All UCCOM first year medical students may apply via the CommonApp to those programs serviced under it.  The only program that accepts outside first year medical student applicants via the CommonApp is MSSRP.  SMURRF will consider outside applicants; however, they must apply directly to the program, not through the CommonApp.

Most medical students conduct research / scholarly activity between their M1 and M2 academic years.  A smaller number conduct research during their M3 or M4 years (frequently as part of a research elective).  However, it is important to note that UC medical students can conduct research / scholarly activity at any time during their medical school years.

Research / scholarly activity may include health outcomes research, educational research, laboratory research, and/or clinical research.  These experiences can be internal (UCCOM or CCHMC) or external and can be department-based, program-based, or one-on-one through a particular mentor.

There are a number of internal research opportunities that are regularly updated and maintained. The complete list can be found on the Internal (UC/CCHMC) Research webpage.

A list of external research and scholarly opportunities is regularly updated and maintained on the External Research webpage.

Whether you receive funding for your research / scholarly activity depends entirely upon the programs in which you are most interested.  Many internal and external opportunities provide stipends to those accepted into the program.

There are several ways to identify mentors within the UCCOM or CCHMC, including referencing the following:

• UC/CCHMC Faculty Mentors
• UC Research Directory
• Departmental webpages

This is largely left up to the mentee and the mentor to discuss.  Some mentors will have specific projects in mind, while others will require significant input from the mentee. To view available opportunity outside of the CommonApp, students may visit the following for current research projects with - 

UC Researchers: click on the link Find a Research Opportunity on any of the OMSR webpages
CCHMC Researchers: visit the Internal (UC/CCHMC) Research page; under Other Internal Opportunities, expand content for CCHMC ELO-MS

The Summer 2024 CommonApp is CLOSED.  The 2025 CommonApp will open early December 2024.

Absolutely!  Applying for multiple programs increases your likelihood of being accepted into a least one of them.

Since students can only participate in one paid research experience during the summer, it is the student’s responsibility to decline the other paid summer research program offers if this occurs.

Nearly all summer experiences will require students to have a mentor; however, it is dependent on the programs as to which will require contact with a potential mentor prior to formally applying.

For a small number of programs, the main question asked is “why would you like to participate in this experience?”.  Otherwise, a specific project description is an integral and required part of the overall application process.

This is a common occurrence and one that is typically discussed directly with the primary mentor and/or program director.

This is highly program-dependent but frequently involves direct transfer of the summer stipend into the student’s UCCOM account.

Statistical software can be purchased/downloaded from IT@UC.

Human subjects training may be required for summer projects, should be obtained through the University of Cincinnati, and are not transferrable from other institutions. The instructions for the training module is accessed @ Citi Registration and UC Affiliation Guide

Visit our external opportunities page.  As well, students may choose to explore similar research programs at other universities and/or view departmental lists of faculty research at universities of interest.  Lastly, the AAMC Careers in Medicine website has a national database of Clinical and Research Opportunities for medical students.

Currently, there is no option for medical students between the M1 and M2 years to receive formal course credit for this research / scholarly activity.

The most common place for medical students to present their summer research / scholarly activity is during the Research and Service Symposium held each fall.  Medical students should also ask their mentors about department-based opportunities to present their work.

Medical students should start by asking their mentors if there are grant or department funds to support students presenting their summer research / scholarly activity.  The Medical Student Association may also have funds to support presentations at regional and national conferences.  Contact Student Affairs for more information.