Interest In Academic Medicine Research Articles

Medical Education Electives Can Promote Teaching and Research Interests Among Medical Students.

Although all residents routinely teach medical students, not all residents are involved in teaching or trained in teaching during undergraduate medical school, as accreditation bodies do not mandate the promotion of teaching skills to undergraduate medical students. With relatively inadequate formal training and residents' intrinsic time constraints, tactically incorporating formal medical education elective experiences in medical school curricula is understandable. This study explores if medical education electives at Avalon University School of Medicine (AUSOM) can enhance medical students' interest in teaching and research. The medical education elective at AUSOM was developed to give interested medical students an elective experience. The course modules include accreditation/regulation, curriculum development, learning theories, assessments, and research methodology. Students can choose any one of the modules. We offered the medical education elective to twenty-five students in the year 2021. All of them gave feedback at the end of the elective. The data was analyzed qualitatively through framework analysis, which includes familiarization, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing, and defining and naming themes. Different themes emerged, enhancing the interest in academic medicine, understanding research methodologies, supporting learners, and awareness of learning theories. Doing medical education electives at AUSOM enhanced students' interest in teaching, and students reported that they could understand research methodologies, especially those related to medical education. Medical students should have opportunities for electives in medical education, and more research is required to evaluate the effectiveness of medical education electives across medical schools.

A decision-tree model of career choice for veterinarians in clinical residency programs.

To identify factors that individuals in clinical residency training programs consider when making a choice for or against a career in academic clinical medicine. 207 veterinarians in clinical residency programs. An online survey was distributed to 1,053 veterinarians participating in clinical residency training programs overseen by organizations recognized by the AVMA American Board of Veterinary Specialties. Results were compiled and decision factors were analyzed by means of principal component analysis to identify latent factors from the set of survey items. These factors were then used to construct a decision tree to predict respondents' choice of whether to enter academic medicine or private clinical practice. 207 (20%) responses were analyzed. Ninety-three of 194 (48%) respondents reported a desire to pursue a career in academic medicine, and 101 (52%) reported a desire to pursue a career in private clinical practice. Principal component analysis identified 14 items clustered on research, clinical teaching, classroom teaching, and clinical practice. A decision tree was constructed that resulted in an overall accuracy of 82% in predicting a resident's career choice of academic medicine versus private clinical practice. The construct of professional benefits had a negative effect on desiring a career in academic medicine, whereas the construct of professional priorities and having had a positive residency training experience had a positive effect on desiring a career in academic medicine. Understanding factors that attract and encourage residents who might have an aptitude and interest in academic medicine holds important implications for addressing the shortage of veterinarians entering academic medicine.

Fellow As Clinical Teacher, Benign Hematology Curriculum Improves Learning and Reaction to Academic Medicine

Introduction:The expansion of medical schools, faculty attrition, and trainees' disinterest in academia, all highlight the need to encourage the next generation of academic physicians. The published literature indicates that early academic career awareness and involvement in scholarship activities can positively influence trainees' interest in academia.Teaching experience has been shown to positively influence interest in an academic career, trainees who can engage in educational activities, and who transform their work into educational scholarship are more likely than their counterparts to pursue the medical educator academic track. We hypothesized that heightening diverse trainees' awareness of opportunities to engage in various educational roles through the fellow as clinical teacher (FACT) may help them consider future academic positions as well as improve their medical knowledge.Method:We implemented a hematology FACT program that utilized an hour didactics session that is held every month focused on benign hematology curriculum. We aimed to help fellows to 1) develop as teachers, 2) improve knowledge in benign hematology, and 3) increase their career interest in educators' academic track.After implementing the program, post-intervention surveys focusing on evaluating their reaction to the program, whether participation in the program increased their interest in academic medicine, and whether attending the program benefitted their knowledge and advanced their learning. Focusing on level 1 and 2 on the Kirkpatrick four-level educational model.Results:The FACT program included nine participants, all participants served as trainees and educators in the program. Participants were asked to indicate the most challenging topics in the benign hematology field to guide building the content of the curriculum. The cellular basis of hematopoiesis was noted as the most challenging for six participants. Majority of participants reported having struggles evaluating hemoglobinopathy disorders, hematologic women's health issues, bleeding disorders, and transfusion medicine challenges. Those subjects concluded majority of the curriculum content.Post-intervention surveys were sent out to all participants after eighteen months of implementing the program, asking their feedback about the program, their reaction about the program and knowledge benefit, nine surveys were collected.The implemented program helped improving participants' level of knowledge for hemophilia and other bleeding disorders such as Von Willebrand Disease, in most participants (7 of 9). Also, five participants reported a benefit in regards to cellular basis of hematopoiesis and hemoglobinopathy disorders.The majority of participants (7 of 9) found that the course material was very useful and they rated the lectures to be very good to excellent. And all participants agreed on the discussed topics to be appropriate for their level of training, moreover, it improved the overall understanding and level of interest in benign hematology. All participants noted the impact of the program on augmenting their teaching skills and interest in exploring the academic medicine track.The drawback of the program reported by participants (3 of 9) was experiencing a communication barrier and feeling restricted communicating their questions, opinions, and concerns to their co-fellow educators.Discussion:Implementing the fellow as clinical teacher program has been a strategy that is used to increase trainees' interest in academic careers and educators' tracks, although its barriers and impact on fellow's education is not clear. In this review, we aimed at evaluating the program from trainees' perspectives. The program was beneficial to all trainees, all served as educators at a certain time, it was appropriate for their level of training, it improved the overall knowledge for benign hematology topics, and it positively impacted their teaching skills and interest in academic medicine. With a longer follow-up time, it would be beneficial to evaluate the program's impact on the fellows' commitment towards academic medicine.Conclusion:Fellow as clinical teacher program could be a tool to increase hematology fellows' interest in academic educators' track, increase level of knowledge and confidence managing different challenging topics, without affecting the quality of medical education. DisclosuresEllis: Rafael Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy.

Pathways and Barriers to Careers in Academic Clinical Cancer Prevention: a Qualitative Study

National surveys document steady declines over time in interest in academic medicine and cancer prevention careers (Am J Prev Med 54(3):444–8, 2018). Through interviews with 16 academic cancer prevention physicians at one comprehensive cancer center, this study identifies motivations and barriers to physician careers in academic cancer prevention and proposes recommendations to increase recruitment. Participants reported that cancer prevention was vague to them early in training, impairing career exploration. Further, without role models and opportunities to learn about cancer prevention, many were ignorant of career options. Many had incorrect views about cancer prevention practice being mainly within the scope of primary care physicians, and some reported colleagues viewing the rigor of cancer prevention skeptically. However, all described notable experiences—in classes, with mentors, on research projects, or from encounters with patients, motivating them to pursue academic clinical cancer prevention regardless of challenges. Clearly, a lack of both information and guidance towards careers in clinical cancer prevention has been critical barriers to robust recruitment of physicians to the field and must be addressed urgently. Helping physicians earlier during training to both understand the value of prevention and cultivate their interests in it, particularly for clinical cancer prevention, would have widespread benefits.

Empowering medical students as agents of curricular change: avalue-added approach to student engagement in medical education.

One area in which medical students can add significant value is medical education, and involving them as key stakeholders in their education can have a profound impact on students and the institutions that serve them. However, detailed descriptions of the structure, implementation and quality of programs facilitating student engagement are lacking. We describe the structure of a novel student engagement program at the University of Illinois College of Medicine-Chicago (UICOM-Chicago) known as the Student Curricular Board (SCB). We surveyed 563 medical students across all levels of training at our institution in order to examine the impact of this program, including its strengths and potential areas of improvement. The SCB serves as a highly structured and collaborative student group that has far-reaching involvement from course-level program evaluation to longitudinal curriculum design. Medical students overwhelmingly valued opportunities to be involved in their curriculum. Students with the greatest exposure to the SCB were more aware of specific program initiatives and expressed increased interest in academic medicine as a career. By highlighting this innovative student engagement program, we aim to share best practices for a highly structured, value-added approach to medical student engagement in medical education that is applicable to other medical schools and student leaders.

Student Perceptions of M.D.-Ph.D. Programs: A Qualitative Identification of Barriers Facing Prospective M.D.-Ph.D. Applicants

Phenomenon: Despite a high degree of interest in research among matriculating M.D. students, very few apply to combined M.D.-Ph.D. training programs. Even fewer of those applicants are female, leading to a gender disparity among M.D.-Ph.D. trainees. We used a qualitative approach to understand why students choose not to apply or matriculate to M.D.-Ph.D. programs. Approach: We recruited recently matriculated medical students at a private research university with a self-reported interest in academic medicine and biomedical research to participate in focus groups, in which students discussed their career and life goals, general knowledge and sources of information for M.D.-Ph.D. programs, perceived benefits and downsides, and barriers to applying to such programs. Findings: Twenty-two students participated in focus groups. Participants desired careers combining clinical work, research, and teaching. Students had knowledge of the structure and goals of M.D.-Ph.D. training and received information about dual-degree programs from research mentors, the Internet, and peers. Tuition remission and increased grant access were cited as benefits of M.D.-Ph.D. programs, whereas duration, perceived excessive research training, and early commitment were downsides. Perceived competitiveness, misconceptions about training, a lack of M.D.-Ph.D. program-specific advising, discouragement from applying, and duration of training all served as barriers preventing students from pursuing dual-degree training. Insights: Through this qualitative study, we identified perceptions and misconceptions that recent medical school applicants have about M.D.-Ph.D. programs. These findings suggest targetable barriers to increase applications from interested students, such as improving awareness of programs, increased accessibility of advising and resources, and addressing concerns over training length, with the goal of improving training access for aspiring physician-scientists.

The PreDoc Program: Pipeline Healthcare Apprenticeship Program through the Lens of a Neurologist.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Objective: The PreDoc program is a longitudinal apprenticeship aimed at increasing college student interest in pursuing a healthcare career. This program offers the continuity of clinical, research, and educational exposure in academic medicine utilizing a career immersion approach that allows a graduated level of responsibility, experience, and leadership opportunities. Methods: Students get an asynchronous/synchronous curriculum under the direction of academic physicians committed to boosting the pipeline. Training in critical career development skills including "goal setting," professionalism, communication, and time management are provided to Pre-Docs by their senior peers and program leaders. Results: Since the implementation of the PreDoc program in 2013, 28 students have enrolled in the program. Twenty-three students completed the survey; 100% ranked the program quality as good/excellent. Students reported more interest in academic medicine (n=19, 83%), neurology (n=18, 78%), and sleep medicine (n=18, 78%). A majority of the students reported that they were extremely likely to pursue a medical career (n=20, 87%). All students have completed or are in the process of completing at least one scholarly product. Conclusions: The PreDoc program has been successful in promoting college student scholarly productivity in healthcare and in garnering student interest in academic medicine, particularly in neurology.

Embarking on a Journey of Discovery: Developing Transitional Skill Sets through a Scholarly Concentration Program

Problem: Medical student participation in research enhances appreciation of the scientific literature and the conduct of investigation, and may lead to an interest in academic medicine. Independent medical student research offers frequently overlooked opportunities to develop and assess professional practice abilities, including project design and implementation, interprofessional team communication, and time management. These skills, useful to physicians, are often challenging for medical students to master as they transition into clinical careers. To address this challenge, we designed and embedded interventional modalities into a highly mentored and longitudinal scholarly concentration component of the curriculum. Intervention: The Embark scholarly concentration program incorporates traditional research training with the development of professional practice skills essential for transitioning to clinical practice. The program includes individualized and just-in-time components enabling student access to information and feedback specific to their projects and development of professional practice skills. Context: The Embark program is a required longitudinal component of the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine undergraduate medical curriculum. The Embark program consists of courses that inform and facilitate a required longitudinal independent research project. Outcome: A retrospective evaluation of the Embark program’s success with development of professional practice skills through the lens of both faculty and student perceptions included analysis of project records and course evaluation feedback. Evaluation of individual student development of transitional skill ability is possible through both quantitative and qualitative analysis of data collected from student project records. More than 80% of course evaluation commentary on strengths of the program addressed activities related to professional practice skills. To systematize the evaluation of these data sources, we have piloted a framework, iSAIL, designed to assess student development in these skills during the planning and conduct of a research project. Lessons learned: By developing professional practice skills in the context of a scholarly concentration program, medical students can build a foundation for future engagement in research while they develop skills to overcome challenges that they are likely to encounter in their clinical careers. Modalities designed to evaluate individualized student development of professional practice skills through research participation define program successes and may lead to the identification of additional resources needed by students. By offering medical students opportunities to develop professional practice skills within the protected environment of an independent research project, this scholarly concentration program provides a valuable opportunity to influence the early development of skills necessary throughout their clinical careers.

