The Neurological and Rehabilitation Sciences Training Program will sponsor at least eight scholarships for the Summer Research Training Program (SRTP) offered to medical students and doctorate students in the physical therapy program in the School of Health Professions. During the SRTP, students participate in all phases of a project from early review of the literature to oral presentations of the results. 

The goal of the summer training program is to provide a complete, albeit abbreviated, training experience wherein students have the opportunity to:

• develop/enhance skills to critically read and interpret biomedical literature;
• develop/enhance their ability to apply scientific reasoning to the problem-solving process;
• better understand the full process of biomedical, and specifically neurological and rehabilitation, research by hands-on experience in virtually all aspects of a basic, clinical, or behavioral science research project under the guidance of a faculty research mentor;
• develop/enhance scientific communication skills;
• and, for some, to consider pursuit of a research career in academic medicine or to develop a participatory interest in collaborative research with established scientists.

Upon completion of the summer experience, trainees supply a draft of an abstract and PowerPoint presentation about their research project, which they then present during the Fall Retreat and the KUMC Student Research Forum in April.

A minimum of 2.5 cumulative GPA as of the end of the first year of studies at KUMC is required for consideration. The School of Medicine and the School of Health Professions issue a call for applicants every year. Please apply through their application systems at that time.

Detailed Instructions

All summer applicants will need the following documents to upload:

1. Copy of your mentor's updated NIH Biosketch.  
2. Your curriculum vitae. The CV is the document that lists your employment, education, publications (if any), awards and any other information that is important for the review committee to know about you.
3. A one-page statement of your career goals. How will this summer project help you in attaining your career goals? What path do you see yourself following after medical school or after physical therapy program? This personal statement is critical to the application.
4. Up to 3 pages of a research proposal. You should work with your mentor to develop the description of the research you propose to perform. You should give a brief background to the problem. Why is this research important? What do you plan to do? What do you expect to observe? 

For specific annual deadlines and details of the program please contact Dr. John Stanford, jstanford@kumc.edu regarding School of Medicine applicants or Dr. Irina Smirnova at ismirnova@kumc.edu regarding School of Health Professions applicants.