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 Program Details

The Vanderbilt Medical Student Research Training Program (SRTP) started the summer of 1975 and since then over 1,400 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.