Helping Trainees Develop Scholarship in Academic Medicine From Community Service.

Service in the community and academic medicine are often seen by trainees as unrelated. This may be one reason for the lack of faculty diversity and the declining interest in academic medicine among new trainees. We developed an educational workshop through the application of the Kern model to help medical students and residents understand the relationship between community service work and scholarship as it pertains to a career in academic medicine. Specifically, the workshop helped trainees (1) understand the terms service and scholarship, (2) understand the benefits of achieving community service scholarship, and (3) identify steps to achieve community service scholarship through mock cases and personal stories. The workshop was implemented at five conferences with a total of 139 trainees. Results of a paired-samples t test of learners' responses pre- and postworkshop showed statistically significant growth in their confidence to publish service-related work, as well as more positive agreement with the notion that community service work aligns with an academic medicine career. This effective module can help trainees understand how community service and academic medicine are aligned, and raise their confidence in building a foundation for an academic medicine career through conducting community service scholarship.

The Miniproject: An initial step in scientific research skill development for first-semester medical students

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Although medical students involved in research training express greater interest in academic medicine, a paucity of clinician-scientists remains. Herein, we describe a feasible project, titled 'The Miniproject,' which introduces first-semester medical students to basic concepts in scientific research. The Miniproject was introduced in 2007 as part of a major curriculum reform to provide a structured, systematic approach to scientific training to Karolinska Institute's study programme in Medicine. The Miniproject itself was developed in recognition that emphasis is increasingly placed on student-centred study, which involves greater assumption of responsibility by the student for his or her own learning. Over the course of five days during the first weeks of medical school, students participate in a variety of activities designed to align with five intended learning outcomes. These intended learning outcomes include: formulating a scientific hypothesis; discussing, in broad terms, at least one method used to answer a scientific question; giving and receiving feedback from peers and teachers; demonstrating the ability to search, interpret, present and discuss written and oral scientific medical information; and actively engaging in a small group discussion. Teachers facilitate small group discussions, but encourage students to lead these discussions. Via electronic, anonymous evaluations, most students (65.1%) evaluated the Miniproject as good or very good. In conclusion, the Miniproject is a feasible project led by researchers, and which is designed to introduce first-semester medical students to scientific literature and the research process, as initial steps in the scientific development thread.

Impact of a mentored student clerkship on underrepresented minority diversity in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery.

To describe the impact of a mentored clerkship initiative on underrepresented minority medical students interested in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS). Prospective observational study. An outreach effort to recruit underrepresented minority students was initiated in 2008, consisting of either a 3-month research clerkship or a 1-month clinical rotation. Financial assistance and faculty mentorship was provided for students. Upon conclusion of the clerkship, students completed a post-clerkship evaluation form. Students were followed regarding residency applications, match status, and publications. Evaluations were compiled and analyzed. The number of publications resulting from interaction with faculty mentors was calculated. Fifteen students participated in the clerkship from 11 medical schools. Of those, 10 students participated in the clinical clerkship, four in the research clerkship, and one in both clerkships. Evaluation (5-point Likert scale) average scores and comments revealed high student satisfaction with the rotations (4.85), provided individual mentorship (4.85), and provided exposure to academic medicine (4.92). Participants indicated the rotation favorably impacted their decision to apply for OHNS residency training and increased their interest in academic medicine. The participants had an average number of 1.7 publications, with 1.18 publications in OHNS journals. Six publications resulted from direct interaction between students and faculty during the clerkship. Seven students applied for OHNS residency programs, and six matched successfully. Mentored clerkships for underrepresented minority medical students increases interest in applying to OHNS residency training programs and is a successful approach to increasing physician diversity. It provides a pathway to expand research opportunities and increase student interest in academic medicine. NA Laryngoscope, 126:2684-2688, 2016.

Evaluating the 'Vanishing Virtue' Argument in Medical Education: Motivation to Attend Medical School and Expected Work Areas Over the Course of the Medical School Experience.

