The University of Texas Medical Student Training on Aging Research (UT-MSTAR) Program - PROJECT SUMMARY The University of Texas Medical Student Training in Aging Research (UT-MSTAR) is a new multisite program involving the four largest medical schools in Texas: UT Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSA), UT Health Houston (UTH), UT Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB), and UT Southwestern (UTSW). Combined, our schools accept 940 first year medical students/year, a large proportion from disadvantaged backgrounds. The UT-MSTAR will leverage our institutions’ rich research programs on aging spanning the entire translational spectrum, our well-established inter-institutional research and educational collaborations in aging and geriatrics, and our prior experience with the MSTAR program to achieve our objectives: 1) Expose first year medical students to the excitement of ongoing aging research; 2) Encourage medical students from all backgrounds to consider pursuing, and to plan for, a research career in biomedical, behavioral, social, clinical, or health-services research areas; and 3) Increase the pool and diversity of physician scientists engaged in research in those areas necessary to improve the health and independence of older adults and reduce health disparities. Rationale: The population of older Americans is rapidly growing and becoming progressively more diverse, increasing the need for complex and innovative geriatric research and medical care. Yet the number of medical school graduates who select geriatrics is low, and it has become progressively more difficult for clinicians to engage in research. By exposing first year medical students to high quality and exciting research on aging led by accomplished mentors in a nurturing environment, the UT-MSTAR will provide an early opportunity for students to develop a genuine interest and skills that will lead them to select a career in aging research and geriatrics. Design of the research training program: 20 first year medical students each year will engage in an 8 week intensive, multi- institutional, mentored summer research training program on aging that entails: completing a mentored research project – typically a freezer study or secondary data analysis; group didactic activities, including responsible conduct of research, topics in aging research, basic statistics, reproducibility, scientific writing and presentations; attending select seminars on aging research and geriatrics; clinical exposure to geriatric patients by shadowing geriatricians and clinician-investigators in aging; and presenting the project at the UT-MSTAR annual consortium meeting and at a national conference on aging. Intended trainee outcomes. We expect students to learn basic research skills, methodologies, and technical expertise in aging research, increase their positive attitude and perceptions towards caring for older adults, develop a long lasting connection with their mentors, and eventually pursue a career in aging research.
