CREMS Summer Research Program
The Comprehensive Research Experience for Medical Students (CREMS) Summer Research Program provides opportunities each year for medical students enrolled at the University of Toronto to participate in a full-time summer research project between their first and second year, or second and third year of medical school, under the supervision of a faculty mentor.
Duration
The CREMS Summer Research Program runs for 10 to 12 weeks from late May/early June to mid/late August. Students will work on the research project on a full-time basis with one week granted for holidays. Students are to arrange holidays with their supervisor directly.
Stipend
A stipend of $5,500 is included; CREMS will contribute $2,750 and the supervisor will be responsible for $2,750. The supervisor is also responsible for any extraneous study or travel expenses.
2023 CREMS Summer - Project Catalogue
23. Antoine Eskander - Osteoradionecrosis (ORN) in patients with head and neck cancer
52. Lilian Gien - Management of recurrent vulvar cancers in the era of sentinel nodes
55. Sascha Drewlo - The role of irisin and in human pregnancy and preeclampsia
60. Rima Styra - Hearing the Caregiver: exploring quality of life for caregivers of cardiac patients
64. Anne Berndl - The impact of pregnancy on bowel health in people with spinal cord injury
84. Cathryn Sibbald - Retrospective review of Morphea in patients with Skin of Color
87. Monica Farcas - A wearable biosensor for ambulatory bladder monitoring: the bladder belt
96. Christopher Cheung - Development of Machine Learning Techniques for Electrocardiogram Analysis
102. John Snelgrove - Preterm birth and antenatal corticosteroids: Do we get the timing right?
124. Nicole Coles - Improving Physical Activity Guidelines among Youth with Type 1 Diabetes
Please note that CREMS will not support any pre-determined student/supervisor pairings. Supervisors must agree to open their projects to all students who apply and interview all students that are interested.
Faculty submissions for the 2023 CREMS Summer Research Program are due February 17, 2023. The CREMS 2022 Supervisor and Project Information Form can be found here: CREMS 2023 - Supervisor and Project Information Form
-
Projects must be remote-capable (in case of new restrictions) or have an alternative remote option outlined. “The decision about where the project occurs (remote or in a lab) will be decided by the supervisor based on the policies in place at the supervisor’s institution during the time of the placement, and the specific circumstances of the lab.”
-
Interested faculty should complete a CREMS 2023 - Supervisor and Project Information Form email it to crems.programs@utoronto.ca by February 17, 2023.
-
Submitted projects will be reviewed and scored by the CREMS adjudication committee. We typically receive 100-120 applications and can fund around 40-50 projects. CREMS positions will be offered to the supervisor/projects with the highest scores. We expect to complete the adjudication process by mid to late March.
-
Accepted projects will then be posted below on the CREMS website and medical students will be invited to apply directly to the supervisors. Supervisors should interview at least 5 interested applicants and select one student to work with. In the interest of fairness, we require that supervisors do not pre-select a student to work with. Supervisors are required to list all the students that were interviewed along with the name of the selected student.
-
We only allow ONE student per project. Once the selection is made you will notify the CREMS office by May 1, 2023.
-
If a project is selected, the supervisor is agreeing to cover half of the student stipend. Students will receive a total of $5,500 for the 10–12-week period. Half of this ($2,750) is paid by CREMS, and the remaining half ($2,750) will be paid by the supervisor.
-
Write to us at crems.programs@utoronto.ca if you have any questions or require further details.
Requirements for successful completion
Upon completion of the Summer Program, students will be required to submit via email to Lisa at crems.programs@utoronto.ca. A call for these deliverables will go out the first week of September and will be due the first week of October.
-
Formal Project Abstract fit for publication
-
Supervisor and CREMS Program Evaluation Form
-
One-page Informal Report outlining the student’s research experience
A call for these deliverables will go out in September
Students are required to participate in the annual Medical Student Research Day held in February of the following year, by submitting an abstract and presenting a poster of their findings. Successful completion of the Summer Program will be evaluated by the CREMS Program Director and Coordinator.