The big-picture objective of this course is to begin
to examine the various aspects of research as it relates to the practice
of medicine. This is done by working closely with a member of the research
community. The Evidence Based Medicine course, taken during Unit 5, will
give you further insights into this objective.
The specific requirements for BIOM594 are to:
1) to select a research mentor
2) to complete an on-line IRB training course
3) to participant in research activities in clinical medicine, basic sciences
or community medicine under the supervision of a research mentor
4) to write an abstract of your experience.
Other acceptable activities are: to conduct a literature
review on a selected focused subject under the supervision of a faculty
member or to write a case report including what is known presently about
a clinical condition under the supervision of a clinical faculty member.
Students in the AHEC program may use their community-based
project or case management experiences as the basis for their presentation.
Your research mentor is your AHEC faculty coordinator.
Students in the SHEP program may use their school based
projects as the basis for their abstract. Your research mentor is Gwen
Naguwa, MD.
Students in the NHCOE program may use their NHCOE project
as the basis for their abstract. Your research mentor is Shannon Hirose-Wong,
PhD.
Students in the Quentin Burdick (QB) program will complete
at least one community project and give 2 presentations. Dr. Kramer will
serve as your research mentor. Even if you completed your research requirements
using AHEC, NHCOE or SHEP, you must still fulfill the QB requirements.
The research project and abstract may be a group effort.
However, each student on the team must submit the appropriate forms.
Check List for BIOM594: Select a research mentor. This person must be a University
of Hawaii faculty member. Submit the Preceptor and Research Mentor Designation
Form by May 11, 2007.
Develop a plan for a research experience or conducting a research
project. Working with the research mentor, develop a research
plan. Your plan should include learning about the objectives listed below
(see Learning Objectives and Course Assessment).
Submit a signed copy of your Research Objectives Form by May 11, 2007
(see Sample of a Research
Objectives Form). If you participate
in a study it must already be IRB approved. This is a
requirement set by the UH's IRB Committee
. Complete an on-line IRB certification course. See the
section on the Institutional Review Board.
Shadow a researcher or conduct a research project, write
a literature review or clinical case study under the supervision of a
research mentor.
Write a short project description of your research activities. Follow
the format described below (abstract format)
Submit by email your project description to Dr. Kramer by August 31, 2007.
See abstract format (abstract)
Submit the following forms to OME: Evaluation of Student by Research
Mentor and Evaluation of Research Mentor and Course by Student by August
31, 2007
Attend the Research Workshop on April 3, 2007.
INSTITUTIONAL
REVIEW BOARD (COMMITTEE ON HUMAN USE)
Research involving human subjects is regulated by Institutional
Review Boards (IRB). Each hospital and research institute has their own
IRB committee.
Students should not participate in a study which does
not have IRB approval. Your research mentor needs to have IRB approval
for the project prior to your participation. Visit the UH's IRB website
for more information (http://www.hawaii.edu/irb).
You are required to complete an IRB training course in
order to receive credit for BIOM594. This can be done by attending one
of the many workshops held at the UH (http://www.hawaii.edu/irb)
or you can complete the National Institutes of Health's course (http://cme.nci.nih.gov).
Go to the NIH website. Click on the link entitled: "Human Participation
Protections Education for Research Teams." Registration is free.
Complete the course and print out the certificate. You can not go back
and reprint the certificate.
Submit a copy of your
Certificate of Training to OME by April 3, 2007. The training certificate
should be valid through August 31, 2007.
LEARNING
OBJECTIVES AND COURSE ASSESSMENT
The goals of this course are to provide medical students with a general
overview of basic research concepts. The intend is to prepare students
to read and understand published scientific papers relevant to their medical
field of study.
This course assumes no prior research experience. Research endeavors have
special requirements that must be learned, practiced, and perfected. It
is expected that while working with a research mentor, students will look
for learning opportunities related to the design and implementation of
a research project.
Objective 1: Understanding Basic Research Ideas and Processes The first step in your research efforts is to identify a research
problem. The research problem is then put into a research question or
null hypothesis form. A study design is then developed to answer the research
question. The statements listed below are areas for further discussion
with your research mentor.
To understand the origins, development, and importance of the research
question
To understand how a relevant and current literature review is completed
To understand simple study design concepts
To understand the different types of data produced from a study
To understand the proper way to collect and summarize data and to
identify common data collection errors
To understand the proper way to statistically analyze data and to
identify common data analysis errors
To understand that the conclusions of the study should be consistent
with the collected data
To understand how to identify and discuss the limitations of a study
To understand how to correctly reference and format a bibliography.
Objective 2: Understanding Ethics in Research
Ethical issues should be considered when designing the study. The study
must support the dignity and value of the participants and reflect the
desire to do the right thing. Good ethical practices are characterized
by open communication with everyone involved in the study and stress honesty
and confidentiality. To meet this objective all student will complete
the National Institute of Health's IRB Certification Progam (http://cme.nci.nih.gov).
