PROJECT SUMMARY
The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) is an international leader in infectious diseases
research, particularly in the areas of vaccine development, HIV, global health, and genomics. UMSOM is also
deeply committed to research education for medical students and instituted a requirement that all students
engage in a hypothesis-driven scholarly activity. The M4I: Maryland Infection, Immunization, Intervention, and
Impact Training Program builds a bridge between medical students and the extraordinary infectious diseases
expertise at UMSOM. The program provides structured training and robust mentorship to inspire and prepare
the next generation of infectious disease researchers. The program will enroll a diverse group of medical students
to establish a cohort of trainees who will participate in formal research training and develop a hypothesis-driven
research project with the support of their faculty mentors, methodological experts, and their peers. They will
continue to work together as a longitudinal research track cohort for their medical school career, with
opportunities to receive additional funding for research electives and more advanced training.
The specific aims of the M4I project are to: 1) Inspire medical students to pursue careers in infectious diseases
and research by leveraging UMSOM’s extensive portfolio of infectious diseases research; 2) Recruit and train a
diverse cohort of medical students to engage in a meaningful, hypothesis-driven, infectious disease-oriented
research experience; and 3) Enhance the research environment for medical students and expand the pipeline
of medical students into the field of infectious diseases. We will collect data to assess our progress in achieving
these aims, as well as the ability of students to meet their milestones, in a standardized manner. We will review
our results regularly with an internal steering committee and through a thorough program evaluation with an
external advisory board twice during the grant period. We will create a sustainable model to prepare a diverse
and well-trained infectious diseases research workforce.