RISE Up: Miller School Program Promotes Scientific Research Career Paths
Research, Innovation and Scholarly Engagement (RISE) connects medical students and early-career researchers with essential resources and opportunities.
The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s RISE program — Research, Innovation and Scholarly Engagement — is a new initiative designed to nurture, recruit and retain the next generation of physician-scientists and research leaders.
Led by the Miller School’s Alessia Fornoni, M.D., Ph.D., assistant dean for research training and development and professor of medicine and molecular and cellular pharmacology, and Alexis Sloan, Ph.D., assistant professor of medical education, RISE is poised to transform the school’s culture by advocating for research careers and connecting medical students and early-career researchers with essential resources and opportunities.
Key program goals include:
• Developing, retaining and recruiting research talent.
• Enhancing medical and graduate scholarly education.
• Supporting research mentoring and talent development.
• Building and protecting the identity and value of physician- and clinician-scientists.
• Promoting vertical integration of scholarly education from high school to junior faculty.
• Facilitating national networking and sponsorship.
A Vision for Scientific Discovery
Nationally, the physician-scientist workforce is shrinking, with significant attrition at critical stages.
“The data is quite strong at the national level,” Dr. Fornoni said. “Many physicians leave potential research opportunities, especially during residency and fellowship, due to family, cost of living and other reasons.”
RISE is determined to reverse this trend by connecting students, trainees and junior faculty with the Miller School’s abundant research opportunities. For example, the school recently earmarked $30 million over five years for basic science research.
“We are uniquely positioned to become a top institution for training physician-scientists,” Dr. Fornoni said. “The time is right. The time is now.”
“We want RISE to become an entry point for people who might be interested in research careers but don’t know where to go,” said Dr. Sloan. “We’re focusing on creating opportunities first for students, because they’re the ones who often need a bit more coaching about what opportunities are available. They just don’t know what they don’t know.”
And by “students,” Dr. Sloan is not just referring to Miller School students. RISE will oversee the programs that reach all the way to undergraduate campuses, such as the 10-week Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program that invites undergraduates to conduct research alongside Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers and faculty.
There are plentiful research opportunities for Miller School medical students, as well, including the U Summer of Advanced Research (U-SOAR) scholarship, which dedicates eight weeks to advanced scientific projects that contribute to students’ Capstone work, and the Dean’s Research Excellence Award in Medicine (DREAM) program, which provides a stipend and mentorship support for students during a full year in research training and professional development.
RISE hosted its first event for incoming medical students earlier this year. More than 80 attended, far exceeding Dr. Fornoni’s and Dr. Sloan’s expectations.
“That tells you the demand is there,” Dr. Fornoni said. “The existence of the office is justifiable only if driven by the demand of the students. The students are our real audience here.”
Grant Programs: Fueling the Pipeline
As medical students graduate, RISE will work to pair scientists with appropriate grants that not only provide financial support but also elevate the institution’s prestige and competitiveness. There is no shortage of grant programs to choose from, including:
• R25 (Research Education Program Grants): Used to promote interest in biomedical research, provide additional training and develop ways to disseminate scientific discovery into public health and community applications.
• T32 (Institutional Training Grants): Support predoctoral and postdoctoral research training.
• T35 (Short-Term Institutional Research Training Grants): Provide research training during off-quarters or summer periods to encourage research careers.
• R38 (Stimulating Access to Research in Residency): Supports mentored research in residency.
• K Awards (Mentored Career Development Awards): Support the career development of clinical and research faculty.
These programs are already making an impact. The Miller School currently supports 42 students through these mechanisms. That’s 13% of all Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. students, and the school’s landscape of training grants is growing, with nine T32s, three R25s and several other mechanisms in place or in development. A significant portion of the RISE charter will be to expand Miller School participation in those programs while lobbying national organizations like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide funding.
“There are several mechanisms at the NIH, such as the R25, T32 and T35, that would be perfect for supporting these pathways,” Dr. Fornoni explained.
Early Stages of a Long-Term Plan
The program’s success will be measured by metrics such as publication impact and student placement at top-ranked institutions. At this early stage, however, Dr. Fornoni and Dr. Sloan are talking with Miller School students and faculty to identify pain points and clarify the at-times opaque process that leads to successful academic research.
“Our goal is to avoid redundancy, to facilitate harmonization, to make sure programs talk to each other or know of each other’s existence,” Dr. Fornoni said. “We want to build bridges between programs, training from high school to faculty, and build a culture of community and continuity.”
“A lot of frustration has to do with just finding the right opportunities,” said Dr. Sloan. “But I see brighter days ahead. That’s what we’re communicating. We’re here, we’re supporting you and there are opportunities.”
Tags: Department of Medical Education, Dr. Alessia Fornoni, Dr. Alexis Sloan, Katz Family Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, medical education, medical students, Peggy and Harold Katz Family Drug Discovery Center, Science Translational Medicine, student research, team science