The statements listed below are areas for further discussion with your
research mentor.
To understand the history and current ethical issues involved in
medical research
To understand the ethical rules for the recruitment and participation
of study subjects
To understand the importance of correctly identifying obvious ethical
issues in any part of the research effort, from the research question
to the study conclusions
To understand the role of the Institution Review Board in the research
process
Objective 3: Understanding Research Language Research endeavors have special skills that must be learned,
practiced, and perfected. Learning the language of research is the first
step in understanding scientific literature and acquiring those skills.
The statements listed below are areas for further discussion with your
research mentor
To understand various terminology used in research. For example,
random sample, normal distribution, quasi-experimental studies, biases,
confounding variables
To understand the use of research logic (eg., null vs alternative
hypotheses, setting of confidence levels, determining sample size)
To understand the importance of designing a study to answer the
research question (eg., examining significant differences between
groups, examining correlation between variables, documenting qualitative
experiences and attitudes)
To understand the appropriate use of statistics
To become familiar with the types of data produced in a study
To become familiar with the use of common statistical tests
and how the study's conclusions flow from the statistical analyses
To understand the rationale behind the selection of statistical
tests and how those statistical tests challenge the study's hypotheses
Addtional Goals and Objectives: Turn in all BIOM594 forms to OME on time.
Email your abstract (250-500 words) to Dr. Kramer. See Abstract Format
(abstract)
Library Resourse Center. Virginia Tanji, MSLS, AHIP. http://www.hawaii.edu/sphlib/reference.htm#writing.
References on writing papers and liteature reviews and preparing for oral
and poster presentations.
Collection of articles in Lancet on research concepts. Lancet 359:
2002. (for pfd file click
here).
Your abstract should be between 250 & 500 words in length.
Follow this format when writing up your research experience:
Title Authors and Affiliations Parts of the Abstract
1. Introduction (why is this project important?)
2. Objective (what were the goals or hypothesis of the project?)
3. Materials and Methods (how was the project conducted?)
4. Future plans
Writing Your Abstract
An abstract is a concise one paragraph summary of completed
or on-going research. Learning how to write a good abstract is vitally
important. In many cases, the abstract is the first, and sometimes only,
text that is read by interested researchers. In many cases, the abstract
is detached from the paper and circulated amongst research members. Consequently
your abstract must be self-contained, simple and clear. The quality of
your abstract will likely determine whether your idea and hard work will
be supported with funding from granting agencies.Although reqirements
will vary according to organization and profession, most abstracts have
the following qualities:
The title should be descriptive of the work done,
All contributors should be acknowledged and their affilations given.
The email address of the primary author should be listed,
Abstracts are one paragraph, between 250 and 500 words,
It is written in a clear and simple style and language,
It is concise rather than comprehensive in information,
It is accurate and specific. Avoid theorizing, conjecture and/or minutia,
It should include 2-5 sentences of introduction or background, a statement
of the objective, purpose of the study or research hypothesis, a concise
explanation of the methods used to test the hypothesis, a short description
of the results and 1-2 sentences of conclusion,
The McGuire Fund guidelines includes funding for research
by medical students at a co-author/investigator level as a means to promote
community medicine research at JABSOM. The grant preferentially funds
investigative studies unique to our communities statewide. The grant is
competitive, and the candidate's proposal needs to show clear promise
for presentation in a peer-reviewed publication. A maximum of five Community
Medicine Research Scholarships will be granted each year.
What if I can't meet
one of the deadlines? Contact the Chair of the Student
Research Program as soon as possible. Extension are possible but there
must be a good reason. (Kenton J. Kramer, PhD, phone: 692-0934, email:
kramer@hawaii.edu).
What if my project
isn't finished by the due date? The project does not
have to be completed by August 31, 2007.
Can I use my MS thesis
or PhD dissertation as my project? It depends. The
answer is no, if there is no significant additional work that needs
to be done. The answer is yes, if there is significant data collection,
data analysis and/or interpretation that needs to be completed. The
Chair of the Student Research Program will need to speak with the
Chair of your thesis/dissertation committee to determine which option
applies.
Can I do a literature
review or case study as my project report?Yes. The
results will be the salient recurring features found in the literature
(perhaps in tabular form) or significant findings in the patient,
including remaining controversies in the literature or uncertainties
in the patient. For an acceptable literature review, see the abstract
by Khoi Le. For an acceptable case study, see the abstract by Cindy
Nguyen. Both abstracts can be found in the the Class of 2004 projects.
Ginny Tanji's website has links to references on how to write a literature
review.
Do I need IRB approval
for my project? If you expect to publicly disseminate
the information generated by your research you will need IRB approval.
This includes publication in newsletters and informal presentations
to the public.
