Getting Started

Ready to get involved with research at the UMKC School of Medicine? Learn more about matching with a research mentor and explore critical information for starting your research journey.

Applying for Research Projects

Medical students who are interested in conducting research at the School of Medicine will be paired with a research mentor. To request being paired with a research mentor, please send the following materials to Miyako Rauls, Research Assistant, Biomedical Sciences.

Students that have already aligned with a mentor should forward the mentor’s contact info to Miyako Rauls.

Matching with a mentor

After submitting the Student Research Info form and other supporting materials, Research Administration will forward your details to our faculty advisor group who will attempt to match you with a research mentor based on your interests and qualifications.

Research mentors may also ask you to sign a Confidentiality Agreement (PDF) and/or a Mentor/Mentee Agreement (Word doc).

Obtaining Student Affairs approval

The Department of Biomedical Sciences will also check with Student Affairs to confirm your eligibility to participate in supervised research activities.

Applying for Research Projects as a Year One Medical Student

The annual research application deadline for year one medical students is March 1.

The research request process for year one students is much the same as for other medical students. Please review the following requirements and information.

To request being paired with a research mentor, please send the following materials to Miyako Rauls.


Matching with a research mentor

Each year one student applicant will be reviewed by the Student Research Committee for potential placement with a faculty research mentor. Year one students that are selected will hear from the committee a few weeks after the deadline.

Year one students are unable to be matched with a clinical research mentor at University Health (UH) because of the requirement that students have to be escorted at all times within the hospital. The hospital is also unable to accommodate computer access requests due to licensing requirements.

Year One Student Resources

CITI Training Course Requirements

The School of Medicine requires all individuals completing basic science/translational or clinical research projects to complete the following CITI courses:

Courses for all students 

All students must complete the following training courses:

  • Biomedical Responsible Conduct of Research
  • Human Subjects Research (Biomedical-Group 1)
  • Good Clinical Practice Course, US FDA focus
  • OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens
  • Emergency and Incident Response to Biohazard Spills and Releases

Courses for students participating in laboratory research

All students participating in laboratory research, whether clinical or basic science/translational research, must complete the following modules:

  • Basic Introduction to Biosafety
  • Training for Investigators, Staff and Student Handling Biohazards
  • Laboratory Chemical Safety

Courses for students conducting clinical research

Individuals conducting clinical research activities may have to complete the following courses depending on the project:

  • Health Information Privacy and Security Course (HIPS course)
  • Conflict of Interest

Other courses

Other UMKC compliance committees such as the Institutional Animal Use and Care Committee (IACUC) and Radiation Safety committee may need to review the addition of a student to a project depending on circumstances. These groups may assign additional CITI courses, such as:

  • Animal Biosafety
  • Working with mice in research
  • Working with rats in research
  • NIH Recombinant DNA (rDNA) Guideline
  • Group 2 – Social and Behavioral Investigator

Conducting Clinical Research with Hospital Affiliates

Students interested in conducting research with School of Medicine hospital affiliates will have to adhere to additional requirements, including institutional review board (IRB) review of their participation in research activities.

Other requirements include hospital compliance training, signing confidentiality agreements, and participating in a vaccination status check and a TB skin test.

Learn more about the research processes at our affiliate hospitals: