Department of Dermatology Medical Student Research Program (DMSRP)

The Department of Dermatology established a Medical Student Research Program in 2023. The program provides research opportunities for medical students by funding dermatological research projects that bridge clinical care and scientific discovery.

Grant Amount and Length of Award Period

The grant is $2,500 per award, and the award period is six months from the date of award disbursement. The funding is not to support the student’s salary, stipend, tuition, or faculty mentor’s travel. Funds will be disbursed into a discretionary fund of the mentor. Up to two awards will be given each application cycle.

Research Area

Applications can propose any dermatology-related research. The type of research can range from T0 (basic science), T1 (translation to humans), T2 (translation to patients), T3 (translation to practice) to T4 (translation to communities).

Deadline

Applications will be accepted until November 1 (winter cycle) and May 1 (summer cycle) at 5:00 PM MT. Decisions will be made and emailed by December 1 (winter cycle) and June 1 (summer cycle).

Eligibility

• The applicant must be a CU SOM student currently in good academic standing. Both MD and/or MD/PhD students are eligible to apply.
• The student cannot submit more than one application per cycle.
• The research mentor should be a CU Dermatology faculty member. Co-mentors are allowed.

Submission of the Application Package

A co-PI grant proposal must be submitted by a University of Colorado (CU) medical student and a CU Dermatology faculty mentor. The applicants must assemble all three documents into one PDF and send it to Derm.Admin@CUAnschutz.edu.

• 1-page application (explaining Project Goal, Research Plan, Budget, and Timeline)
• NIH biosketch (not to exceed 5 pages) of the CU medical student
• NIH biosketch (not to exceed 5 pages) of the CU Derm faculty mentor

Review Process

All proposals will be graded in three major categories: applicant, application, and mentor. All committee members will review each proposal. Each reviewer will assign a point score to the relevant areas noted below, and a final score will be generated by averaging the reviewer's scores. No reviewer shall review a proposal for which he or she may have a conflict of interest. The top-ranked proposals are recommended for funding to the Department Chair, Dr. Maryam Asgari. The number of grants selected for funding may change based on available funds.

Review Criteria

• Applicant: Academic Achievement, Leadership Potential, Research Background and Experience, Interest in a Career in Research
• Application: Content/Significance, Clarity, Methodology, Feasibility
• Mentor: Experience in the Proposed Technique, Research Environment

Reporting

Recipients will be required to complete and return the Final Report Form (at least 1 page) no later than one month following the completion of the research study. The report must be signed by both the student and the faculty mentor. Acknowledgment of support from the DMSRP must accompany any published report using data or findings from research conducted under an award from the DMSRP. The intellectual property reviewed remains within the institution. Furthermore, the recipients will be invited to the Dermatology Grand Round to present the project following the completion of the research period.