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A Structured Program for Increasing Medical Student Commitment to Engage in Scientific Research on Hispanic Health Issues
Author(s) -
Crespo Maria,
Facundo America,
Vera Mildred,
Merced Kritzianel
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.687.17
Subject(s) - medical education , certificate , curriculum , population , ethnic group , medical school , psychology , medicine , family medicine , pedagogy , political science , environmental health , algorithm , computer science , law
The Hispanic population is growing rapidly in the USA, representing approximately 17% of the total population. Despite the higher prevalence of certain health conditions in this population when compared to other ethnic groups, studies addressing this disparity are scarce. A structured student research program was implemented at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine to increase the number of medical students committed to engage in scientific research. It consists of three sequential research courses offered between the first and fourth years of study. A research track certificate is offered to students who complete the three courses with a minimum of 480 hours of research experience. By establishing student‐mentor relationships, the program provides medical students with a variety of basic and clinical research opportunities in Hispanic health‐related issues. In addition, during the first course, students receive basic scientific knowledge and research fundamentals through workshops scheduled during the summer. During the 2014 Summer, 51 first‐year medical students participated in the program, representing approximately 50% of the total number in first‐year class. The number of research manuscripts and presentations at scientific forums has increased significantly during the last five years. The implementation of a structured research program in the medical school curriculum focused on the development of clinical researchers is a valuable strategy to increase research projects addressing Hispanics' health needs. Supported by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Grant # D34HP24463.