Selecting /(searching for) a (feasible) research project and (appropriate) mentor

1. Selecting/(searching for) a (feasible)research project and (appropriate)mentor Pathways to Careers in Clinical and Translational Research (PACCTR) Curriculum Core

2. Plan • What is clinical and translational research • Defining your expectations • What is feasible? • Where to look for mentors/projects • Contacting potential mentors • Is the mentor a good fit for you?

3. What is clinical research anyway? • Research on a drug, biologic or device in human subjects with the intent to discover potential beneficial effects and/or determine its safety and efficacy (FDA definition) • May also refer to research that is carried out in the clinical setting focused on patients (eg, health services research, registry studies, observational studies focused on a patient population, investigations using historic medical records…) • Examples: • Randomized clinical trial of vit E or selenium vs. placebo to prevent prostate cancer • Studies on the effects of screening patterns and subsequent incidence rates of disease.

4. What is translational research? • 2 general types: T1 and T2 • T1=bench to bedside, laboratory to human • Examples: • Novel inhibitor for cancer promoter gene X is discovered in cell or animal model and taken into patients through small pilot trials • Identify markers of disease presence (biomarkers) • Drug and device development • T2: bedside to community (health services or policy research) • Examples: • Identify barriers to using a new drug or practice in the community • Quality improvement programs • Evaluate the impact on population health of an intervention

5. What is Epidemiology? • Studies of the distribution and determinants of disease frequency and occurrence • Encompasses clinical research • Observational: Cross-sectional, case-control, cohort • Experimental: randomized trials

6. Summer Research Deadline • SOM Dean’s Summer Research Fellowship: Early April • SOM student research site: http://www.medschool.ucsf.edu/studentresearch/ • PACCTR Summer Research Fellowship: April 16, 2007 (open to students from all schools) http://pacctr.ucsf.edu/PACCTR%20brochure%2007-08.pdf

8. Projects for students…Your goals drive your choices Do you want…. • Clinical experience (ie direct patient contact?) • A publication or simply to try out clinical research • To work in a specific specialty/area • To work with a specific person (regardless of the project) • Financial compensation?

9. Your goals drive your choices Do you want…. • To do a specific type of research: meta-analysis, policy work, case-control study • To create your own project or join an existing project • To work with a team vs work alone • How much time do you have? • Are you willing/able to extend that time?

10. What can you do in 2 months? • Review article, maybe meta-analysis • Secondary data analysis (analyze existing data and write paper—need data analysis experience) • A case report(this is typically more appropriate for students during clinical years) • Part of an ongoing project

11. What can you do in 2 months? Part of an ongoing project: • Interview or recruit subjects • collect data • create survey or data collection instrument • do literature review for a grant application • data analysis • write part of a manuscript in progress

12. What can’t you do in 2 months? A self-designed project using new data What does it take to do your “own” project? • CHR approval (takes minimum 2 months) • Recruitment (always takes longer than you think) • Data collection and input • Data analysis (good to know statistical programs or work with biostatistician and programmer) • Write and submit paper or abstract/poster

13. Extending your time • Most time intensive and inflexible are: recruitment and data collection • Can enter and analyze data and write paper in “free” time So…. • If motivated, you can continue/finish a project during regular classes as long as have a chunk of dedicated time at start (but you need to be honest with yourself and mentor about whether you want to do this!)

14. Examples of real students’ projects • Collect public access data (SEER & US census) to correlate trends in disease over time • Chan JM, Jou RM, Carroll PR. The relative impact and future burden of prostate cancer in the United States. J Urol. 2004 • Assist in review article • Chan JM, Feraco A, Shuman M, Hernandez-Diaz S.Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2006. The epidemiology of prostate cancer--with a focus on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. • Initiate small independent survey study that can be conducted in 6 months; complete write-up during clinical years or after. • PSA screening practices knowledge and beliefs in a large urban training hospital; Cooperberg et al, pending

15. Examples of real students’ projects • Participate in data collection, cleaning, or analysis for ongoing study, and/or… • Participate in write-up of secondary/minor hypothesis papers (while waiting for follow-up to accrue for main study questions) • Sheriff SK, Shohara RA, Dumican SB, Small EJ, Carroll PR, Chan JM. Lifestyle correlates of health perception and treatment satisfaction in a clinical cohort of men with prostate cancer. Clin Prostate Cancer. 2005

