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ITHS › Education & Training › Graduate Programs › Clinical Translational Research Pathway › CTR Pathway at the UW School of Medicine

Clinical Translational Research Pathway at the UW School of Medicine

Overview

The Clinical and Translational Research (CTR) pathway is intended for UW School of Medicine (UWSOM) medical students who wish to learn about and explore the process of creating new knowledge in the form of clinical and/or translational research. The CTR pathway is intended to introduce students to the key components and framework of designing, conducting and presenting a clinical or translational research project. The pathway consists of an elective course series taken during Foundations, participation in the Independent Investigative Inquiry (III) Discovery option, and several additional requirements during the clerkship phases. The elective courses are built around the book “Designing Clinical Research” by Browner, et. al., as well as training materials created by the UW Institute for Translational Health Science (ITHS). Students who successfully complete all CTR pathway requirements receive a Certificate in Clinical and Translational Research from ITHS.

The CTR pathway has been approved as a pilot for the E-23 and E-24 classes and is open to MS1 students from all Foundations sites. Please note that as a pilot, this pathway is subject to change. To apply to the CTR pathway, submit this form.

Pathway Objectives

Pathway Objectives

  1. Design a clinical or translational research project including
    1. Formulate a research question and hypothesis
    2. Identify potential sources of error
    3. Determine appropriate statistical approaches
    4. Ensure rigor and reproducibility
  2. Address ethical concerns in a clinical or translational research project including
    1. Comply with relevant regulations
    2. Protect humans and/or animals
    3. Manage data in an ethical and compliant manner
    4. Mitigate conflicts of interest
  3. Work effectively as a member of a clinical or translational research team
    1. Describe roles and responsibilities on a research team
    2. Work effectively across a multi-disciplinary research team
  4. Communicate scientific results
    1. Create and present a research project in a poster format
    2. Give a 10-minute oral presentation of a research project
    3. Write a manuscript of a research project that adheres to scientific guidelines
  5. Describe issues of community engagement and cultural diversity in clinical and translational research including
    1. Give reasons for engaging with multiple medical communities
    2. Describe methods for successful engagement
    3. Describe the importance of diversity in research teams and participants
  6. Critique the scientific literature including
    1. Critically review a scientific journal article
    2. Identify sources of bias in scientific publication
    3. Describe reporting guidelines
    4. Demonstrate effective scientific writing
  7. Demonstrate proficiency in biomedical informatics including
    1. Demonstrate the use of electronic medical record data for research
    2. Describe the ethical and practical issues around the use of data

Pathway Requirements

Pathway Requirements

The CTR pathway is built upon an individual mentored research project that takes place during the Summer Quarter between Year 1 and Year 2 and fulfills the Discovery option of the Independent Investigative Inquiry (III) requirement. At least one additional research rotation of at least 4 weeks is required during the clerkship phases. A series of elective courses during Foundations provides the fundamental concepts and frameworks in clinical and translational research that the student will use to design and implement their III project. Students will also publicly communicate the results of their research in poster, oral, and written formats.

  • CTR pathway elective courses during Foundations
    • BIME 525: Designing and Developing Clinical and Translational Research (WIN 1)
    • BIME 526: Planning and Implementing Clinical and Translational Research (SPR 1)
    • BIME 527: Disseminating and Advancing Clinical and Translational Research (AUT 2)
  • The Independent Investigative Inquiry (III) Scholarship of Discovery (SoD) option (SUM 2)
  • A research rotation of at least 4 weeks during the Patient Care or Explore & Focus phase
  • Research products
    • Poster presentation (AUT 2)
    • Abstract submission for Western Medical Research Conference (WMRC) conference, or equivalent (AUT 2)
    • Oral presentation for WMRC or equivalent, if accepted (WIN 2)
    • Oral symposium presentation (Transition to Residency)
    • Publication quality manuscript (Year 4)

Qualifications and Selection

Qualifications and Selection

CTR pathway students are not required to have experience with either clinical or translational research but should have an interest in devoting a significant amount of elective time to exploring CTR as a potential part of their future career. The CTR pathway is not designed for students in the MSTP program. Since CTR pathway students engage in full-time III Discovery research activities throughout the Summer Quarter of Year 2, pursuing other III options may preclude participation in the CTR pathway. Specifically, enrolling in pathways that require participation in RUOP or GHIP are not logistically compatible with the CTR pathway at this time. CTR pathway students will be required to fulfill their research project requirement with a research project faculty mentor who agrees to meet expectations of the CTR pathway. Students will obtain agreements from prospective research project mentors using a form provided by the CTR pathway. Students wishing to pursue a project with a primary research mentor who is not UWSOM faculty will need to arrange for a secondary project mentor who holds a UWSOM faculty appointment. As part of the pathway application students will provide the name of the mentor and project that they have identified, as well as the signed student/mentor agreement.

In November, students will be able to apply to the pathway using the link here. The deadline to submit an application for the CTR pathway is December 2, 2024. We anticipate that students will receive invitations to participate in the CTR pathway by December 16, 2024, with a deadline for acceptance of January 2, 2025. The student/mentor agreement form is not due until after acceptance into the CTR Pathway.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

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Contact Information

Contact Information

For additional information about the CTR pathway contact: