Student Research

UMKC & Affiliate Hospital Opportunities


Please contact Drs. Wacker, Dall, or Molteni or send an email to UMKC SOM Research (somresearch@umkc.edu) with additional questions.


UMKC Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research
UMKC Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research

The Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics at the UMKC School of Medicine offers a Graduate Certificate Program in Clinical Research. The graduate certificate program is comprised of 5 core courses (15 credit hours) including biostatistics, clinical research methodology, clinical trials, and epidemiology. It is a valuable credential for health care professionals who want in-depth exposure to essential tools needed to advance their research career.

https://med.umkc.edu/gc-clinical-research/
Application Deadline: June 1

UMKC Undergraduate Research Grants
UMKC Undergraduate Research Grants

Students Engaged in Artistic and Academic Research (SEARCH) and Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunity (SUROP) Grants are available to undergraduate researchers at UMKC. Applications are available online or you can request one from greerj@umkc.edu. Please submit an electronic version of the application and proposal (MS Word .doc or .docx file) to greerj@umkc.edu and a signed paper copy to Dr. Greer (106 Cockefair Hall).

http://www.umkc.edu/searchsite/how/index.shtml
Application Deadline: SEARCH is Sept. 16th. SUROP is March 18th.

UMKC Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research
UMKC Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research

The Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics at the UMKC School of Medicine offers a Graduate Certificate Program in Clinical Research. The graduate certificate program is comprised of 5 core courses (15 credit hours) including biostatistics, clinical research methodology, clinical trials, and epidemiology. It is a valuable credential for health care professionals who want in-depth exposure to essential tools needed to advance their research career.

https://med.umkc.edu/gc-clinical-research/
Application Deadline: June 1

Children's Mercy Hospital
Herbert A. Wenner, M.D. Pediatric Infectious Diseases Summer Research Fellowship

An infectious disease summer research fellowship is available at Children’s Mercy Kansas City. Students are eligible to apply for the program if they have completed their first year of study in medical school. If accepted, the student will spend 8 weeks in the ID Research laboratory to complete a scholarly project. Click here for additional details.

Download or view:  CMH Pediatric Infectious Diseases Summer Scholars Program (PDF)

– Application due middle of March 15th.

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Pediatric Health Research Summer Scholars Program

This program is designed to provide students with a structured research experience in biomedical research. This is a highly competitive program offering 6 positions on an annual basis to work with selected principal investigators on their research studies. Summer scholars will serve as assistants for research activities within one of CM’s laboratories, clinics, or departments. Under the supervision of an investigator, summer scholars will assist in compiling, storing, and analyzing data and/or samples for a research study.

This program is primarily aimed at college students who have finished at least 2 years of their undergraduate education in a field related to medicine or allied health and have an interest in pursuing further education in the biomedical sciences (including research). All applicants must have a 3.0 GPA or higher.

Download or view:  CM Health Research (PDF)

– Application due middle of March.

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Pediatric Orthopaedic Summer Scholar Program

Children’s Mercy Hospital has generously funded a summer scholar program for health science students to do research with orthopaedic staff and faculty in the Division of Orthopedic Surgery. The purpose of this program is to address important questions that affect the health of Children’s Mercy patients and to introduce promising undergraduates, medical students, nursing, orthotics, OT and PT students to the fields of pediatric orthopaedics, & pediatric rehabilitation. The following are eligible: medical, nursing, PT, OT, orthotics, prosthetics, speech, and psychology, and graduate students in such fields as nutrition. Undergraduate students are also eligible if they submit a competitive proposal and have a specific research mentor identified.

Website: Summer Scholar Program | Children’s Mercy Kansas City (childrensmercy.org)

 – Application deadline is November 30, 2022

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Pediatric Bioethics Summer Scholars Program

The Children’s Mercy Bioethics Center supports 1-3 Summer Scholars annually with an interest in Pediatric and Medical Ethics. Summer scholars will assist in the data collection and analysis on a designated research project, and also be exposed to a variety of hospital ethics over the course of the program. Our faculty fully support mentoring any student that may request working on a project of their own in the area of ethics. This program is primarily aimed at college students who have finished at least 2 years of their undergraduate education in a field related to medicine or allied health and have an interest in pursuing further education in the field of ethics. All applicants must have a 3.0 GPA or higher.

Download or view:  CM Bioethics (PDF)

 – Application window is the month of February..

The Hornstra Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship in Psychiatry
The Hornstra Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship in Psychiatry

The Friends of Psychiatry Foundation funds a Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship in Psychiatry for the amount of $3,000. The student applicant must develop the project in coordination with a mentor that is a member of the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry. The application process is a simple one page (single space, not including references or budget plan) description of the proposed research project plus a description of how the money will be used.

Interested students should first fill out this form and send to the UMKC School of Medicine Office of Research. This will inform the School of Medicine of the intent to apply and ensure that the student is in good standing. The student can submit a curriculum vitae (including extracurricular activities and board scores if available) and the research proposal to Dr. Boutros and Dr. Hellings.

Deadline for submission is March 1st with a decision by March 15th.

UMKC Women's Council Graduate Assistance Fund
UMKC Women’s Council Graduate Assistance Fund

Established in 1971, the GAF provides financial support to women currently enrolled in graduate programs or women first professional students in the schools of Dentistry, Law, Medicine or Pharmacy. The fund is focused on the dimension beyond the classroom and thus does not fund tuition and textbooks. The funds are designed to assist with the completion of requirements for graduate and first professional degrees, to help facilitate studies beyond the classroom along with enriching and encouraging educational experiences. A maximum of $2,000 may be requested. Please keep in mind, the average GAF award is closer to $1,000

Deadline for submission is typically in November.
http://www.umkcwc.org/s/1236/subgroup.aspx?sid=1236&gid=3&pgid=343

Neurology Research & Scholar Award
Neurology Research and Scholar Award- $1,000

Up to two $1000 awards are being offered through the Children’s Mercy Hospital Philanthropy Fund for eligible UMKC medical students intent on pursuing research interests in neurology. The students will work on research projects with the Headache Research Group in the Division of Neurology at Children’s Mercy. The purpose of the award is to recognize the medical student’s achievements by offering travel support to attend and present their research at a professional scientific meeting in the field of neurology (e.g., the American Academy of Neurology Annual Conference). Students eligible for the award must either be BA/MD medical students in their 4th, 5th, or 6th years or MD program students in their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th years. Students must also be willing to commit to at least 80 total research hours over the course of 12 months to be eligible; this time commitment does not have to be fulfilled prior to applying. Taking a medical school research elective month with the Neurology Department at Children’s Mercy Hospital also is highly encouraged but not required.

Interested students should first fill out this form and send to the UMKC School of Medicine Office of Research. This will inform the School of Medicine of the intent to apply and ensure that the student is in good standing. The student can then submit an unofficial university transcript, curriculum vitae including extracurricular activities and board scores if available, and one page cover letter describing your interest in this research experience and neurology to Madeline Boorigie. A scholarship award committee within the Headache Research Group will make selections. Finalists will interview with a member of the committee. Awardees will be selected based on their interest in neurology and neurology research, strength of academic performance, and the interview.

Deadline for submission is September 17 and selections will be made by Oct. 8.