The six-week Medical Student Summer Research program, which is conducted from early
May until late June, has become an integral part of the training of many Quillen College
of Medicine students.
The major goal of the research program is to provide opportunities and support for medical students to participate in research.
Initially, when it became clear that the COVID-19 pandemic would impact ETSU and prevent students from being on campus, the research program was cancelled. Soon after that announcement, Dr. Aaron Polichnowski, a member of the Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity (CIIDI) at Quillen, said the M1 class president contacted him asking if he could help transition the program to an online/remote format.
Polichnowski, with support and assistance from Quillen faculty and leadership, was able to reformat the program so that students could continue to benefit from the experience remotely.
“Although students will receive little hands-on research experience this summer, we still have the opportunity to provide students with an intellectually stimulating research experience remotely,” Polichnowski said.
The activities students were involved in this summer included literature reviews, journal clubs, learning about research techniques and methods via online resources, analyzing data, writing manuscripts, writing research protocols to be submitted to the IRB or IACUC, or other aspects of planning, conducting, and analyzing research. In all cases, students will directly communicate with their mentors via Zoom, email, or other remote avenues.
The program provides a culminating experience in August or September where students present their findings in a research symposium, which could be conducted in a virtual format if restrictions are still in place at that time.
“I cannot speak highly enough of the support and dedication of all faculty members across all departments who have ensured the program continued this summer,” Polichnowski said.