Research Opportunities

"The Jacobs School offers a wealth of research opportunities and quality mentoring to help students achieve their goals," says medical student Gary Iacobucci.

Whether you find the concept of research intriguing, want to enhance your career prospects by exploring a specialty from a different angle, or are driven to make a difference from bench to bedside, we’ll support you with a unique experience matched to your goals.

Ongoing Mentored Research

During your first year of medical school, we’ll explain the broad range of research opportunities available at the Jacobs School. If you want to pursue research, we’ll connect you with a dedicated faculty mentor whose work aligns with your professional interests and objectives.

You can start conducting research during the summer between your first and second years of school — and many of our students do.

You may continue researching during your second year, provided it doesn’t interfere with your studies.

In your third and fourth years, you may select research as an elective.

Internal Summer Research

Our medical students can conduct summer research in several of our departments, divisions and programs, including:

  • Division of General Pediatrics Internship
    1/13/25
    This internship provides a rising second-year medical student with experience in pediatric primary care clinical research with a focus in asthma.
  • Emergency Medicine Summer Research Program
    2/3/25
    Medical students in this eight-week summer research program collaborate on research with an attending physician, enroll patients for ongoing studies at Erie County Medical Center, train clinically and present their projects to their peers.
  • Family Medicine Summer Research Assistantship
    2/18/20
    Our eight-week summer research assistantship pairs students with faculty to study such topics as primary care, health services, underserved patient populations, practice transformation and the patient-centered medical home.
  • Orthopaedics Summer Research Program
    1/24/25
    We’re devoted to helping you excel in orthopaedic research. Our unique summer program helps you build critical skills required to conduct quality, meaningful research.
  • Psychiatry Summer Externship
    2/6/24
    We offer two interested UB medical students a clinical rotation experience in psychiatry during the summer between first and second year.
  • Student Summer Research Fellowship in Eye and Vision Research
    2/5/20
    We offer paid summer fellowships for research that has either immediate or potential application toward improving the understanding, diagnosis or treatment of eye diseases, particularly as may benefit Western New York residents.
  • Summer Pediatric Internship Research Experience
    3/21/25
    The Summer Pediatric Internship in Research (SPIRE) is a seven-week summer program combining research and clinical aspects of pediatrics and/or pediatric subspecialties.
  • Surgery Summer Diversity Research Mentorship Program
    3/31/25
    The Department of Surgery sponsors summer research positions for underrepresented minority students with an interest in surgery at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. 
  • Training the Next Generation of Clinician-Scientists
    2/3/25
    This in-depth summer research fellowship offers rising second-year medical students the chance to conduct NIH-funded research at UB or Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Our training, laboratory practical sessions and weekly seminars provide you with the fundamentals you need for a successful research career.

Other Internal Fellowship Opportunities

  • Fellowship in Social Justice, Equity Administration and Leadership
    5/5/25
    This fellowship provides an opportunity to develop leadership skills to advance equity and justice in institutional settings and community-based organizations and advance the Jacobs School’s mission to create a supportive learning environment.

External Summer Research

As a rising second-year student, you also may choose to conduct summer research outside UB.

We have helped identify summer research opportunities for our students at, among other institutions:

  • Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Mayo Clinic
  • Harvard Medical School
  • St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital
  • Pediatric Oncology Education (POE) Program    
  • Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
  • Boston Children’s Hospital
  • Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA
  • MD Anderson Cancer Center

Year-long Fellowship Programs

We can help you find year-long fellowships that expand your research training while you’re on academic leave from UB.

Our students have participated in the following research programs:

MD-PhD Program

If you’re committed to caring for patients and making breakthroughs that improve their quality of life, we’ll fully prepare you for a rewarding career as a medical scientist.

Our combined MD-PhD Program tightly integrates a clinical and research curriculum, equipping you with the skills to conduct basic science and translational research, advance health care and make a difference.