Research
- Research Centers & Institutes
- Student Opportunities
- Requests for Clinical Data
Student Opportunities
The School of Medicine consistently ranks near the top in the nation as a public research-intensive medical school. Our medical students are mentored by a world-class faculty, and have access to myriad research experiences. In addition to what is provided on an individual level by the faculty, the School of Medicine provides structured support specifically dedicated to our medical students for research and exploration.
Summer Research Program
Students seeking financial support to do research in the summer between their 1st and 2nd year with a School of Medicine faculty member can apply for and receive a stipend to do so in our Summer Research Training Program. The program hosts a Summer Research Symposium each winter to showcase the students' research.
Sanford Scholars Program
The Sanford Scholars Award program offered by the T. Denny Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion provides medical students support to develop and implement mentored basic science, translational, clinical, or health services research projects related to empathy and compassion, in a summer program that also includes workshops and training.
Department of Surgery Research Education
The Department of Surgery is committed to supporting the research efforts of medical students with an interest in surgical research. We provide stipend support so students so they can engage in summer research projects relevant to understanding or improving the treatment of surgical problems and diseases.
Medical Student Training in Aging Research
The UC San Diego Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) program provides medical students with experience in aging-related research and geriatrics, with mentorship of top experts in the field. In this National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded program, our medical students receive a stipend and participate structured research, clinical, didactic program in geriatrics over the summer.
Kidney and Diabetes-Related Research
Our medical students who seek to do research in kidney and diabetes-related disease at UC San Diego can receive stipend support from our institution to do so in the summer, through 2 collaborative National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research training programs.
The MedGap Program
Third-year medical students seeking to take a year away from the curriculum to do a substantive, in-depth exploration of a research topic are able to apply for and receive funding to do this through our MedGap Program. In this program, students perform research with a UC San Diego faculty mentor over the year, and receive training coursework in biostatistics, with the option to further their research education with supplemental courses within UC San Diego.
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) is an 8-week program for undergraduate students from underrepresented groups in the Biomedical Sciences.