WashU encourages all medical students to consider conducting research — either within the Research Pathway or less formally. The Office of Medical Student Research connects each interested student with seasoned investigators in the student’s area of interest. As valued members of research teams, students gain a richer understanding of how scientific discoveries influence practice at the bedside, and vice versa.
Student research by the numbers
- 2,100+ faculty mentors available to mentor students in any specialty
- 98% of student researchers in 2019 recommend their research program
Students have full access to WashU’s research enterprise, which is among the most extensive in the world. The school conducts internationally renowned work in virtually every area of biomedicine, including neuroscience, diabetes, diagnostic imaging, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, personalized medicine, aging, immunology, high-throughput genomics, women’s infectious diseases, membrane excitability disorders, health policy and many other fields. In addition, discovery happens across the full spectrum of research, from fundamental basic science to clinical and translational investigation.
Training opportunities are available for those who aspire to develop themselves as physician scientists and clinical researchers. One option is the school’s MD/PhD medical scientist training program — one of the largest in the country. A second option is to participate in the Yearlong Research Program after second or third year. A third option is to participate in 8-16 weeks of a research project during Phase 2 or 3.
Further information about conducting research as a medical student is available through the Office of Medical Student Research.
Koong-Nah Chung, PhD
Associate Dean, Medical Student Research; Director, Office of Medical Student Research and Scholarship; Research Pathway Co-Director
- Email: chungk@nospam.wustl.edu
