M4 Research Elective

The M4 Research Elective allows fourth-year medical students to undertake 4, 8, or 12 weeks of research under the direction of a mentor. Students may use the Research blocks as part of the Longitudinal Research Program. While most students will choose to work with BU faculty mentors, students may elect to participate in research with non-BU faculty at other institutions. At the end of the Research elective, each student submits a project summary and is evaluated by their research mentor.

Each student in the M4 Research Elective will:

1. Develop a research plan (under the direction of a mentor) that includes study aims, research objectives and research approach, and if applicable, a testable hypothesis
2. Apply the rules and procedures for performing research with biological systems (human beings or animals or biological samples or biomedical information), education and teaching concepts, or other categories adding to the body of scientific knowledge
3. Demonstrate the ability to gather, organize, and protect biomedical information
4. Demonstrate proficiency in laboratory and/or data processing skills geared toward generating original scientific results
5. Develop scientific writing skills to generate internal reports and ideally peer-reviewed publications
6. Develop scientific data presentation skills

Each student in the M4 Research Elective will complete the following steps:

• Identify a mentor to design a research proposal
• Submit a research proposal that will be reviewed and approved by the Medical Student Research Steering Committee
• Register for the Research elective through the registrar’s office.
• Complete the necessary pre-work (IRB, CITI, IACUC trainings) as designated by the student’s mentor at least 8 weeks prior to the start of the Research elective
• Engage in full-time (40 hrs/week) in-person research for the duration of the Research elective
• Submit a project summary at the end of the Research elective
• Students are encouraged to present their research at the annual Medical Student Research Symposium

Please note that applications for class of 2025 students have closed for the 2024-25 academic year. Details for applications for class of 2026 students will appear here in the fall of 2024.

Student application components:

• Name
• BU email address
• ORCID# (all students must have an ORCID# that is registered with BU – information here)
• Research project details including mentor name,  department, type of research, project title, purpose, hypothesis/research question, methods/data collection/analysis, anticipated results
• If you will be working with a non-BU faculty member, please indicate this in the application.
• The Research elective is governed by policies related to concentration in an any area, away rotations, and attendance/time off policies.

Mentor application components:

• Statement of support and additional project information
• Names of co-mentors
• Research project support
• Confirmation of approvals as appropriate (IRB, IACUC, IBC)

Applications are not considered complete until both student and mentor components are received.

Completed applications are reviewed by faculty members who are part of the Medical Student Research Steering Committee.

Evaluation criteria of student applications are as follows:

• Student: There is evidence that the student has established a connection with the mentor (and research team) indicating a commitment to the project
• Research proposal: The research questions are logically presented, experiments/data collection methods are appropriate, the project is feasible
• Mentor: The mentor is committed and available to the student. Mentor has approvals (IRB, IACUC, etc) in place. Mentor ensures the expertise of other researchers is available to student to be properly trained.

• Students may undertake up to 12 weeks (3 blocks) of research during their fourth year as part of the M4 Research Elective. Students who plan to undertake two or more blocks of research must schedule the blocks consecutively (e.g., blocks 13, 14); scheduling blocks out of sequential order (e.g., 14 and 18) is not allowed.
• The M4 Research Elective counts toward 12 weeks  in any one discipline in terms of the student’s fourth-year schedule.
• Research done outside of BU medical campus counts toward outside elective time.
• If the elective is done outside of BU medical campus, the comparable department at BU medical campus will be consulted to confirm the area of research.

Am I able to use the M4 research elective block to continue an existing research project?

Yes, you can use this research block to continue existing research or as part of a longitudinal research experience. In the application, be sure to describe the specific goals for the Research Elective block

Am I required to engage in research with BU faculty?

No, you can engage in research training with BU/BMC or non-BU faculty. For research with non-BU faculty the policies related to off-site rotations apply.

My research project will not have final IRB approval when I apply for the M4 elective. Is it OK to apply with a pending IRB?

If the intended project requires approvals, yet they are not in place it is helpful to describe other research projects with the same mentor as an alternative.

All students in the M4 Research Elective must submit a progress report no later than the last day of the selective block using this form.