A consequence of the 1910 Flexner Report on medical education is emphasis on objectivity at the expense of empathy (vanishing virtue). Previous studies of the vanishing virtue hypothesis used measures of empathy that produced inconsistent results. We use two indicators of empathy, reported motivation to attend medical school and anticipated career. Motive was defined as interest in academic medicine, service or economic success. Career interests were in scholarship, public health or private practice. Predictor variables include number of years in medical school, race, gender, type school (historically black or traditionally white), undergraduate GPA and debt. The sample is 375 medical students from a population of approximately 600 students in 8 medical schools, 5 traditionally white and 3 historically black. Using general linear models, we find that race, years in medical school and type school are the main predictors of academic and service motives.

Racial and Ethnic Minority Medical Students’ Perceptions of and Interest in Careers in Academic Medicine

To describe diverse medical students' perceptions of and interest in careers in academic medicine. In 2010, the authors invited students attending three national medical student conferences to respond to a survey and participate in six focus groups. The authors identified trends in data through bivariate analyses of the quantitative dataset and using a grounded theory approach in their analysis of focus group transcripts. The 601 survey respondents represented 103 U.S. medical schools. The majority (72%) were in their first or second year; 34% were black and 17% were Hispanic. Many respondents (64%) expressed interest in careers in academic medicine; teaching and research were viewed as positive influences on that interest. However, black and Hispanic respondents felt they would have a harder time succeeding in academia. The 73 focus group participants (25% black, 29% Hispanic) described individual- and institutional-level challenges to academic medicine careers and offered recommendations. They desired deliberate and coordinated exposure to academic career paths, research training, clarification of the promotion process, mentorship, protected time for faculty to provide teaching and research training, and an enhanced infrastructure to support diversity and inclusion. Medical students expressed an early interest in academic medicine but lacked clarity about the career path. Black and Hispanic students' perceptions of having greater difficulty succeeding in academia may be an obstacle to engaging them in the prospective pool of academicians. Strategic and dedicated institutional resources are needed to encourage racial and ethnic minority medical students to explore careers in academic medicine.

Medical student interest in academic medical careers: a multi-institutional study.

Little is known about how medical students view academic medicine. This multi-institutional study explored student perceptions of this career path. During 2009–2010, third- and fourth-year students at three United States medical schools completed a 30-item online survey. In total, 239 students completed the questionnaire (37 % response rate). Significant predictors of students’ desires for academic medical careers included interest in teaching (γ = 0.74), research (γ = 0.53), interprofessional practice (γ = 0.34), administration (γ = 0.27), and community service opportunities (γ = 0.16). A positive correlation existed between accumulated debt and interest in academic medicine (γ = 0.20). Student descriptions of the least and most appealing aspects of academic medicine were classified into five categories: professional, research, personal, teaching and mentoring, and patients/patient care. Students are more likely to be interested in a career in academic medicine if they have participated in research or were influenced by a mentor. Factors that may also influence a medical student’s decision to pursue a career in academic medicine include age and debt accumulated prior to medical school. Professional aspects of academic medicine (cutting edge environment, resources) and the opportunity to teach were the most appealing aspects.

Encouraging Women of Color to Enter Academic Medicine

To the Editor: Borges and colleagues1 describe the paths that lead women to academic medicine. We commend them for shedding light on this important topic. As faculty members of the University of California (UC) system, we are keenly aware of the need to increase the representation of women among the academic faculty ranks.2 Due to the projected population growth in California, coupled with a large number of health science faculty reaching retirement age, there will be a need to replace and increase this pool in the next decade. Addressing faculty diversity in the health sciences within the UC system, and elsewhere, is essential for creating the future leaders in teaching, research, and clinical care. One important subgroup not discussed by Borges and colleagues is that of women of color, who have an even smaller representation in academic medicine. The creation of pipeline programs from premedical school through the academic ladder could be a tactic used to increase diversity in medicine. Encouraging women at the earliest stages of their medical careers and giving them information, skills, and motivation to pursue academic careers may be a way of ensuring their entrance into this track instead of hoping a road will lead them there, regardless of the fact that their career decisions are many years away. Programs like the UC Diversity Pipeline Initiative are actively encouraging female medical students, including women of color, to pursue academic careers instead of hoping some will “settle” for them. We need to look closely at our pipeline efforts for women and be particularly strategic in catching and stimulating women of color’s interest in academic medicine throughout their training if we hope to increase their representation there. Lourdes Guerrero, EdD Assistant professor of medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California; [email protected] M. Ines Boechat, MD Professor of radiology and pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California.

