to legislators, foundations, companies, and philanthropists for resources. AAMC might be a good umbrella organization.
2. MD-only PS training programs. PS are an endangered species. BWF has led a new, $25 million PSIA program to promote MD-only PS careers. Outside of NIH's intramural gap year program and programs offered through BWF and PSSF (see thepssf.org), there are only ~20-25 total externally funded slots for medical students to pursue a gap year of research, and that number is decreasing.  To put this in perspective, this is ~1 gap year funding slot per 1,000 American medical students. I would be interested in trying to help organize efforts to reinvigorate the PS career path for medical students and for residents and fellows.

Hello Paul, I am a past MD/PhD Program Co-Director (Emory) and am now at UT Health Sciences Houston directing a research office for medical students.  This is a new effort at UT and I am trying to connect with other faculty doing similar work in the MD only realm.

Regards,

Mary Kollmer Horton, MPH, MA, PhD

I am new to AAMC forum and am hoping to link to groups working in two main areas:

1. High school research programs. A key to improving the diversity of our nation's STEM and physician scientist (PS) workforce is to engage students as early as possible in K-12 training. Many high school research programs exist across the country, usually for summers. However, they are largely working in silos and most are not sustainable, despite long track records of success. I founded such a program 24 years ago (see simr.stanford.edu). I would be interested in trying to organize all such programs under a single umbrella to share resources and best practices, and to advocate to legislators, foundations, companies, and philanthropists for resources. AAMC might be a good umbrella organization.
2. MD-only PS training programs. PS are an endangered species. BWF has led a new, $25 million PSIA program to promote MD-only PS careers. Outside of NIH's intramural gap year program and programs offered through BWF and PSSF (see thepssf.org), there are only ~20-25 total externally funded slots for medical students to pursue a gap year of research, and that number is decreasing.  To put this in perspective, this is ~1 gap year funding slot per 1,000 American medical students. I would be interested in trying to help organize efforts to reinvigorate the PS career path for medical students and for residents and fellows.

There is a group of faculty and community partners at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix and Tucson working to unify our current efforts for STEM pipeline programming across the state of Arizona. Would love to connect. 

Hello Paul, I am a past MD/PhD Program Co-Director (Emory) and am now at UT Health Sciences Houston directing a research office for medical students.  This is a new effort at UT and I am trying to connect with other faculty doing similar work in the MD only realm.

Regards,

Mary Kollmer Horton, MPH, MA, PhD

I am new to AAMC forum and am hoping to link to groups working in two main areas:

1. High school research programs. A key to improving the diversity of our nation's STEM and physician scientist (PS) workforce is to engage students as early as possible in K-12 training. Many high school research programs exist across the country, usually for summers. However, they are largely working in silos and most are not sustainable, despite long track records of success. I founded such a program 24 years ago (see simr.stanford.edu). I would be interested in trying to organize all such programs under a single umbrella to share resources and best practices, and to advocate to legislators, foundations, companies, and philanthropists for resources. AAMC might be a good umbrella organization.
2. MD-only PS training programs. PS are an endangered species. BWF has led a new, $25 million PSIA program to promote MD-only PS careers. Outside of NIH's intramural gap year program and programs offered through BWF and PSSF (see thepssf.org), there are only ~20-25 total externally funded slots for medical students to pursue a gap year of research, and that number is decreasing.  To put this in perspective, this is ~1 gap year funding slot per 1,000 American medical students. I would be interested in trying to help organize efforts to reinvigorate the PS career path for medical students and for residents and fellows.

Hello Paul, I am a past MD/PhD Program Co-Director (Emory) and am now at UT Health Sciences Houston directing a research office for medical students.  This is a new effort at UT and I am trying to connect with other faculty doing similar work in the MD only realm.

Regards,

Mary Kollmer Horton, MPH, MA, PhD

I am new to AAMC forum and am hoping to link to groups working in two main areas:

1. High school research programs. A key to improving the diversity of our nation's STEM and physician scientist (PS) workforce is to engage students as early as possible in K-12 training. Many high school research programs exist across the country, usually for summers. However, they are largely working in silos and most are not sustainable, despite long track records of success. I founded such a program 24 years ago (see simr.stanford.edu). I would be interested in trying to organize all such programs under a single umbrella to share resources and best practices, and to advocate to legislators, foundations, companies, and philanthropists for resources. AAMC might be a good umbrella organization.
2. MD-only PS training programs. PS are an endangered species. BWF has led a new, $25 million PSIA program to promote MD-only PS careers. Outside of NIH's intramural gap year program and programs offered through BWF and PSSF (see thepssf.org), there are only ~20-25 total externally funded slots for medical students to pursue a gap year of research, and that number is decreasing.  To put this in perspective, this is ~1 gap year funding slot per 1,000 American medical students. I would be interested in trying to help organize efforts to reinvigorate the PS career path for medical students and for residents and fellows.

I am new to AAMC forum and am hoping to link to groups working in two main areas:

1. High school research programs. A key to improving the diversity of our nation's STEM and physician scientist (PS) workforce is to engage students as early as possible in K-12 training. Many high school research programs exist across the country, usually for summers. However, they are largely working in silos and most are not sustainable, despite long track records of success. I founded such a program 24 years ago (see simr.stanford.edu). I would be interested in trying to organize all such programs under a single umbrella to share resources and best practices, and to advocate to legislators, foundations, companies, and philanthropists for resources. AAMC might be a good umbrella organization.
2. MD-only PS training programs. PS are an endangered species. BWF has led a new, $25 million PSIA program to promote MD-only PS careers. Outside of NIH's intramural gap year program and programs offered through BWF and PSSF (see thepssf.org), there are only ~20-25 total externally funded slots for medical students to pursue a gap year of research, and that number is decreasing.  To put this in perspective, this is ~1 gap year funding slot per 1,000 American medical students. I would be interested in trying to help organize efforts to reinvigorate the PS career path for medical students and for residents and fellows.