Harvard Summer Research Program in Kidney Medicine

This is a renewal application for the Harvard Summer Research Program in Kidney Medicine (HSRPKM) which provides a hands-on experience for talented undergraduate students to establish and build upon their interest in kidney and urology research. The HSRPKM was initiated and funded in 2014. Over the last 10 years we have enrolled 118 students from 67 colleges/universities in 32 states. The average GPA of the students over the past 10 years is 3.89. Our program is built around providing students with an intensive, hypothesis-driven, mentored research experience. Each student’s project is mentored by an investigator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital or Massachusetts General Hospital. A site director at each hospital helps place students with the appropriate mentor. We have an outstanding group of 30 Program Faculty involved in research and career mentoring, retention, and assessment. In addition to their daily research, students participate in a weekly core curriculum to introduce them to the breadth of kidney biology in health and disease. This includes: 1) an introduction to the principles of renal physiology; 2) a renal gross pathology session with autopsy specimens; 3) training for and performing a community screening for kidney disease; 4) a visit to an outpatient dialysis center to appreciate the impact of kidney disease and experience this current treatment approach for patients with kidney failure; 5) an opportunity to observe the clinical work of a nephrologist or urologist; and 6) additional sessions on patient perspectives and the contributions of research in the biotech/pharma industry to new therapeutic approaches. Students present their work locally and then nationally at the NIDDK-KUH Summer Research symposium. There are close ties with the Kidney Disease Screening and Awareness Program (KDSAP). HSRPKM alumni have started 17 KDSAP chapters (52% of the current chapters) which enable longitudinal experiences with, and increased peer awareness of, kidney health and disease. A year-round program of mentorship, career development sessions, and networking helps sustain alumni interest in Nephrology and Urology. The Program Directors have assembled an Advisory Committee to oversee the program and judge its effectiveness. They have also assembled a Mentorship and Retention Faculty group to help develop and implement recruitment and retention strategies. An Assessment Committee will continue to expand evaluative approaches to optimize the trainee experience and determine the effectiveness of the HSRPKM in achieving the NIDDK-KUH Institute’s goals.