Letter from the Director
Spring is rapidly approaching! It is traditionally a very eventful and energetic time for the Office of Clinical Research Training and Medical Education (OCRTME). This year is proving to be no different. We have conducted interviews for the new NIH Medical Research Scholars Program, are reinvigorating the Demystifying Medicine Course, which is in its twelfth year, and assisting Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP) fellows as they prepare their spring presentations. This is an exciting time for us! I can't wait to share with you several updates on the latest and best developments in clinical research training here at the NIH. Enjoy and be informed!
Yours, -Fred
Frederick P. Ognibene, MD, FCCM, FACP
Deputy Director, Educational Affairs and Strategic Partnerships,
NIH Clinical Center (CC)
Director, Office of Clinical Research Training and Medical Education,
CC National Institutes of Health
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NIH Medical Research Scholars Program (MRSP) Prepares for Interviews
The new NIH Medical Research Scholars Program (MRSP) received more than 140 applications for the 2012-2013 academic year. Ninety (90) applicants were invited to the NIH campus for interviews on March 5-6, 2012. The program will select at least 40 students to participate in the year-long enrichment program, which will begin this summer.
MRSP builds on the focus and goals of the NIH CRTP and the HHMI-NIH Research Scholars Program of training the next generation of medical researchers and providing research opportunities in basic laboratory, clinical, and translational research for medical, dental, and veterinary students.
To find out more about the MRSP, please visit: http://www.cc.nih.gov/training/mrsp/index.html.
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Dr. Bruce Baum Joins OCRTME as Director of MRSP
 NIH researcher Dr. Bruce Baum has joined the Clinical Center's Office of Clinical Research Training and Medical Education as director of the Medical Research Scholars Program. Dr. Baum's will develop the academic curriculum that participating student scholars follow during their one-year tenure on the NIH campus as well as assist in the overall administration of the program.
Dr. Baum comes to this position after concluding a 35-year research career at the NIH. Dr. Baum began in 1976 as a post-doctoral fellow in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and joined the National Institute on Aging as a senior investigator in 1978. He was recruited in 1982 to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research as its clinical director and was also chief of its Gene Therapy and Therapeutics Branch. Dr. Baum has years of experience with translational research, including a recently completed gene therapy trial to repair radiation-damaged salivary glands.
In addition to his research, Dr. Baum has had a continuous interest in the training of health professionals. A member of the original board of tutors for the NIH Clinical Research Training Program and past chair of the NIH-Duke Masters in Clinical Research Program admissions committee, he also has made a considerable effort to increase the relevancy of biological science in dental education.
For more information on Dr. Baum's work with the Medical Research Scholars Program, please visit: http://www.cc.nih.gov/training/mrsp/index.html.
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Online Application System—VSAS—Expands to Include Osteopathic Students
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has announced that students enrolled in Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) accredited American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) member colleges may now apply for clinical elective rotations at participating host academic medical centers across the United States through VSAS, the Visiting Student Application System. The NIH Clinical Electives Program (CEP) serves as a participating host institution for these rotations and welcomes eligible osteopathic students to apply through VSAS for rotations at the NIH Clinical Center.
Over the years, a few osteopathic students have applied to and been accepted for clinical elective rotations at the NIH, but the Clinical Center's Office of Clinical Research Training and Medical Education (OCRTME) believes that the pool of eligible and research oriented osteopathic students is much greater than that. VSAS should enable those osteopathic students considering careers in clinical or translational research to gain access to over 30 elective rotations in a wide variety of clinically related specialty or subspecialty disciplines at the NIH, and the CEP anticipates a substantial increase in osteopathic applications in 2012.
More information can be found on the CEP website or by contacting Ms. Vicki Malick at malickv@mail.cc.nih.gov.
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Demystifying Medicine Course Offered at the NIH
 The Demystifying Medicine Lecture series began its twelfth year at the NIH on January 10, 2012 under the direction of Dr. Irwin Arias who has recently joined the Office of Clinical Research Training and Medical Education (OCRTME). The course was initially offered in 2000 and was modeled after the medical grand rounds in which live patients were presented to doctors, students, and scientists. The course is primarily designed to help bridge the gap between advances in biology and their application to major human diseases. Each session includes clinical and basic science components presented by renowned NIH staff and invitees and covers topics ranging from global infections to head and neck cancers. Arias has seen how great an impact the course has on students: "Putting a human face on a disease helps them better understand the human issues related to disease and evokes compassion in scientists as well as physicians and motivates them to lean more", Arias explained.
The Demystifying Medicine course has been offered in 16 countries, 17 North American Institutions, it is featured in two undergraduate programs at Penn State, and one undergraduate program at McMaster University in Canada. It is also live and archived on the web, and highlighted lectures are available on DVD. The course is held every Tuesday at the NIH from 4:00pm to 5:30pm in the ground floor auditorium of Building 50, January 10 through April 24, 2012.
For more information please visit: http://demystifyingmedicine.od.nih.gov/.
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Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP) Spring Presentations
The 2011-2012 Clinical Research Training Program fellows, consisting of 30 medical/dental students from 18 different US accredited universities will present their research to the NIH community, family and friends, and special guests at two separate annual events during the spring.
Thursday, April 26: The fellows are participating in the NIH Spring Research Festival's poster session from 12 noon-1:00 pm.
Monday, May 14 and Tuesday May 15: Each fellow will present a 20-minute oral presentation about their research during the 2011-2012 CRTP Scientific Presentations. This two-day event will be held in Masur Auditorium in the NIH Clinical Center from 9am-4pm.
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OCRTME Prepares to Exhibit at Spring Conferences
Staff members in the Clinical Center's Office of Clinical Research Training and Medical Education will attend two annual conferences for medical students this spring. OCRTME aims to recruit the best and brightest students to train at the NIH, and there are many opportunities to showcase. At recruitment events, OCRTME program coordinators meet directly with students, faculty members, and conference attendees. Make sure to look for us at the following conferences:
American Medical Student Association: A conference at which OCRTME frequently exhibits is the annual meeting of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) [disclaimer] which is set for March 8-11, 2012 in Houston, Texas. Dr. Robert Lembo, OCRTME Deputy Director and members of the NIH senior staff have judged posters at the AMSA conference for this meeting as they have for the past few years.
Student National Medical Association: You can also find OCRTME at the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) [disclaimer] Annual Meeting April 5-8, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. If you are an alumnus who lives in the Atlanta region, please stop by or contact us if you would like to visit or be a participant at our exhibit booth. Current fellows from the Clinical Research Training Program also attend to give a first-hand testimonial of their research experiences as trainees at NIH.
Stay up-to-date on other Clinical Center's training and education news and events related by visiting our Current Events page: http://www.cc.nih.gov/training/news_events.html.
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