Recognizing that research is an integral part of a university, the School of Medicine of St. George's University established the Medical Student Research Institute (MSRI) in 2009 to encourage, support, facilitate and centralize medical student research during the four years of a student's medical education.  By offering exceptional students the opportunity to work on faculty-mentored research projects, the MSRI aims to:

• Advance the research arm of the medical school's mission and outcome objectives, while simultaneously
• Enhancing student development and competitiveness for residency programs.

The MSRI offers medical students who have demonstrated academic excellence (minimum WMPG of 85.00%, no exceptions) to become involved in research. Graduation with research distinction is offered for students who have a minimum WMPG of 85.00% and two or more peer reviewed publications at the time of graduation.

All St. George's University faculty members are encouraged to participate, and mentor medical students in their research and scholarly activities. 

 

The goals of the MSRI are to:

• Advance the mission of the SGU medical school which views research as an integral part of medical education and health care.
• Facilitate collaboration between medical students and faculty members in the conduct of clinical and basic science research. This includes instruction in the scientific method (hands-on or simulated exercises,  test/ verify hypotheses or biological/medical questions, as well as ethics, clinical and translational research applied to patient care
• Centralize all basic science and clinical research under a single institution to allow sharing of resources between the multiple clinical sites and the medical school.
• Promote and track the scholarly activity of students and faculty of SGU.
• Provide online resources to assist students and faculty in their efforts to publish scholarly research.
• Offer the exceptional medical student the opportunity to begin a four-year clinical journey that will culminate in the conveying of a Doctor of Medicine degree with Distinction in Research.

 

Each term the MSRI Director identifies MSRI mentors, and the complete list are posted on the online application form. The link to this form is posted on the Term 2 Sakai page at the beginning of each term.

Each student participant works with a faculty mentor with special expertise who has been matched, as closely as possible, to the student's research interests and career goals. Students either assist the faculty member in an ongoing research project or work collaboratively with the mentor in designing a new project of mutual interest.

Please be aware that the mentors devote a significant amount of time to assist with student research.

The intensive nature of the program requires a large-time commitment from the participants, but the time commitment is up to the students. We advise that you are able to commit 100% to MSRI before applying.
Expectations:

• Participants are required to attend all scheduled events and activities related to the program. 
• Students must be present the entire length of the program.
• Students must complete the online MSRI research course and related quizzes and assignments by the deadlines
• Complete their ethics certification, or provide comparable certificates
• Be professional in their communications with students and faculty
• All conference materials or publications must list SGU affiliation, or that you are a medical student at St George's University, Grenada, West Indies.
• Term 2 MSRI submit a draft abstract of your project to the MSRI director by the given deadlines (usually April and November)

MSRI is divided into Basic Sciences and Clinical Years. For information on the respective programs please contact the persons below:

Martin St. Clair Forde, ScD, P. Eng
MSRI Basic Science Director
mforde@sgu.edu

James Coey, M.D.
UK-KBT
MSRI-KBT Basic Science Director
JCoey@@sgu.edu

Beryl De Souza. M.D.
UK
MSRI Clinical Director
msriuk@sgu.edu

US Clinicals: contact Hospital Research Co-ordinators, or Faculty active in research

Basic Sciences MSRI, Terms 2 through 5:

Students are only accepted into the MSRI during Term 2 of Basic Sciences. Students are asked to concentrate on projects in Term 2, Term 3, and Term 5. Due to the intense course-load that exists in Term 4, students are not expected to participate in research during this time.

This mandatory course was implemented in Fall 2018. Its aims are to increase-student faculty interaction, and deliver basic research knowledge to all MSRI students. This course allows you to get a jumpstart on your project, so that you can have a conference presentation or publication before graduation.

The course consists runs approximately 3 months, consists of 6 modules summarized below (4 are mandatory).

1. Thinking like a clinical researcher- development of hypothesis with your mentor
2. Statistics and Pitfalls- Research design and complete a draft of your abstract
3. How to write a paper for publication
4. Ethics- IRB, avoiding plagiarism
5. Presenting at conferences (optional)
6. Submitting a paper (optional)

Students who fail to complete the mandatory assignments, or all 3 quizzes by the deadlines will be dismissed from the program.

MSRI participation (Basic Sciences Years)

Students are only accepted into the MSRI-Grenada during Term 2 of Basic Sciences .

Students who have a minimum WMPG of 85.00% in  BPM 1 are eligible to apply. (No exceptions)

Students must maintain a minimum WMPG of 85% to remain in MSRI.

BPM 1- Last week of term   Faculty inform of slots	Faculty- will inform the MSRI director of the number of research slots in the last week of each term.
BPM 2- First week Student online application	Students- Announcements for the Basic Science applications are made in BPM 2 courses and posted on Sakai. Applicants apply via an online application form, ranking the Departments in which they wish to conduct research. Incomplete applications, and/or applications submitted after the deadline are not considered.
BPM 2- After Exam 1 Departmental interviews	Faculty and Students- Faculty will review materials for applicants who applied to their Department, and select students to interview. Faculty will liaise with DOBS office to schedule interviews during this week. Group interviews may also be conducted if there are high numbers of applicants selected. Faculty will inform the MSRI Director of selected students by 5pm on the Friday of that week.
BPM 2- 1-2 weeks after Exam 1 Notification of matching	Students will be informed by the Director of MSRI of matching to Departmental slots.

 

Program Duration

Keith B Taylor Global Scholars Programme (KBT) , Basic Sciences MSRI, Terms 1 through 5:

Students are accepted into KBT MSRI during Term 1 of Basic Sciences. Students initiate projects in NU over Terms 1 and 2, and continue to be mentored by NU faculty if projects extend beyond their time there. Due to the intense course-load that exists in Term 4, students are not expected to participate in research during this time.

Student Eligibility

Northumbria (NU)-MSRI participation (Basic Sciences Years- Northumbria)
KBT students can only be accepted into MSRI through the approval of the UK Director of MSRI (Dr James Coey).

Students are required to achieve a WMPG of 85.00% in the  Foundations to Medicine (FTM) are to be eligible to apply.

Students are required to maintain a minimum WMPG of 85% to remain in MSRI.

Application and MSRI matching process

BPM 1- Last week of previous term  Faculty inform of slots	Faculty- Are identified by the  UK MSRI director to mentor student projects.
BPM 1- Orientation Week Application	Students- Announcements for students are made during orientation week. Application via forms provided by the KBT administration office. Incomplete applications, and/or applications submitted after the deadline are not considered.
BPM 1- After Exam 2 FTM Interviews	Faculty and Students- The UK MSRI Director  will review applicants and meet with eligible students and Faculty mentors.
BPM 1- 2 weeks after Exam 2 FTM Notification of matching	Students will be allocated faculty mentors and be informed of the timeline and scope of MSRI projects through research  meetings and review of previous projects. Important information for when students move to Grenada. Please contact Dr James Coey regarding your research projects. KBT/NU students continue to be mentored by NU faculty if projects extend into their time in Grenada.