Promoting academic medicine to medical students

British Journal of Hospital MedicineVol. 73, No. 6 CorrespondencePromoting academic medicine to medical studentsCD Russell, AMH Young, GM FunstonCD RussellSearch for more papers by this author, AMH YoungSearch for more papers by this author, GM FunstonSearch for more papers by this authorCD Russell; AMH Young; GM FunstonPublished Online:16 Aug 2013https://doi.org/10.12968/hmed.2012.73.6.354aAboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View article References Funston GM, Young AMH (2011) The Cambridge University Clinical Research Society (CUCRS): Fostering interest in Academic Medicine. Med Educ 45(11): 1134–5 Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 1 June 2012Volume 73Issue 6ISSN (print): 1750-8460ISSN (online): 1759-7390 Metrics History Published online 16 August 2013 Published in print 1 June 2012 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download

Financial Conflicts of Interest in Academic Medicine: Whence They Came, Where They Went

Financial Conflicts of Interest in Academic Medicine: Whence They Came, Where They Went

Factors influencing the career decisions of United States hematology oncology fellows training at NCI- and NCCN-designated cancer centers.

6144 Background: Factors influencing hematology-oncology fellows' choice of academic medicine as a career are not well defined. Moreover, it appears that trainees' interest in academic medicine wanes as they progress through fellowship training. To better understand the factors that impact on career choices we undertook a survey of hematology-oncology fellows at National Cancer Institute (NCI) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) designated cancer centers. Methods: Program directors at all NCI and NCCN cancer centers were emailed and invited to participate in the study. Surveys were distributed through the offices of all participating programs. Results: A total of 422 fellows were surveyed;236 responded (62.3% RR). 58% were male, 64% were PGY2 and PGY3, 46% had > $100,000 in debt, 22% had a second post-graduate degree and 15% intended to pursue an additional degree after training. 98% had participated in a research project during training; 45% in clinical research, 17% basic science research and 29% in both a clinical and a basic science research project. Fellows choosing an academic career were more likely to have presented (78% vs. 57%; p = 0.001) their research at a scientific meeting. They were also more likely to have published (78% vs. 50%; p < 0.0001). Additional factors associated with choosing an academic career included perceived status (p < 0.0001), faculty mentorship (p < 0.0001), perceived support of research interests (p < 0.000) and desire to teach (p < 0.0001). Regardless of career path fellows ranked job satisfaction, consistency with personality and experience with patients, among the most important factors in their career decisions. Fellows choosing nonacademic careers listed lifestyle factors such as on-call and work hours and time for leisure among the most important factors in their career decision. Conclusions: Strategies are needed to increase fellows' interest in pursuing academic careers. Our data suggest increased opportunities for research and publication along with improved mentorship are key factors necessary to attract fellows into academic careers. In addition, lifestyle issues, real or perceived, require more attention and study. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Serving Two Masters — Conflicts of Interest in Academic Medicine

In January, Boston-based Partners HealthCare began sharply limiting the amount of compensation institutional officials may receive for serving on boards of directors of biomedical companies or companies that are likely to do business with Partners. Dr. Bernard Lo discusses the new Partners policy and the important ways in which the mission of academic health centers may diverge from that of for-profit medical companies.

Integrating Research Training Into Residency: Tools of Human Investigation

Although the need for new physician-clinical scientists has never been greater, significant obstacles deter young physicians from careers in clinical research. Local and federal programs have sought to stimulate interest in clinical research among young physicians, medical students, and even undergraduates, but few formal programs have specifically focused on stimulating interest among residents in training. The recent implementation of strict duty hours regulations has provided residents with additional time to focus on career choices, and this has created an opportunity for training programs to offer new educational initiatives during residency. The authors present Tools of Human Investigation (THI), a two-week rotation offered during the second year of residency. The goals of THI are to provide seminar-based exposure to research methodologies, to impart the tools required to critically appraise the scientific literature, and to provide a small-group forum for career discussions. These three goals are achieved by drawing on a group of research faculty to lead sessions that combine didactics with career development guidance. A course like THI is one innovative way to stimulate interest in human research during residency that could help bridge the discontinuity between the research explorations promoted during medical school and the rigorous expectations of fellowship.