Training Programs

The Center for Lung Biology offers summer traineeships on a competitive basis to undergraduates who are investigating pursuing graduate school and a career in biomedical research. Individuals (US citizens or permanent residents) completing their freshman, sophomore or junior year of college in the sciences, engineering or mathematics with a GPA above 3.0 are encouraged to apply.

Summer undergraduate research fellows will receive a competitive stipend ($2,500) for 10 weeks of full-time research focusing on lung biology in health and disease with one of the Center for Lung Biology faculty. Fellows will gain experience in state of the art research methods, read pertinent literature, participate in laboratory meetings and discussions, interact with faculty and other trainees in the Center for Lung Biology, and potentially be a coauthor on a publication resulting from their work. On-campus housing is available, a short walk from the Medical Sciences Building. A variety of off campus apartments are available within 5 minutes of the University. Transportation and housing costs are not provided.

The Summer Undergraduate Research program in the Center for Lung Biology is a full-time commitment. Fellows should not be otherwise employed or taking classes during this period. In addition to the research project, fellows will participate in a weekly seminar series highlighting current issues in medical research and present a poster on their work at the end of the summer.

For more information, please contact:

Angie O'Neal
Office of Research Education and Training
(251) 460-6153
aoneal@southalabama.edu 

In addition, a number of other research opportunities are available through the University-wide Undergraduate Summer Research Program and the University Honors program. More information is available here.

There are two mechanisms by which medical students gain research training at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine: the Summer Research Program and the Honors Program.

Summer Research:
The College of Medicine sponsors a 10-week Summer Research Program targeted specifically for medical students who wish to gain a better appreciation for biomedical research. The summer experience includes a seminar program which focuses on various scientific and clinical topics. Applications and proposal abstracts are available on the web in early Spring semester. Opportunities for medical students to complete summer research in the Center for Lung Biology will be highlighted here at that time.

Honors Program:
This program is targeted to medical students who wish to gain more in-depth research training in an area of clinical or basic medical science. Students who participate in the Summer Research Program prior to their Sophomore year and who subsequently apply to the Research Honors Program may receive credit for the summer research training. Guidelines and the application form for the Research Honors Program are available in the College of Medicine Student Handbook or contact the Office of Student Affairs.

Highly qualified individuals who are interested in academic medicine and careers as clinical investigators may wish to pursue both the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees. The University of South Alabama College of Medicine does not have a formal medical scientist training program. Students must apply and be accepted to each program individually in order to pursue a combined degree tract. Achievement of minimal acceptance standards will not guarantee acceptance into a combined degree tract.

Students complete the first two pre-clinical years of medical training and Step 1 of the USMLE. Research training and advanced graduate program coursework is completed during years 3-5. Upon defense of the Ph.D. dissertation, students enter clinical clerkships to complete M.D. training. Support during the Ph.D. portion of the training program is guaranteed, including stipend, tuition waiver and personal health insurance.

The USA College of Medicine offers the Ph.D. degree in Basic Medical Science. Students matriculating into program complete the one-year interdisciplinary core curriculum prior to beginning advanced coursework and focused research training. Students interested in Lung Biology have the opportunity to train with any of the Center faculty. All students in the BMS graduate program receive a stipend ($23,000 since Fall 2008), full tuition waiver, and personal healthcare insurance. Information regarding extramural funding for graduate training at the USA Center for Lung Biology will be posted to this web site.

Academic requirements for students wishing to pursue advanced training in lung biology include:

Completion of the interdisciplinary core curriculum

Required advanced courses

• IDL 636 Advanced signal transduction (summer, year 1)
• IDL 640 Biostatistics and experimental design (summer, year 1)
• IDL 630 Lung biology (fall, year 2)
• IDL 631 Lung pathobiology (spring, year 2)
• IDL 676 Literature reports in lung biology (Research in Progress or RIP)

Recommended electives

• IDL 590 Special topics: Presentation skills; abstracts
• IDL 641 Effective scientific writing (fall, year 2 or year 3)
• IDL 650 Special topics in lung biology (offered every Spring term)
• IDL 656 Research seminar in lung biology (Pulmonary conference; years 3-5)

Qualifying exam

For other formal and informal requirements for the doctoral program in Basic Medical Sciences, including overall academic performance standards, see the BMS Student Handbook.

Specific job opportunities for postdoctoral trainees will be posted to this web site. However, highly qualified and motivated candidates who are particularly interested in research in the Center for Lung Biology should contact the Director of Training Programs regarding availability of training positions. Inclusion of a current Curriculum Vitae and a cover letter stating research background and interest in the Center for Lung Biology will facilitate discussions. Inquiries may be submitted by mail or by email.

Several extramural sources are available to support postdoctoral training for Ph.D. fellows.

Postdoctoral Fellowships from the National Institutes of Health:
https://researchtraining.nih.gov/programs/fellowships

American Lung Association Research Training Fellowships:
http://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/research/

Parker B. Francis Pulmonary Fellowships:
http://www.francisfellowships.org/

American Heart Association Greater Southeast Affiliate Postdoctoral Fellowships:
https://professional.heart.org/

The mission of the Center for Lung Biology is to provide state of the art scientific development in lung biology that advances the understanding of human health and disease. One important element of fellowship training is development of research expertise. The focus on translational research in lung biology and pathobiology in the Center provides outstanding opportunities for clinical fellows to obtain research training.

The Center for Lung Biology is committed to assisting career development for clinical investigators. This begins with in-depth research training and continues through support of fellows to develop extramurally funded research programs.

Several extramural sources are available to support career development for clinical fellows who are developing their research expertise and who are committed to academic medicine.

Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program developed by the National Institutes of Health is designed to attract health professionals to clinical research:
http://www.lrp.nih.gov/eligibility-programs#programs

Career Development Awards from the National Institutes of Health:
https://researchtraining.nih.gov/programs/career-development

Fellow-to-Faculty Awards from the American Heart Association:
http://www.heart.org

American Lung Association Career Investigator Awards:
http://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/research/

Parker B. Francis Pulmonary Fellowships:
http://www.francisfellowships.org