MD with Special Training in Research

The MD with Special Training in Research program (MD/STIR) is designed for Year 1 medical students in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry (FoMD) who wish to participate in research above and beyond what is offered within the MD Program.

In the MD/STIR, you will join a research team and directly engage in biomedical research over 24 weeks. Should you complete your MD degree and all requirements of the MD/STIR, you will receive the designation of "Special Training in Research" on your degree parchment and transcript.

Objectives of MD/STIR

The MD/STIR is intended to:

  • Foster a greater awareness of the importance of research to MD students
  • Provide opportunities to participate in fundamental or clinical research
  • Provide formative feedback to help develop critical thinking, writing and presentation skills
  • Provide formal recognition of students who show a good practical understanding of the scientific process including development, formulation and testing of hypotheses, experimental design, validation, presentation, analysis and interpretation of results

Eligibility Requirements

FoMD medical students are eligible for the MD/STIR if they meet the following requirements:

  1. You are a Year 1 student in good standing in the MD program (determined in consultation with the Associate Dean UME, Assistand Dean Academic Affairs and the Academic team of the MD Program)
  2. Your primary research supervisor for the identified project is a full-time academic member of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry (FoMD)
  3. Your identified research project is hypothesis-driven and involves the collection and analysis of primary data

Note: Literature reviews are not eligible.

Action Items to Fulfill Program Requirements

You must complete the following requirements to meet the requirements of the MD/STIR.

Identify a Research Supervisor

Identify a research supervisor who is strongly supportive of your participation in their research. Your supervisor will direct your research activities and, in some cases, may contribute to stipend support. 

Your primary supervisor must be a full-time academic member ( appointment) in the FoMD who is eligible to supervise research students. If necessary, supervisors may involve collaborators outside of the 海角社区 to participate as co-supervisors.

It is important that your supervisor has a strong research program and is willing to guide you through the program. Give special consideration to supervisors who have peer-reviewed research grant support, successfully supervised research trainees, published research from their own group (typically as first or last author) and published with their trainees. 

Note: Supervisors can only submit one student application per cycle. 

Apply for Summer Student Stipend Support

The MD/STIR includes a summer period of full-time research. All MD/STIR students must receive summer student stipend support when they are engaged in the full-time summer research portions of the program. There are several options for stipend support. It is your responsibility to be aware of and apply for eligible support options. If you are unable to secure full stipend support, you will be withdrawn from the MD/STIR.

Some sources of stipend support include:

  • Alberta Innovates (AI) Summer Studentship Award. The application deadline is usually in February. It is your responsibility to look out for the competition announcement and submit your application on time. 
  • Any other summer studentship competition (e.g. NSERC, WCHRI, etc.). It is your responsibility to be aware of eligible competitions and submit your application on time.
  • FoMD internal summer studentships. These studentships offer partial stipend support. It is your responsibility to request a top-up from your supervisor. If your supervisor cannot top-up to a full stipend, you will be withdrawn from the MD/STIR program. There is no separate application for this competition. If you apply to Alberta Innovates (AI) you are automatically entered into the FoMD studentship competition. 
  • Supervisor research funds. It is your responsibility to arrange for summer stipend support from your supervisor in the event you are unsuccessful in securing a stipend from the above competitions. 

Apply to the MD/STIR

You must submit an application to be considered for the MD/STIR. Your application will be assessed by members of the MD Research Committee. Your application will receive feedback and you may be allowed to submit revisions. 

This application is due before 11:59 p.m. on February 1st, 2025. This is a firm deadline. No applications will be accepted after this date.  

The application must include each of the following components:

Research Proposal

You are responsible for writing a research proposal that is hypothesis-driven and requires the collection of primary data. You must discuss potential research projects with your supervisor and ensure that your supervisor is supportive of your proposal.

These proposals can take time to write, and we recommend that you begin at least two months before the due date. Your proposal will be assessed based on the scientific merit and feasibility of the proposed project. 

Your supervisor must spend time guiding you during the writing of the proposal. If your supervisor or their delegate does not have enough time, this may not be the best environment for a successful MD/STIR.

Ethics Approval

You must include documentation showing that an ethics approval is in place or pending at the time of your application. You will work with your supervisor to apply for this