Scholarships and Assistantships
I. Reid Collmann, M.D. Medical Student Educational Endowment
Background
Dr. I. Reid Collmann was a former Dean of the Graduate School of Medicine. To honor his years of leadership and service, the I. Reid Collmann, M.D. Medical Student Educational Endowment was established. The purpose of this endowment is to insure and enhance the quality of medical student education programs.
Dr. Collmann initiated the I. Reid Collmann, M.D. Medical Student Education Fund to give students an opportunity similar to his own student research experience. As a young medical student, Dr. Collmann quickly learned firsthand how research affects patient care. His wish of establishing this fund was built with hopes of empowering medical students with this same knowledge. The awareness of research’s impact on patient care is information that will build a solid foundation for the remainder of the student’s medical career.
Application and Assignment Process
Applications are accepted December 1, 2012 – February 28, 2013. Work assignments are given as soon as possible after the application deadline. Every effort is made to match the student with his or her interests with the corresponding researcher and laboratory. Space for this program is limited and preference is given to M1, M2 and premed students.
Applicants are encouraged to learn more about our research laboratories by visiting the research section of our Web site.
Requirements
Once awarded, the I. Reid Collmann, M.D. Medical Student Educational Endowment requires an eight week commitment from the student.
The student is compensated for his or her time in the research labs and is expected to complete the entire eight week commitment.
Each student will be evaluated mid-term on the basis of professionalism, eagerness to learn, and active engagement with the laboratory staff and researchers.
At the conclusion of the program, each participant is required to write a report describing their experiences during the eight week assistantship. Start dates are flexible and can run from mid-May to early August as long as eight consecutive weeks are served.
Student Testimonials
Emily Cornelius
Undergraduate
Middle Tennessee State University
Cornelius participated in research under the direction of Lee M. Hively, PhD, Senior Research Staff, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, who has been working on an algorithm to provide accurate forewarning of epileptic seizures. Cornelius supported Dr. Hively's research by conducting literary research regarding the prediction of epilepsy.
Cornelius said, "The opportunity the I. Reid Collmann, M.D. Educational Endowment provided is one that cannot be compared to any other. This experience allowed me to grow as a student while working with an astounding researcher."
Bo Cox
Medical Student
East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine
Cox participated in sports medicine research being conducted by Family Medicine Sports Medicine faculty Thomas Terrell, MD, Assistant Professor, and Irfan Asif, MD, Fellowship Program Director and Assistant Professor. Cox's research experience included developing research questions that pertained to factors that may predispose athletes to poor recovery from concussion as well as a literature review paper that supplements the study on concussion in athletes. Cox's review has been accepted for publication in the Southern Medical Journal as well.
Cox said, "This summer marked my first experience with medical research and was packed full of new ideas, creativity and learning. I have become aware of the intricacies of research and have found an interest in medical topics previously unknown to me."
Tori Hale
Medical Student
East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine
Hale conducted research in the Vascular Research Laboratory under the guidance of Deidra Mountain, PhD, Scientific Director and Associate Professor, Department of Surgery. She participated in research to identify the exact mechanisms responsible for intimal hyperplasia and restenosis as well as developing methods of gene therapy to target these mechanisms.
"It's amazing to me how much more research means after learning the basics of medical knowledge in the first year of medical school. The experience has been great," Hale said.
Alex Nelson
Undergraduate
University of Tennessee
Nelson participated in several projects within the Shock Trauma and Nutrition Research Laboratory under the direction of Michael Karlstad, PhD, Chief of Surgical Research. Projects included growing pancreatic beta cells in a culture to infect them with a virus that controls many genes in the inflammatory response and expose the cells to angiotensin to study if angiotensin receptors can be blocked so that glucose uptake in inflamed cells will increase. Other projects included wound healing in diabetics as well as wound healing post-surgery.
Nelson said the experience has fostered his interest in surgery.
Previous Collmann Student Experiences
Caroline Conley
Virginia Tech
Conley worked in the Shock Trauma and Nutrition Research Laboratory with Michael Karlstad, PhD, Chief of Surgical Research, looking at the interaction between the renin-angiotensin system in adipocytes and how it interacts with the insulin system. The objective was to show that glucose uptake is in fact affected by treatment with angiotensin IV and that the effect can be reversed by treatment with norleual. Conley said the research is important because insulin resistance causes a variety of chronic disorders including obesity and type II diabetes. As part of her research, Conley learned cell culture techniques and was responsible for all of the cell care for the 3T3-L1 adipocytes being used for the experiments. Conley said, "Because I was so new to participating in research, it was a very exciting eight weeks that opened my eyes to this world of truly learning through hands-on experience. I learned so much in these eight weeks and I'm sure it will aid me if I get accepted to medical school next year."
Nolan Irish
East Tennessee State University
Irish conducted research in the Vascular Research Laboratory under the guidance of Deidra Mountain, PhD, Scientific Director. He continued research performed by Josh Arnold, MD, Fellow of Vascular Surgery, in which the goal was to establish polymeric transfection as a feasible and clinically translatable method for gene therapy in the prevention of intimal hyperplasia in people who have had arterial grafts or balloon angioplasty. "The staff was knowledgeable, experienced and patient as I began this journey into the research arena," Irish said. "The staff ensured I had a thorough understanding of the study and superlative training on research techniques. Though the time I spent at the vascular lab was short, the impact to my career as a student and practicing physician has and will be significant," Nolan said.
Jerrin Nabers
University of Kentucky
Nabers worked in the Anesthesiology Research Laboratory under the direction of Roger Carroll, PhD, Director. She participated in a study in the pain clinic that was testing an impedance device to help assist doctors in giving their patients epidurals; studies already underway that involve using the TEG analyzer, a machine that measures the clotting factors, or lack of, in a patient's blood sample; and a chart review study that examined the hospital's protocol on handling patients that have a pacemaker. Nabers said that by participating in the program, she learned the importance of protocol in research, specifically in working with the Institutional Review Board to be sure standards of research are met. "Being part of the Collmann program has opened my eyes to the endless possibilities that research in medicine has to offer," Nabers said. "Whether it is trying to determine the side effects of a new treatment or ensuring hospital protocol is allowing patients to receive the best treatment, research is constantly changing the face of medicine."
Wissam Tobea
UT Health Science Center
Tobea conducted research in the Conformational Diseases and Therapeutics Research Laboratory under the direction of Valerie Berthelier, PhD, Director, to research how a protein has negative effects on type II diabetes. He said the goal of the research was to identify small molecules capable of modifying the toxic structure of early-forming misfolded proteins termed IAPP (Islet Amyloid Polypeptide). To accomplish this objective, Tobea participated in developing an in vitro screening assay that uses synthetic small IAPP aggregates and can screen around 2,000 small molecules per week. Tobea said, "The Collmann program helped shape my medical school experience in that I now have a good research foundation to build upon."
