...what kind of research opportunities there are at Albany, particularly during the summer after the first year. Is it easy to find a research mentor and to get funding to do a summer project? Do a lot of students stick around and do research during the summer? Do students participate in research during the school year?
There's a couple of different options. There's the SRF (Summer Research Fellowship), the MDDR (MD w/Distinction in Research), and the MD/PhD program.
The SRF is 10 weeks in M1->M2 summer. This year about 20 of my classmates participated. You have to get a mentor, a project, and write a NIH-style grant during the school year, which can be a challenge. During the summer you do your project, get a stipend, revise your grant, and take some classes in research ethics. At the end you present your findings at a little student conference and re-submit your revised grant (the intent of the whole process is to teach you how to get money from the NIH).
You can stop there or embellish your SRF project by getting a MDDR. You get a committee and write/defend a honors thesis, and you get the distinction.
For MD/PhDs, you apply after year one and get a break on MD and PhD tuition, and get a stipend during the PhD.
These are just
degree options, and nothing precludes you from just doing work outside of class - I have a buddy who's doing lab work in town this summer and making bank. Another student I know just does it on the side to help his CV and because he likes the department.
For places to do work, there's AMC itself, as well as the Ordway Research labs, NYS DoH, and RPI. Between those places you can find a project in just about any field.
For more questions, just PM me.
