Medical Student Research Training Program (SRTP)
SRTP Overview
The Vanderbilt Medical Student Research Training Program (SRTP) is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and allows medical students to conduct research under the direction of an established scientist in the areas of diabetes, obesity, kidney disease or digestive disease at Vanderbilt during the summer between the first and second or second and third years of medical school.
Program Objectives
- To provide the opportunity for the student to conduct diabetes and related disease research in order to gain an improved understanding of research and career opportunities in biomedical research
- To provide an atmosphere that encourages and facilitates student interaction with a varied group of established investigators and clinicians
- To give participants a comprehensive and current understanding of diabetes mellitus, its clinical manifestations and its unsolved problems
SRTP at a glance
Program Director:
Bill Heerman, MD, MPH
Duration: 2-3 months (summer)
T35
MD, DO students
SRTP offers three areas of emphasis
Diabetes and Obesity
Research areas include:
- Carbohydrate physiology
- Complications of diabetes
- Exercise physiology
- Hormone action/signal transduction
- Immunology related to diabetes
- Neuroscience related to obesity and diabetes
- Pancreatic islets/insulin secretion
- Patient education and behavior related to diabetes.
Kidney Disease
Research areas include:
- Diabetic nephropathy
- Hypoxia and cellular signaling
- Immune-mediated kidney disease
- Kidney fibrosis
- Metabolism and inflammation in acute and chronic kidney disease
- Psychosocial aspects of kidney disease
Students selected for this program will participate in the Vanderbilt O'Brien Kidney Center Summer Research Training Program.
Digestive Disease
Research areas include:
- Epithelial integrity
- Gastrointestinal development and function
- Gastrointestinal physiology
- GI-related cancer
- Helicobacter pylori infection
- Inflammatory bowel disease
SRTP Program Details
The SRTP started in the summer of 1975 and since then over 1,200 students from more than 120 medical schools have participated. Each summer approximately 30 medical students participate in the program. See a list of recent alumni here.
Each student chooses an established Vanderbilt investigator in the field of diabetes, obesity, kidney disease or digestive disease. The areas of research are quite broad and range from basic laboratory studies to clinical studies in humans. Program staff will assist students in selecting a preceptor based on availability and research interests. The Vanderbilt faculty member and the medical student jointly design a research project which is conducted over the course of the summer.
At the conclusion of the summer, students present a brief summary of their work in a national research symposium. In addition to working on their own research projects, students attend a series of seminars addressing various clinical and research aspects of diabetes mellitus and its complications, kidney disease and hypertension, and digestive disease. Through these seminars, Vanderbilt faculty alert students to recent advances in basic and clinical research and treatment options.
- Students spend two to three months at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and receive a stipend of approximately $2,300 per month.
- Students must participate for a minimum of two calendar months (60 days) between late May and August and participate in the research symposium at Vanderbilt.
- Prior research experience is not required.
- MD and DO students are eligible to apply.
- Please note that students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents to participate in this program.
Thank you for your interest in our program. The application for 2026 has closed. If you are interested and available for the 2027 program, the application for next summer will open in late October of this year.
