Medical Student Post-Doctoral Summer Research Program

The Medical Student Post-Doctoral Summer Research Program offers a limited number of competitively selected medical students enrolled at the University of Toronto, who have previously completed a doctoral degree, the opportunity 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.

Eligibility

The Medical Student Post-Doctoral Summer Research Program is only open to current University of Toronto MD Program students who hold a doctoral degree.
Students must be in their first or second year of the MD Program and MD/PhD Program students are not eligible.
Students already receiving salary support for a project are not eligible to apply to this stream for the same project.
Students can only be accepted/successfully funded through this Program once.
Students who apply to the Medical Student Post-Doctoral Summer Research Program can not apply to the regular CREMS stream.

Duration

The Medical Student Post-Doctoral Summer Research Program runs for 10 weeks from June to August. Students will work on the research project on a full-time basis and must reside in the Province of Ontario for the duration of the project term. This is considered a full-time role, and the student is not to take on any other full-time work during the 10-week period. Any time off, including holidays, must be coordinated with the supervisor and will not count towards the required 10 weeks.

Stipend

A stipend of $6,000 is included; the Medical Student Post-Doctoral Summer Research Program will contribute $2,750 and the supervisor will be responsible for $3,250. The supervisor is also responsible for any extraneous study or travel expenses. Students will receive payment from two separate sources. The supervisor portion of the payment will come directly from them and must be set up via their Research Institution's Finance or HR department. The student must clear $3250 after any and all deductions. NOTE: The Supervisor is responsible for arranging student payment for their portion of the stipend according to the guidelines of their hospitals or research institutes. The student must clear $3250 after any and all deductions Payments from the Medical Student Post-Doctoral Summer Research Program are processed bi-weekly by the University of Toronto undergraduate awards office, through an internal system and paid via direct deposit to the students' bank account on file.

Supervisors & Projects

Students are expected to identify a supervisor and project of interest on their own, rather than selecting from a pre-determined list. Primary Supervisors must hold a Faculty appointment at the University of Toronto, preferably with a demonstration of previous student mentorship. They must also have sufficient funds available to cover the supervisor's portion of the student’s total stipend ($3,250) and the costs of the student’s research. Once a student has identified a potential supervisor of interest, they are strongly encouraged to meet with them. This initial discussion provides an opportunity for the student and supervisor to define a research project, assess whether their interests and working styles align, and to confirm the supervisor’s willingness to supervise the student.

Supervisors and Projects

Students are expected to identify a supervisor and project of interest on their own, rather than selecting from a pre-determined list. Primary Supervisors must hold a Faculty appointment at the University of Toronto, preferably with a demonstration of previous student mentorship. They must also have sufficient funds available to cover the supervisor's portion of the student’s total stipend ($3,250) and the costs of the student’s research. Once a student has identified a potential supervisor of interest, they are strongly encouraged to meet with them. This initial discussion provides an opportunity for the student and supervisor to define a research project, assess whether their interests and working styles align, and to confirm the supervisor’s willingness to supervise the student.

Application Process

Application packages must include the following:

An identified supervisor and research project
Curriculum vitae
Written confirmation of Good Standing in the MD Program (Letter from the Program, signed by Registrar/Vice-Dean) - request from the Registrar through the online request form.
Personal statement explaining your interest in the Program (maximum 500 words) - Please remember to indicate your supervisor’s name and project title
Research Plan including a description of the research project and your role (maximum 500 words)

PDFs should be titled with your last name and the name of the document (i.e.. Smith - Letter of Good Standing).

Applicants must submit the required application documents through the online application form.

Applicants will apply through a competitive process in March of Year 1 or Year 2 of the MD Program and, if accepted, will start in June of that year. The expected intake is 5 students per year.

STEP 1

A call for applicants goes out to MD Program students in January.

STEP 2

Applications are due on March 3, 2025. Applicants must submit the required application documents through the online application form.

STEP 3

Applications will be submitted to the Adjudication Committee for competitive selection. Adjudicators will assess each application for overall acceptability as well as provide a cumulative numerical score for the rank order.

STEP 4

The Medical Student Post-Doctoral Summer Research Program will then notify all applicants to let them know if their application has been selected for the Program.

STEP 5

Supervisors will be sent a Mentor Agreement form to be signed by both the supervisor and student which outlines that the supervisor and student agree to work with each other, and that the supervisor agrees to pay $3,250. This completed form is due May 1, 2025.

STEP 6

The Medical Student Post-Doctoral Summer Research Program begins June and runs full-time for 10 weeks.

Requirements for Successful Completion

Upon completion of the Program, students will be required to submit the Program deliverables via email to the Program Coordinator. A call for these deliverables will go out the first week of September and will be due the first week of October. These include:

Formal Project Abstract fit for publication
Supervisor and Program Evaluation Form
One-page Informal Report outlining the student’s research experience

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 or presentation outlining their findings. Successful completion of the Summer Program will be evaluated by the Director, Medical Student Research Scholars Program and Program Coordinator.