Mentorship, resources, opportunities
The Vanderbilt Internal Medicine Residency Program is committed to enabling a robust and meaningful research experience. Key elements for success are dedicated time, mentorship, scholarly resources, and opportunities to acquire core research skills. We provide a structured framework to tailor experiences to the interests of each resident.
Nearly all residents engage in significant research during residency, and the program recently added additional research liaisons to facilitate earlier connections of residents with faculty. In the last three years, 100% of our residents participated in research, with 86% publishing a manuscript or presenting their work at a meeting. The program provides residents with subscriptions to advanced statistical software, as well as a “research toolbox” containing short, practical videos on common elements of research.
Getting started
- See a list of research mentors and liaisons (link to download an Excel document)
- Take the initial research survey (link opens a RedCap survey)
- Read and download the Resident Research Guide (link opens a PDF)
- View the Resident Research Orientation (link to download a PowerPoint presentation)
Resident Research Spotlights
December 2024
Name: James Brogan
Hometown & Medical School: Coral Springs, FL; Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Year of Training: PGY-3
Career Plans: Hematology / Oncology
Mentors: Dr. Ashwin Kishtagari and Dr. Alex Bick
Project Title: Prevalence and significance of SH2B3 germline variants in the general population
Award/presentation/publications: ASH HONORS (Hematology Opportunities for the Next Generation of Research Scientists) Award
"I am thankful for Dr. Kishtagari and Dr. Bick's mentorship and encouragement to apply for the ASH HONORS Award as well as program leadership for supporting my research. This opportunity will provide me with the time and funding to continue expanding my informatics skillset into the world of computational genomics. Individualized mentorship and collaboration with computational geneticists in the Bick lab will be foundational as I embark on an academic career in hematology/oncology."
November 2024
Name: Matthew Lu
Hometown & Medical School: Potomac, MD. UNC SOM
Year of Training: PGY-3
Career Plans: Hematology and Oncology
Mentor: Dr. Wade Iams
Project Title: Relationship Between Tumor Volume and Clinical Outcomes in Relapsed Small Cell Lung Cancer
Award/presentation/publications: Poster presentation at World Conference for Lung Cancer 2024
"This project gave me a lot of experience coordinating and completing a research project from start to finish. I had a great time presenting and learning from others at the academic conference. We have submitted a manuscript to an academic journal and hope to get a publication in the near future."
October 2024
Name: Piera Sosa, MD
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Medical School: Meharry Medical College
Year of Training: PGY-3
Career Plans: Nephrololgy Fellowship
Mentor: Dr. Adriana Hung
Project Title: "Fanconi Syndrome Following Ifosfamide Use"
Award/presentation/publications: We presented our poster at the 2024 ASN's Kidney Week, discussing the case of a patient who developed Fanconi syndrome (FS) after recent chemotherapy for his liposarcoma. His regimen included ifosfamide, a known culprit of FS. Fortunately, the patient had tubular recovery. However, this prompted our team to consider pharmacogenomics and how certain genes can make some patients more susceptible to developing the condition. We hope to expand on this data in the upcoming months.
I have been incredibly fortunate to work alongside remarkable and supportive nephrology mentors throughout my residency. Attending Kidney Week is always a highlight of my year. Last year, I had the honor of participating in the Kidney Stars program, and this year, I attended the Advances in Research Conference Early Program, which proved to be highly educational. Kidney Week is an exceptional opportunity to connect with fellow residents, fellows, and mentors while staying updated on the latest advancements in the field.
September 2024
Name: Chloe Carr, MD
Hometown: Chesapeake, Virginia
Medical School: Eastern Virginia Medical School
Year of Training: PGY-2
Career Plans: Cardiology
Mentor: Dr. Bruno Lima
Project Title: "Coronary Calcium Scoring Adds Prognostic Value to Functional Ischemic Assessment in Middle-Aged Adults with Anomalous Coronary Arteries: A Retrospective Analysis"
Award/presentation/publications: Poster Presentation at the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology 2024 Conference
Getting to present at ASNC 2024 was a fantastic experience! Our research highlighted the role of coronary calcium scores in predicting the prognosis of patients with anomalous coronary arteries. Huge thanks to Dr. Lima for his incredible mentorship; I have learned so much from him over the past year, and I am excited about our future projects. We plan to expand our database to include patients with anomalous coronary arteries found at other institutions across the country and investigate the relationship between CAD and anomalous coronaries.
August 2024
Name: Kathryn Snyder, MD, MPH
Hometown: Avon, Indiana
Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
Year of Training: PGY-4 Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Career Plans: Adult Cardiology
Mentor: Dr. Christianne Roumie
Project Title: The Association of SGLT2i versus DPP4i on Fracture: A Cohort Study in Veterans with Diabetes
Award/presentation/publications: "The Association of SGLT2i versus DPP4i on Fracture: A Cohort Study in Veterans." Dr. Snyder received the 2024 Oscar Crofford Scholar in Diabetes Research award in June 2024. Her group's work on fracture in patients using SGLT2i was featured with honorable mention at the VUMC Research Forum and was presented at the national meeting of the American Diabetes Association in June 2024. Dr. Snyder and colleagues are in the process of finalizing and submitting a manuscript for publication of the project.