Program Director:
- Bill Heerman, MD, MPH, Diabetes and Obesity
Emphasis Area Co-Directors:
- Gautam (Jay) Bhave, MD, PhD, Kidney Disease
- Keith Wilson, MD, Digestive Disease
Diabetes & Obesity Track: Cell Signaling
Faculty |
Primary Appointment |
| Richard Breyer, PhD | Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine |
| Sheila Collins, PhD | Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine |
| Sean Davies, PhD | VUSM Department of Pharmacology |
Diabetes & Obesity Track: Clinical Research, Genetics, and Epidemiology
Faculty |
Primary Appointment |
| Italo Biaggioni, MD | Division of Genetic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine |
| Nancy Cox, PhD | Division of Genetic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine |
| Tom Elasy, MD, MPH | Division of General Internal Medicine and Public Health, Department of Medicine |
| Ayush Giri, MS, PhD | Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology |
| Sarah Jaser, PhD | Department of Pediatrics |
| James Luther, MD | Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine |
| Shelagh A. Mulvaney, PhD | VU School of Nursing |
| Russell Rothman, MD, MPP | Division of General Internal Medicine and Public Health, Department of Medicine |
| Christianne Roumie, MD, MPH | Division of General Internal Medicine and Public Health, Department of Medicine |
| William Russell, MD | Department of Pediatrics |
| David G. Schlundt, PhD | VU Department of Psychological Sciences |
| Danxia Yu, PhD | Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine |
Diabetes & Obesity Track: Complications Related to Diabetes
Faculty |
Primary Appointment |
| Milam Brantley, Jr., MD, PhD | Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences |
| Edward Chaum, PhD | VU School of Engineering |
| Agnes Fogo, MD | Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology |
| Scott Guelcher, PhD | VU School of Engineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering |
| MacRae F. Linton, MD | Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine |
| Kasey Vickers, PhD | Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine |
| Roy Zent, MD, PhD | Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine |
Diabetes & Obesity Track: In Vivo Metabolic Regulation and Obesity
Faculty |
Primary Appointment |
| David Aronoff, MD | Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine |
| Malcolm Avison, PhD | Department of Radiology |
| Julio Ayala, PhD | VUSM Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics |
| Charles Flynn, PhD | Department of Surgery |
| Alfredo Gamboa, MD, MSCI | Division of Genetic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine |
| Todd Hulgan, MD, MPH | Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine |
| John Koethe, MD, MSCI | Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine |
| Owen P. McGuinness, PhD | VUSM Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics |
| Cyndya A. Shibao, MD, MSCI | Division of Genetic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine |
| Ashley Shoemaker, MD, MSCI | Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Endocrinology |
| Heidi Silver, PhD | Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Medicine |
| Richard Simerly, PhD | VUSM Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics |
| Jamey Young, PhD | VUSM Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics |
Diabetes & Obesity Track: Islet Development, Biology, and Immunology
Faculty |
Primary Appointment |
| Leon Bellan, PhD | VU School of Engineering |
| Rachel Bonami, PhD | Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Department of Medicine |
| Wenbiao Chen, PhD | VUSM Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics |
| Danielle Dean, PhD | Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine |
| Maureen Gannon, PhD | Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine |
| David Jacobson, PhD | VUSM Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics |
| Irina Kaverina, PhD | VUSM Department of Cell and Developmental Biology |
| Mark Magnuson, MD | VUSM Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics |
| Daniel Moore, MD, PhD | Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Endocrinology |
| Richard O'Brien, PhD | VUSM Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics |
| Al Powers, MD | Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine |
| Chris Wright, DPhil | VUSM Department of Cell and Developmental Biology |
Digestive Disease Track
Faculty |
Primary Appointment |
| Robert Coffey, MD | Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Medicine |
| Timothy Cover, MD | Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine |
| Barbara M. Fingleton, PhD | VU Department of Pharmacology |
| Maureen Gannon, PhD | Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine |
| James Goldenring, MD, PhD | Department of Surgery |
| Ethan Lee, MD, PhD | VUSM Department of Cell and Developmental Biology |
| Richard Peek, MD | Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Medicine |
| Christopher Williams, MD, PhD | Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Medicine |
| Keith Wilson, MD | Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Medicine |
SRTP in the News
The Urgency of Research
Griffin Rodgers, MD, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, described the urgency of the nation’s diabetes epidemic July 26 during a symposium of the NIDDK Medical Student Research Program in Diabetes and Obesity hosted by Vanderbilt University.
The Vanderbilt Medical Student Research Training Program (SRTP) is supported by the Vanderbilt Short Term Research Training Program for Medical Students (NIH grant DK007383), the Vanderbilt Diabetes & Endocrinology Training Program (NIH grant T32 DK007061), and the Vanderbilt Diabetes Research Center (NIH grant DK20593).
Questions? Contact Us
Student Research Training Program (SRTP)
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, TN 37232