Suzanne Baker, assistant dean for Graduate Programs and Medical Student Research, are finding ways to build those resources to improve the student research experience and engage more faculty.
“ Clerkship faculty have told me they are interested in research, but they likely need assistance on where to start,” Xie said.“ We are building the infrastructure needed for them to be successful and have an opportunity to grow. The FSU College of Medicine brings great opportunity and value. Rather than focusing on just one teaching hospital, we can aggregate data from our clinical partners statewide.”
A crucial part of the FSU infrastructure, according to Xie, was the strategic establishment of 10“ hubs,” the result of a needs assessment done in partnership with Guidehouse Consultation and extensive focus groups.
“ The College of Medicine cannot do this alone,” Baker said.“ We need the university community and Florida State’ s Office of Research is making this happen.”
Xie added,“ Participation in and a better understanding of research creates better physicians in many ways. Evidence-based care can be enhanced by a better understanding of the research process. It expands problem-solving and differential diagnosis skills. Researchers are answering the questions we don’ t have answers to yet.”
Ashley Mays, M. D., who is currently mentoring two FSU medical students, agrees. She’ s an otolaryngologist focused on head and neck cancer surgery and reconstructive plastic surgery at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital in Vero Beach, as well as an FSU clerkship faculty member at the college’ s Fort Pierce Regional Campus. Both she and TOC’ s Lee had one thing in common as medical school students: an interest in research.
“ Medical schools would be doing students a disservice by not teaching them the research process and helping them find avenues to perform research,” Mays said.“ I can tell you in my own training, if you didn ' t come with an application listing a robust research background, you weren ' t going anywhere. There was no way you were going to match into these very competitive residencies and fellowships. I do truly believe it is on the medical schools to plan for that and provide those opportunities.”
Mays has had medical students, including FSU’ s Mikalin Huckeba, working on a variety of research projects, including thyroid cancer management and diagnoses. And, just like Lee, she helps students prepare for poster presentations and publishing their work.
“ I’ ve always had an interest in research, though it initially felt daunting and hard to navigate,” said Huckeba, a second-year medical student from Eastpoint, Florida.“ This experience has deepened my respect for research and its role in advancing health care and improving communities. At the moment, I’ m particularly drawn to topics related to head and neck conditions. This project has broadened my understanding of the patient’ s journey during thyroid cancer treatment, both the positive experiences and the challenges. That insight will help me better support and guide patients as a future physician.”
As a busy surgeon with her own practice, Mays says one key to her research success— and working with students— is personal interest.
“ I come from a very, very robust research background,” she said.“ You have to start
Ashley Mays, M. D. with personal interest. I would have never matched at MD Anderson Cancer Center for my fellowships if I didn ' t come with a long, robust history of research myself. So, I think it starts with a personal interest and continuing to grow research programs. I think to make it work and also being a very busy surgeon, you just have to be efficient. You have to understand what it takes to get a student signed up for research, how do you get them through the project and how to manage that. It ' s just a time-efficiency thing. But it has to start with personal interest.”
Mays admits she is not aware of all the resources the university offers to researchers but is glad there is a concerted effort to help clinicians.
“ I ' m certainly happy to hear that there ' s more of a push in that direction,” she said.
If you are a clerkship faculty member interested in serving as a faculty mentor on a research project or want more information, contact research @ med. fsu. edu.
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