A Laboratory for Education in Molecular Medicine: a Dedicated Resource for Medical Student Research

Abstract

The Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in El Paso, Texas seated its inaugural class in 2009 and introduced a highly-integrated pre-clinical curriculum that provides our students with a solid introduction to the scientific principles of medicine, medical skills, early clinical experiences, ethics and professionalism. To further enhance their undergraduate training, all students additionally complete a scholarly concentration requirement called the Scholarly Activity and Research Program (SARP). Students can choose a wide variety of topics for this faculty-mentored activity; however, about two-thirds of the students choose projects relating to basic, clinical or translational research. To broaden the on-campus opportunities for students in these areas we have developed a research laboratory, called the Laboratory for Education in Molecular Medicine (LEMM), that is fully-dedicated for mentored SARP projects. This ‘community’ laboratory is housed in the Department of Medical Education and represents a unique model for the establishment and development of viable research projects. We discuss the evolution of the LEMM, its current organization and the challenges and opportunities in maintaining and growing this valuable resource.