It has been a true pleasure and privilege to work under the mentorship of Dr. Roumie. She is an amazing role model in academic medicine and research, and I have learned so much over the last two years working with her. A big thank you to Dr. Roumie, Jennifer Wharton, Katie Griffin, Dr. Robert Greevy and Dr. Amber Hackstadt for all of their many contributions to this project.
Research during Residency Highlights
Time
Residents have at least one month per year, each year, dedicated to research. Each year of residency, categorical residents can select two research clinic electives for a total of one month of time dedicated to research. Second- and third-year residents can choose additional two-week research clinics in lieu of inpatient rotations.
People
Our Associate Program Director fo Resident Research, Andrew DeFilippis, MD, MSc, is an expert on the diagnosis, classification, and treatment of acute myocardial infarction. He is the Medical Director of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and heads a robust myocardial infarction research operation. He serves on the steering committee for the NIH sponsored, multicenter Myocardial Ischemia and Transfusion (MINT) trial, the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) Project & Publication Committee and is the principal investigator of NIH funded research awards.
We make it easy to identify mentors in all areas of research. To match residents with research mentors, we have a group of faculty liaisons in each division/department. Liaisons in the areas below can meet with residents and facilitate resident-mentor matching:
- Biomedical Informatics
- Cardiology
- Clinical Pharmacology
- Endocrinology
- Epidemiology/Public Health
- Gastroenterology
- General Medicine
- Genetics
- Geriatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Medical Education
- Nephrology
- Oncology
- Pulmonary
- Quality Improvement
- Rheumatology
Don’t see what you’re looking for? We will work to find you the perfect mentor!
Funding
The Department of Medicine provides funding for residents to show off their research. Whether these funds are used to print posters, submit abstracts, or support travel to National Meetings, the department will provide each resident up to $1,000 per year over 3 years to support their research in residency.
Opportunities
Each resident is encouraged to submit their work to national meetings where they will have an opportunity to network and discuss their research. This is a great way to see a new place, meet colleagues, learn about cutting edge advances in the field and network for career development. The Department of Medicine provides partial funding and assistance with rotation coverage for residents to travel to national meetings to present their work.
Publication
Residents can publish their work, and many have first-author publications by the time they graduate residency. This is a great way to build your CV, enhance your fellowship application, and contribute to science.
Resources
VUMC has many resources to facilitate your research projects, including the Vanderbilt Center for Health Services Research, BioVU and the Synthetic Derivative.
The latter two unique Vanderbilt resources for discovery are accessed through the StarBRITE portal. Residents can use StarBRITE to identify resources, find experts, access templates for research preparation and study conduct, obtain database development software, learn about educational requirements and opportunities, and receive help with research application and approval processes.
- BioVU is a biorepository of DNA extracted from discarded blood collected during routine clinical care. Samples are linked to de-identified clinical data in the SD and can be used for genotype-phenotype studies. BioVU currently houses >240,000 samples and continues to grow—accruing 500-1000 samples per week! Genotypes are redeposited into the resource.
- The Synthetic Derivative (SD) is a de-identified version of the VUMC EHR that supports research. The SD contains clinical information on ~2.7 million subjects dating back to the 1980s, and approximately 1 million subjects have detailed longitudinal data. Data in the SD are recoded and structured to facilitate research. Leveraging Vanderbilt’s bioinformatics expertise, the SD can be queried to identify cohorts of interest for study.
- Vanderbilt Center for Health Services Research engages more than 200 faculty and trainees from across Vanderbilt in research and training initiatives to improve health and health care delivery. Leading more than $57 million in annual awarded funding, faculty represent diverse disciplines including clinical medicine, nursing, public health, informatics, social sciences, management sciences, and the humanities.
Clinical Investigator Toolbox (CIT) elective
The CIT is a two-week elective for second-year residents considering a career in clinical investigation. Residents receive a broad introduction to clinical research, including trial design, epidemiology, outcomes research, biostatistics, biomedical ethics, and human subject protection (IRB). The course provides hands-on skill sessions related to medical writing, oral presentations, searching the medical literature, and data management.
There are also opportunities to discuss career development with senior faculty and representatives from advanced degree programs, including the Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI) and Masters of Public Health (MPH).
The Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR)
Supported by the VUMC Office of Research and the NIH sponsored Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA), VICTRaims to provide resources and services to support clinical and translational research. Resources available through VICTR include:
- Pilot funding, support for clinical and translational hypothesis-driven projects
- Studios, interdisciplinary panels of experts to provide individualized feedback on your research
- Data management (REDCap), a secure, web-based application to support data capture
- Participant recruitment, resources to identify and recruit subjects for research studies
- Grant and manuscript preparation, resources for writing, editing, and publishing
- Education, regularly scheduled workshops covering research skills and resources
Program leadership is committed to enabling a robust and meaningful research experience during residency. Key elements for success are mentorship, access to resources, and opportunities to acquire core research skills, and the Vanderbilt residency provides a structured framework to meet these needs and tailor experiences to interests of each individual resident.
Statistical Support
Biostatistics Clinics are a daily free service staffed by the Department of Biostatistics and open to all members of the Vanderbilt community—including residents—who have methodologic questions about their research projects or about published articles.
Software
The Department will support the purchase of GraphPad PRISM for residents doing research. Complete a PRISM survey to request a GraphPad.
Program Leadership
Andrew DeFilippis, MD, MSc
Professor of Medicine
Associate Program Director for Resident Research