MD with Special Training in Research

The MD with Special Training in Research program (MD/STIR) is designed for Year 1 medical students in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry (FoMD) who wish to participate in research above and beyond what is offered within the MD Program.

In the MD/STIR, you will join a research team and directly engage in biomedical research over 24 weeks. Should you complete your MD degree and all requirements of the MD/STIR, you will receive the designation of "Special Training in Research" on your degree parchment and transcript.

Objectives of MD/STIR

The MD/STIR is intended to:

• Foster a greater awareness of the importance of research to MD students
• Provide opportunities to participate in fundamental or clinical research
• Provide formative feedback to help develop critical thinking, writing and presentation skills
• Provide formal recognition of students who show a good practical understanding of the scientific process including development, formulation and testing of hypotheses, experimental design, validation, presentation, analysis and interpretation of results

Eligibility Requirements

FoMD medical students are eligible for the MD/STIR if they meet the following requirements:

1. You are a Year 1 student
2. Your primary research supervisor for the identified project is a full-time academic member of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry (FoMD)
3. Your identified research project is hypothesis-driven and involves the collection and analysis of primary data

Note: Literature reviews are not eligible at this time.

Action Items to Fulfill Program Requirements

You must complete the following requirements to meet the requirements of the MD/STIR.

Identify a Research Supervisor

Identify a research supervisor who is strongly supportive of your participation in their research. Your supervisor will direct your research activities and, in some cases, may contribute to stipend support. 

Your primary supervisor must be a full-time academic member (A1.1 or C1.1 appointment) in the FoMD who is eligible to supervise research students. If necessary, supervisors may involve collaborators outside of the University of Alberta to participate as co-supervisors.

It is important that your supervisor has a strong research program and is willing to guide you through the program. Give special consideration to supervisors who have peer-reviewed research grant support, successfully supervised research trainees, published research from their own group (typically as first or last author) and published with their trainees. 

Note: Supervisors can only submit one student application per cycle. 

Apply for Summer Student Stipend Support

The MD/STIR includes a summer period of full-time research. All MD/STIR students must receive summer student stipend support when they are engaged in the full-time summer research portions of the program. There are several options for stipend support. It is your responsibility to be aware of and apply for eligible support options. If you are unable to secure full stipend support, you will be withdrawn from the MD/STIR.

Some sources of stipend support include:

• Alberta Innovates (AI) Summer Studentship Award. The application deadline is usually in February. It is your responsibility to look out for the competition announcement and submit your application on time. 
• Any other summer studentship competition (e.g. NSERC, WCHRI, etc.). It is your responsibility to be aware of eligible competitions and submit your application on time.
• FoMD internal summer studentships. These studentships offer partial stipend support. It is your responsibility to request a top-up from your supervisor. If your supervisor cannot top-up to a full stipend, you will be withdrawn from the MD/STIR program. There is no separate application for this competition. If you apply to Alberta Innovates (AI) you are automatically entered into the FoMD studentship competition. 
• Supervisor research funds. It is your responsibility to arrange for summer stipend support from your supervisor in the event you are unsuccessful in securing a stipend from the above competitions. 

Apply to the MD/STIR

You must submit an application to be considered for the MD/STIR. Your application will be assessed by members of the MD Research Committee. Your application will receive feedback and you may be allowed to submit revisions. 

Applications for the 2024 MD with STIR Program have now closed. 

The application must include each of the following components:

Research Proposal

You are responsible for writing a research proposal that is hypothesis-driven and requires the collection of primary data. You must discuss potential research projects with your supervisor and ensure that your supervisor is supportive of your proposal.

These proposals can take time to write, and we recommend that you begin at least two months before the due date. Your proposal will be assessed based on the scientific merit and feasibility of the proposed project. 

Your supervisor must spend time guiding you during the writing of the proposal. If your supervisor or their delegate does not have enough time, this may not be the best environment for a successful MD/STIR.

Ethics Approval

You must include documentation showing that an ethics approval is in place or pending at the time of your application. You will work with your supervisor to apply for this ethics approval. Lack of timely ethics approval is a major reason for student withdrawal from the program. 

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

You must include your CV in your application. No previous research experience is required. Your CV will be reviewed to assess the feasibility of your research project.

You must also include your supervisor’s CV. The reviewers will assess the supervisor with respect to (i) peer-reviewed research grant support, (ii) successful supervision of research trainees, (iii) publications from their own group (typically as first- or last-author) and (iv) publications with their trainees.

Indication of Research Timeline

This program requires a minimum of 24 weeks of research experience. You must conduct 16 weeks of full-time research in the summer following your first year in the MD program. You can complete the remaining eight weeks of research in one of three ways:

1. Full-time in the summer after Year 2 (Option A)
2. Part-time during academic Year 2 and part of the summer after Year 2 (Option B)
3. Part-time during academic Years 2 and 3 (Option C)

Note: Vacation time is not permitted during your research timeline.

Full-time in the summer after Year 2 (Option A)

Part-time during academic Year 2 and part of the summer after Year 2 (Option B)

Part-time during academic Years 2 and 3 (Option C)

Complete Research Component

The proposed research must:

1. Be novel, hypothesis-driven and require the collection of primary data. The reviewers will assess the scientific merit and feasibility of the project.
2. Consist of a minimum of 24 weeks of research experience (excluding vacation time) through flexible timelines.

Complete Student Presentations + Reports

Throughout your research program, you are required to complete the following presentations and reports:

• One informal, three-minute oral pitch during the first summer. Presentation dates will be scheduled by the FoMD’s Office of Research
• One presentation at the MD/STIR Journal Club during the first summer. Presentation dates will be scheduled by the FoMD’s Office of Research
• A midterm report submitted by July 1 of the first summer. This is a firm deadline. No midterm reports will be accepted after this date. 
• An oral presentation to a group such as a lab meeting, group meeting or conference, as arranged by the supervisor
• Poster presentation at the FoMD Summer Student Research Day or equivalent as outlined in the application form

Submit Final Written Report

The final research report for students in Option A or B is due on the last Monday of September 2025. Final reports for students in Option C are due on the last Monday of September 2026. This is a firm deadline. No final reports will be accepted after this date.

You must complete a final report in the form of a research manuscript consisting of an abstract, introduction, methodology, results, discussion, figures, figure legends, tables and references. 

Your report should be approximately 10-15 typewritten pages in length (double-spaced) excluding figures, tables and references.

You must attach an additional page titled "Student Contributions to Research" that clearly describes your technical and intellectual contributions to the project. Any work done by others must be indicated. You must also indicate any oral or written presentations relevant to the project that are additional to the MD/STIR requirements.

In addition to your final research report, your supervisor must complete and submit a confidential student evaluation. 

Download the Student Evaluation Form

Complete Oral Defense

To complete the MD/STIR, you must deliver a 10-minute seminar to an examining committee. 

Following your seminar, you must answer questions during a 10-minute question period. You will be expected to understand the basis and selection of the research methodologies used in your project, the interpretation of your results and the impact of your findings.

Your supervisor must attend your final oral defense. If they are unable to attend, they must send a delegate on their behalf.

1. Following your oral defense, the examining committee will deliberate in private. You will complete an exit interview the following day, and receive a decision letter approximately two weeks later.