Students selected for participation in the PROmoTE summer research program are those deemed most capable and most likely to maintain a prolonged interest in research. Students with an interest in research exposure, but who have no, or minimal, prior research experience, are not excluded from consideration. Students with a PhD or extensive prior research experience are not eligible and students accepted into the UAB MD/PhD program are also not eligible.


PROmoTE scholars will participate in two unique and innovative summer skill development courses, a Team Science Workshop/Retreat, Understanding the Research Enterprise and research opportunities:

 "Critical Approaches to Kidney Disease Physiology" (2 credit hours): This course incorporates topics in basic biochemistry and cell biology. This course will have 2-hour class meetings twice weekly for 8 weeks.
 "Clinical Evaluation of Kidney Disease" (2 credit hours): This course exposes students to the multiple methods of clinical evaluation of kidney disease and the diverse presentations of these diseases. This course will have one ½-day clinical exposure each week for 8 weeks. Patient presentations will occur on each class day prior to that week’s clinical exposure.

 (1 credit hour): This event serves as orientation for the PROmoTE scholars and mentors and is on the first day (May 29, 2017), at the beginning of each summer of PROmoTE. This one-day workshop/retreat offers a unique team training opportunity and is held in an off-campus location near to UAB (location to TBA). PROmoTE scholars from the previous summer will be required to present the outcomes of their previous summer’s research to the incoming (2018) PROmoTE scholars.

 Understanding the Research Enterprise: This course introduces students to the ethics of academic medicine. This class consists of seven 1-hour luncheon sessions during the summer months. *Attendance is mandatory. Any absences will need to have a significant excuse and must be made up in a special tutorial with the program director.

• PROmoTE scholars will meet with their preceptor for one hour, every other week, to reflect on individual and team performance, as well as how to improve team performance and how to increase the effectiveness of inter-professional teamwork and team science.
• The PROmoTE training experience is the presentation of the summer research at a local poster session and at a national meeting. All PROmoTE scholars will be required to prepare a joint abstract for the UAB Department of Medicine (DOM) Trainee Research Symposium, which is held the first Wednesday of March each year. PROmoTE students will also be required to submit their abstract to and attend the Experimental Biology or American Society of Nephrology (ASN) national meeting.
• PROmoTE scholars will be required to attend the PROmoTE Retreat the summer after they complete the program and present the outcomes of their previous summer’s research to the incoming PROmoTE scholars.
• In addition to learning how to communicate their research findings to a scientific audience at local and national meetings, one of the tasks for which many MD and early PhD students may require assistance is how to communicate their research findings to a lay audience. To improve this communication skill, the PROmoTE scholars will be exposed to the UAB Graduate School “Discoveries in the Making” program (https://www.uab.edu/graduate/discoveries-in-the-making). This program was started by UAB Graduate Dean, Dr. Lori McMahon and is an educational outreach program held monthly at local public libraries. During the summer of the PROmoTE Program, scholars will be exposed to the training and will be required to attend one of the library events. PROmoTE Program scholars are encouraged to apply to become a “Discoveries in the Making Scholar” so that they can present their findings at one of the Birmingham area libraries in the future.

*Students are required to complete the UAB HIPAA training course, the UAB Code of Conduct, and the Code of Conduct for Physician Shadowing by Premedical       College Students.
*Prior to beginning the PROmoTE Program, the PROmoTE scholars will take the Big Five Personality Test.
*Each PROmoTE scholar team will be assigned a “near-peer” K/F/T grantee mentor from UAB.
*Both the MD and PhD PROmoTE scholars will be encouraged to attend Medical Grand Rounds and the Nephrology Research & Training Center (NRTC) seminars     throughout the year after they complete the PROmoTE Program.
**Attendance at all class sessions is required with excused absences given with permission of the course director only.

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  Eligible PhD candidates must have completed the first year of core coursework prior to participating in the summer PROmoTE program. (Core coursework includes completion of: GBS 707, 708, and 709, thematic specific coursework offered by any of the eight GBS themes, and three 8-10 week laboratory rotations).
• Complete the online application
  You will be asked to upload the following:    
• Current CV/Resume    
• UAB current academic progress/grades report    
• Essay: The essay describes ‘Why the applicant wants to participate in PROmoTE and what skills do they want to learn during the program’.(word limit amount if any here)    
• The faculty mentor will be required to provide an assessment of the student’s research potential and future interest in kidney disease research and a 1-page description of the planned summer research project for the PROmoTE student team

• Eligible MD candidates are students who are preparing to start their first (MS1) year in medical school at UAB.
• Student interviews via Skype (For students applying Spring 2017 only)
• Complete the online application
  You will be asked to upload the following:  
• AMCAS Application    
• Essay: The essay describes the applicant’s current career goals, interest in renal research, interest in learning about team science, and how this program will help them meet their career goals (word limit amount if any here)
• After selection, prematriculation UAB SOM students, in collaboration with guidance from their co-team graduate student and their research mentor are required to read the appropriate scientific literature to help them get a jump-start on the summer research. This introduction to the research area effectively extends the impact of the 8-week research experience, as much of the background reading and the introduction of the hypothesis addressed is completed prior to the beginning of the actual summer hands-on work.