The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Medical Research Scholars Program is a comprehensive, year-long research enrichment program designed to attract the most creative, research-oriented medical, osteopathic, dental, and veterinary students to the intramural campus of the NIH in Bethesda, Md. Scholars engage in a mentored basic, clinical, or translational research project in an area that matches their personal interests and goals.  This program blends the elements of two former, highly successful programs—the Howard Hughes Medical Institute-NIH Research Scholars Program [disclaimer] and the NIH Clinical Research Training Program. The new program will be co-sponsored by the NIH and other partners via contributions to the Foundation for the NIH and agreements with the NIH.

This new program will ultimately have a capacity of approximately 70 students, with a goal for the initial 2012-2013 class of at least 40 students. For a select group of students, an additional year of support may be available to allow a continuation of ongoing studies where this is judged to be in the best interests of the student and the mentor. The Medical Research Scholars Program is designed for students who have completed their initial clinical rotations but does not exclude students with strong research interests from applying prior to having completed their clinical rotations.

A talented and diverse pool of clinician-scientists will witness, participate, and collaborate in rigorous, hands-on research, with offerings across the full continuum of biomedical research—the bench, the bedside, and between both—including computational biology, medical informatics, and other emerging areas of contemporary science.

• The program will provide the opportunity for clinician-scientists and future physicians, dentists, and veterinarians to carry out research across the full spectrum of laboratory, translational, and clinical opportunities in the interests of the public health.
  
  
• The proposed curriculum, which is still under development, will offer several options:
  • seminal basic, translational and clinical research topics highlighting the continuum of discovery
  • clinical protocol development and the conduct of human subjects research
  • participation in clinical rounds focusing on the rich patient population in the NIH Clinical Center
  • other relevant content
    
    
• Each scholar will have a well-articulated career development plan and a dedicated advisor/mentor.
  
  
• Scholars will interact with NIH leaders—institute directors, scientific and clinical directors, and principal investigators—and established investigators from academic medical centers and universities. A regular lecture series featuring these individuals will provide opportunities for the participants to learn more about the scientific discovery process, as well as science policy, issues in bioethics, and emerging technologies.
  
  
• The Howard Hughes Medical Institute will host scientific meetings and workshops at its headquarters and Janelia Farm Research Campus for some participants.
  
  
• Scholars will present their own work and participate in journal clubs to discuss new developments in their research fields.
  
  
• As this is a residential program, comfortable furnished apartments, either on or proximal to the NIH campus, will be available at fair market rates.