Research Exchange

[schtigy]

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I'm a medical student from Switzerland (Europe) and I'm looking for a research exchange opportunity for next summer (august till october) in Southern California. (especially UCLA, UCSD)
As I've seen there are some undergraduated research programs, but they told me these programs aren't open for international students.
Are there any other research exchange opportunities/ internships/ electives?

I finished this year the preclincal part of my studies. So next year my knowledge should be similar to USMLE Step 1.
I also have to say, that I'm not looking for an opportunity in the "clinical medicine/patient related field". I was thinking more for a research exchange in the field of "biomedicine or life science"

 

[jeniffer lopez]

Check out the Mayo program. I met quite a few European students that go there to do research for a year after their basic science and intro to clinic years and then go back to med school.

 

[Newquagmire]

Check out the Mayo program. I met quite a few European students that go there to do research for a year after their basic science and intro to clinic years and then go back to med school.

Mayo is nowhere near southern California. It's arguably quite the opposite.

I don't know if any international exchanges exist. My advice is to email individual PIs and ask them about openings they might have. This strategy worked for me last summer when I was looking for a international job in England.

 

[schtigy]

@ Newquagmire: sorry I'm not quit familar with this abbreviation.
What is a PI?

 

[piquenique01]

Hi! You might want to try Caltech, in Pasadena, CA. They're about 1 hour way from LA, depending upon which part. They have a program there called SURF (www.surf.caltech.edu) that accepts international students. However, their program usually goes from June-August, but alternative arrangements might possibly be made.

PI- I belive it stands for primary investigator.

 

[surge]

Principal investigator or PI is a person, usually a professor who runs a lab, provides funding and is in charge of the research.

Make sure you look into funding and immigration issues, since you are not a student in the US. You would probably need a J1 visa, and it's something you have to discuss with your potential PI and the institution.

 

[doc05]

Originally posted by schtigy
I'm a medical student from Switzerland (Europe) and I'm looking for a research exchange opportunity for next summer (august till october) in Southern California. (especially UCLA, UCSD)
As I've seen there are some undergraduated research programs, but they told me these programs aren't open for international students.
Are there any other research exchange opportunities/ internships/ electives?

I finished this year the preclincal part of my studies. So next year my knowledge should be similar to USMLE Step 1.
I also have to say, that I'm not looking for an opportunity in the "clinical medicine/patient related field". I was thinking more for a research exchange in the field of "biomedicine or life science"

many international students do this sort of thing, but not necessarily through structured "programs."

you should contact PI's directly; try UCLA, USC, and CalTech. The deans at your school should be able to help with visa requirements and perhaps even funding.

 

[Newquagmire]

dittos. but if you're looking for a job of only one month, i think you're going to run into problems. would YOU hire somebody for only four weeks?

 

[doc05]

Originally posted by Newquagmire
dittos. but if you're looking for a job of only one month, i think you're going to run into problems. would YOU hire somebody for only four weeks?

guess I overlooked that. These students tend to spend 6 months to a year in the U.S. and usually are paid a modest stipend.

 

[schtigy]

I'm not looking for a 4 weeks project. I'm looking for a project which start in the beginning of august till the end of october. so that should be around 10 weeks. And I think this is the "normal" length of a summer research programs

 

[schtigy]

Another question:

What would be the best way to find a PI/mentor?
I don't have a special interest. I mean I'm not fixed to a specific field. Hm, actually Immunology would be interessting.
But how do I find a mentor? Should I send an e-mail? to a Professor? assistant Professor? Administration office of an Institute?

 

[Theophrasus]

which stands for Deutscher Famulantenaustausch - they also offer short research programs(i.e. 4 weaks and longer) in foreign countries, but not in the US. Canada is possible, though;-) I know tha nothing compares to California but you might want to have an alternative...

www.dfa-germany.de/

Auf Wiederluege

 

[Sonya]

here's what to do

prepare your resume.

Go to school website and look up e-mail for proffesors.
They can be professors, assistant professors, associate professors, whatever. anyone who runs a lab.
You CAN send it to an administrator, but that is usually a rather slow method. If you find a nice professor/department head, they may be willing to help you contact others in their department (refer you to good profs based on your interests).
E-mail them you're resume. You can try calling them if they don't respond to e-mail after a while.

Let them know (in a cover letter or the resume)
* why you're interested in their work
* what you have to offer (what research skills/techniques you know, what science background you have, what research you have done). Include some measure of your grades in either college or medical school.
* how long you are looking for a position.
Be willing to have someone write/talk as your reference.
So, when a few people respond, you can talk in more detail to find if it's right for you (if you have choices).

Chose a professor based on:
Their research topic
Their publication record (look up what they published on www.pubmed.com) they should have at least one publication in a decent journal per year. But, publication a record depends on the field, and many other things.
Whether the lab would be suited for you.
How much independence the prof. requires from you. Does he watch over you too much, that you can't apply your own ideas? Does he dump you on your own so much you're lost? This is VERY important, and sometimes hard to gauge.

Sonya

 

[CrazyIslander]

Try The Scripps Research Institute: WWW.TSRI.EDU (i think) I met a good friend that was a med student from Switzerland and he did research there for a couple of years. It is a world renouned research center located in La Jolla, Ca (near UCSD)

 

[xanthines]

I've worked with a few MD's (I'm a lab tech, FYI), from Meunster through DFG (Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft). I have no idea what that really means, but the guys I work with says it's like a German NIH. I don't know if they have student programs, but they sure do send me good German surgeons.

Try www.dfg.de

-X

Originally posted by Theophrasus
which stands for Deutscher Famulantenaustausch - they also offer short research programs(i.e. 4 weaks and longer) in foreign countries, but not in the US. Canada is possible, though;-) I know tha nothing compares to California but you might want to have an alternative...

www.dfa-germany.de/

Auf Wiederluege

 

[Newquagmire]

Originally posted by Sonya
here's what to do

prepare your resume.

Go to school website and look up e-mail for proffesors.
They can be professors, assistant professors, associate professors, whatever. anyone who runs a lab.
You CAN send it to an administrator, but that is usually a rather slow method. If you find a nice professor/department head, they may be willing to help you contact others in their department (refer you to good profs based on your interests).
E-mail them you're resume. You can try calling them if they don't respond to e-mail after a while.

Let them know (in a cover letter or the resume)
* why you're interested in their work
* what you have to offer (what research skills/techniques you know, what science background you have, what research you have done). Include some measure of your grades in either college or medical school.
* how long you are looking for a position.
Be willing to have someone write/talk as your reference.
So, when a few people respond, you can talk in more detail to find if it's right for you (if you have choices).

Chose a professor based on:
Their research topic
Their publication record (look up what they published on www.pubmed.com) they should have at least one publication in a decent journal per year. But, publication a record depends on the field, and many other things.
Whether the lab would be suited for you.
How much independence the prof. requires from you. Does he watch over you too much, that you can't apply your own ideas? Does he dump you on your own so much you're lost? This is VERY important, and sometimes hard to gauge.

Sonya

The woman's got her shizzen together. Schtigy, her advice is pretty much what I did last summer. It worked out fine, and I had a few options too. NB: There was only a 10% response rate, and half of those were negative.