16. Examples of real students’ projects • Assist in medical chart review or database completion to support larger study • Urologic Oncology Database & CaPSURE (Dept. Urology) • Comparison of recovery times among patients undergoing 2 different types of surgery • Describing the baseline features and follow-up experience of a population of men on Active Surveillance for prostate cancer • Comparing tumor focality (or other features at dx) in patients operated on by a single surgeon over two different time periods (…to examine potential effects of screening or identify other temporal trends) • Examining correlations between body size and clinical features at diagnosis and prognosis in prostate cancer registry study

17. Searching for a mentor/project The Bad news….. There is no comprehensive database of researchers at UCSF The Good news…. A comprehensive, university-wide, searchable database is planned With some leg work, you can find appropriate contacts

18. Where to look: www.USCF.edu UCSF home page search: • Departmental websites: many have research tab • Search for topic plus clinical research eg orthopedic clinical research • Search for known researcher

19. Search UCSF: “Orthopedic Clinical Research”

20. Where to look: Pubmed Pubmed: • search for topic and limit to UCSF • pharmacogenomic AND "university of california" [ad] AND san francisco [ad]

21. Search Pubmed for UCSF researchers

22. Where to look • Ask lecturers, small group leaders for contacts • Student Research Offices at each of the Schools: Ask for list of mentors and students from last couple years • Web Resources section of this module

23. Interesting websites to check • UCSF CENTER ON SOCIAL DISPARITIES IN HEALTH: http://www.ucsf.edu/csdh/index.html • Center for health and the community http://www.chc.ucsf.edu • Institute for health policy studies searchable website of projects: http://ihps.ucsf.edu/servlet/HtmlTemplateProjectSearchServlet?LinkName=projSearch • Center for AIDS prevention studies (CAPS): http://www.caps.ucsf.edu/resourcesresearchers.php • Women’s health clinical research center: http://www.whcrc.ucsf.edu/people/faculty.html • The diabetes center: http://www.diabetes.ucsf.edu/EN/clinical_research/ • Center for Obesity Assessment, Study and Treatment (COAST) http://chc.ucsf.edu/COAST/index.htm • Medical Effectiveness Research Center for Diverse Populations http://dgim.ucsf.edu/diversity/thematic.html • UCSF cancer center http://cancer.ucsf.edu/research/

24. Contacting potential mentors • Targeted emails (no mass emails) • Be persistent (ie if no answer, email again) • Keep it short but concisely say what you are interested in (“summer project in xyz, I have experience in xyz” etc)) • If get a “no” ask if others in department may be willing

25. Preparing to meet a mentor • Professional etiquette – treat initial meetings with mentors like a job interview • Mentors are interested in you but often very busy - help them think of how you can best support or fit into an existing program • Faculty researchers take on students because: • They like to teach and it keeps things fresh • They may need assistance with a project but be on a budget • They may need someone with clinical training to assist in data collection/cleaning

26. Preparing to meet a mentor • Do your homework: you don’t need to have a project in mind (he/she will help with that) but do a PUBMED search to find out what mentor has done • Take some time for self-reflection - be objective, know your strengths and weaknesses; know what you are willing to do for a larger experience

27. Q’s to ask of mentors • Will they be there during your available time? • Have they hosted a student before? (get name and contact that person!) • Explain your availability and goals and ask if they have project for you to work on

28. Q’s to ask of mentors If seems a good fit, ask about… • your specific role • whether publication, poster etc would be possible and whether you would be author • ancillary benefits: can you attend conferences in the dept? learn a new software program etc • Who else is on research team, meetings?

29. Final thoughts • Many clinical researchers did not come to the field knowing it was what they had always wanted to do • Instead, they tried it and loved it!

30. PACCTR* Curriculum Core • George Sawaya MD, School of Medicine • Rebecca Jackson MD, School of Medicine • Susan Hyde DDS, MPH, PhD, School of Dentistry • Jennifer Cocohoba PharmD, School of Pharmacy • Roberta Oka RN, ANP, DNSc, School of Nursing • Joel Palefsky MD School of Medicine * Pathways to Careers in Clinical and Translational Research