Research Year & Half Year Programs

Medical students at BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine may choose to take an additional year or half year (outside of the medical school curriculum) to undertake full-time research under the guidance of a mentor.

There are three pathways for medical students for these programs:

Half-Year Research Program at Boston University Medical Center

Research Year at Boston University Medical Center (BUMC)

Research Year at External Sites

Program Contacts:

My Research Year Experience

"My research experience began in the Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM) under the mentorship of Dr. Finn Hawkins and Dr. Andrew Berical. I spent my first 3 years of medical school gaining competency in undertaking bench research and working with stem cells in the context of pulmonology and researching airway diseases such as cystic fibrosis and primary ciliary dyskinesia.

In the summer of 2022, I participated in the MSSRP studying the “Differentiation of Patient-Specific Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Airway Basal Cells into Small Airway Epithelial Cells” for which I also received the Serchuck Poster Award at the annual research symposium.

I am currently undertaking a research year between my 3rd and 4th year of medical school and through the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine’s research track, conducting ObGyn research – specifically in reproductive endocrinology and infertility – under the mentorship of Dr. Wendy Kuohung. I’ve been working on both clinical and bench research in projects ranging from looking at how to integrate Artificial Intelligence in ObGyn surgical decision making to examining proteins thought to potentially play a role in recurrent implantation failure and preeclampsia. Finally, under the mentorship of Dr. Katharine White, I’ve also spent some time researching and writing a paper on contraception accessibility and side effect management in the United States." - Gabrielle Chefane. MD Candidate

Project Title: "APOL1 Variant-Overexpressing Cell Lines in Compound Screening for Preeclampsia Drug Discovery"

Faculty Mentor: Wendy Kuohung, MD