Logo for University of Iowa Health Care This logo represents the University of Iowa Health Care

Research Distinction Track Mentor Responsibilities

The Research Distinction Track Mentor is responsible for supervising a medical student who has elected to participate in research in a meaningful and substantial way during his/her medical school training. The mentor is responsible for overseeing the student as he/she pursues a research question, conducts literature reviews of relevant research, and engages in research opportunities relevant to a specific research question or more broadly relevant to the importance of research to the practice of medicine.

Specific responsibilities of the Mentor are as follows: (Mentor documents are uploaded through mentor's Research-Mentor Database login)

  1. Submit a nomination letter on behalf of the student stating your commitment to working with the student throughout their RDT project.
  2. Together with the student, develop a Research Activities Plan that outlines the research problem the student is pursuing and lists relevant seminars, research meetings, conferences, journal clubs, etc. the student will attend. The student must enter this information in their RDT portfolio and update it periodically, as needed.
  3. Meet regularly with the student throughout the remaining years of medical school to discuss progress on the RDT project, relevant current literature reviews, and other research-related activities the student is pursuing (e.g., additional data collection, manuscript preparation).
  4. Supervise the student's preparation of a first-author manuscript of the research conducted for their RDT project. This manuscript must be formatted in a PDF icon standardized manner including: objectives, background, methods, data analysis, results, discussion and future directions. If the manuscript has not been published by summer's end of the student's M3 year, it must be submitted to the Research Council for review, in at least draft form, no later than August 1 (beginning of M4 year) in order to have participation in RDT mentioned in the student's MSPE Letter for residency applications. A first-author unpublished manuscript is acceptable for the RDT project, but it must be submitted in an appropriate publication style/format.
  5. Complete an evaluation of the student at least once in the final (M4) year, no later than February 28th, and more frequently if desired.
  6. Submit a Research Distinction PDF icon Example Grad Letter.pdf for the student outlining the work and accomplishments for the RDT no later than February 28 of the M4 year. This letter is included with the student's portfolio of work during the final review of candidates for graduation with Research Distinction.