Research and Scholarship

Daniel Nassar MD, Vanessa Barnabei MD, PhD.

“Our training program incorporates cutting-edge research as a core component to allow residents to sharpen their clinical and critical thinking skills,” says Vanessa M. Barnabei, MD, PhD, right, with resident Daniel T. Nassar, MD.  

Because conducting research contributes to clinical and critical thinking skills, we make completing a research project a critical part of our resident training program.

We encourage you to develop and implement an original research project on a topic of your choice.  

Research options include:

  • basic bench research
  • translational research
  • epidemiologic and clinical studies
  • clinical trials

Join a Dynamic Research Community

Our department sustains a rich, active and friendly research community that includes graduate students, residents and dedicated, world-renowned faculty.

The department has a comprehensive training program in research consisting of:

These are supplemented with one-on-one research support from mentors and the research team in the department.

During PGY-2, you will have a research-based module which provides you time to focus on your individual research in more depth.

You will adhere to a research timeline to allow mentors to track your progress. In addition, you will present brief updates on your research during the year to gain feedback and assistance as needed. 

Gain Practical Experience in Multiple Areas

You will gain practical experience in study design, implementation and communication of results as well as experience with the regulatory processes governing research studies.

Conducting a research project will also strengthen your ability to critically read research literature.

You are required to present your research project at the end of the third year, at Resident Research Day. You are encouraged to present your research at local, national and international meetings and to publish research.

Residents who present an abstract at a national or international conference are awarded up to $1,000 twice a year to cover the costs of the poster presentation and registration as well as hotel and travel expenses.

Several residents have had their studies published as both abstracts and peer-reviewed, full-length papers in high quality journals. Residents who plan to apply for fellowships are encouraged to pursue additional studies if time permits.

Contact Us

For more information about conducting research during your residency, contact our training director:

Bett, Glenna

Glenna Bett, PhD

Vice Chair for Research