UC Department of Neurosurgery Gap Year Research Fellowship

Positions: 3
Timeline: July 1 – June 30 Eligibility All M3 medical students who are applying to Neurosurgery Residency programs. International students are not eligible.
Application: Access the application here.
Position Type: 12-month, full-time. This is a volunteer position.

Description The Department of Neurosurgery’s Research Gap Year program is intended for medical students finishing their 3rd year to carry out research projects and generate publications to expand their CVs to make them more competitive when applying to Neurosurgery residency programs. These programs are placing increasing importance on research and publications as a factor in determining successful applicants.
In this position, participants will have the opportunity to be a part of a number of research projects in the Department. These projects span database and retrospective studies, clinical trials, data science studies, and basic science laboratory work. The Gap Year Fellow will be involved in a wide variety of projects, ideally leading to multiple publications and presentations at research meetings.
The Fellow will be responsible for maintaining excellent departmental research citizenship by actively participating in Grand Rounds, Journal Clubs, Research Division Meetings, local and national meetings, among other activities.
The ideal candidate is committed to Neurosurgery as a career, dedicated to a full year of research, highly self-motivated, able to work under conditions of varying supervision, flexible, and have an exemplary academic record.

DNS Gap Year Fact Sheet (PDF)

For more information, contact Bradley Hinger (hingerby@ucmail.uc.edu), Program Coordinator, Department of Neurosurgery.

Medical Student Research Year 2026-2027
Position Title: Medical Student Research Scholar
Positions: 1
Duration: 1 year

Who: US M3 medical student planning on applying to Orthopedic Surgery residency programs. Only USA medical school students will be considered.
Where: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine; Cincinnati, OH.
When: Beginning Approx. June 2026
Salary: Paid 12-month position through the University of Cincinnati with full-time benefits.

Medical students may choose to take a “Gap-Year” during medical school training to do research and produce publications that improve their CV, and position as an applicant for highly competitive Orthopedic Surgery Residency Training Programs that consider research activity and publications an important part of the application process. The position is focused on clinical research and involves retrospective studies, database studies, prospective studies, and randomized clinical trials – however, basic science and laboratory research is also possible. The successful applicant can expect to be involved in approximately twenty to thirty projects, the majority of which will progress to publication and presentation at regional and national meetings. The student is well-integrated into the residency program, attending daily AM trauma rounds, educational conferences, Grand Rounds, and journal club in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. For the self-directed, motivated individual, this can be a very productive year. The student should expect to have 10-20 publications/chapters/abstracts by the end of the research year.
The ideal candidate must have high motivation for a career in Orthopaedic Surgery; have interest in research; be extremely organized, detail-oriented, and able to self-manage; and have a strong academic record.

Applications should be submitted via the application portal (TBA); applications must be received by February 1, 2026 for consideration.
Submission documents should include a brief cover letter, CV (with USMLE Step I and/or II scores). Letters of recommendation are optional.

Questions: contact Kim Hasselfeld, Clinical Research Manager, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

The Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery T32 Mentored Research Training Program for Medical Students offers 9- to 12-month mentored research experiences, with opportunities to participate in research on many levels. Students will learn from successful program faculty conducting cutting edge clinically relevant basic, clinical, and translational research in the auditory, vestibular, olfactory, and communication sciences. In addition, tuition is available for students who wish to take courses in clinical investigation and obtain a master’s degree.

Accepting applications annually July 1 through December 31.

Download the Application Packet and related resources

Contact Katie Buffington, Program Administrator bkatie@wustl.edu
or Jay F. Piccirillo, MD, Program Director piccirij@wustl.edu

The USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery clinician-scientist training program (CSTP) is a 9-12 month research track offering medical students the opportunity to be involved in meaningful research experiences with close mentorship by world-class faculty researchers. This program is funded by an NIH R25 grant.

For more information, go to the Program Site or contact CSTP_OHNS@med.usc.edu, Program Coordinator.

Application deadline: March 16, 2026

The Medical Research Scholars Program is a year long research immersion program for future clinician-scientists that advances health by inspiring careers in biomedical research. By engaging students in basic, clinical, or translational research investigations, offering a curriculum rich in didactics and professional development, and featuring a robust mentorship and advising program, MRSP prepares its Scholars to become tomorrow's leaders in medicine and biomedical research.

Application opens September 1, 2025 and closes on December 1, 2025, 5:00 PM EST.

Questions: Email the MRSP Team.

As a Research Fellow, students have the opportunity to engage in a year-long research project with a faculty mentor in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. Each program provides one year of funding and can be tailored to meet the interests of the selected fellow. Students also have the opportunity to shadow clinical activities and are expected to take part in all departmental educational activities, such as head and neck cancer tumor board and grand rounds.

More information may be found at the Program Site.

Application Deadline: February 15, 2026

The Sarnoff Fellowship Program offers medical students enrolled in accredited U.S. medical schools the opportunity to spend a year conducting intensive work in a biomedical research facility in the United States. During the year in the laboratory, the Sarnoff Fellow will undertake his/her own research project and assume responsibility for it from inception to completion. The Fellow is expected, with guidance, to develop the hypothesis and specific aims of the project, to participate in the experimental design, to carry out appropriate experiments, to interpret the data with the help of his/her Preceptor, and to prepare an original manuscript for submission to an appropriate peer-reviewed journal. Each Fellow presents his/her results at the Sarnoff Foundation's Annual Scientific Meeting, as well as at appropriate national meetings. Fellows are selected on the basis of a national competition. Sarnoff seeks individuals with demonstrated intellectual and academic achievement, as well as leadership ability.

The application deadline for the 2026-27 Sarnoff Fellowship Program is January 7, 2026.

The CHOP Benjamin Fox Orthopedic Research Scholar Award is a nationally renown year-out program that Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, & Neurobiology offers 3 extraordinary medical students the opportunity to perform clinical orthopedic research with abundant resources (national databases, many research team helpers, our own statistician) and with the national thought leaders at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with a November deadline.

For more information, email Divia Talwar.

Sponsor(s): Rheumatology Research Foundation

Rheum Research Preceptorships Website

Application Deadline: December 1, 2025