Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Assistant Professor Robert Hollis, M.D., MSPH, and Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Assistant Professor Jillian Richter, Ph.D., have been named co-directors of the Short-Term Research Experiences Advancing Medical Students (STREAMS).

As the co-directors of STREAMS, Hollis and Richter will help link medical students to mentored research opportunities under surgeons in basic science, translational, clinical, outcomes and education research.  

STREAMS program is an 8-12 week full-time mentored summer research experience including weekly seminars highlighting the conduction of scientific research, life as an academic surgeon, and presentation of research findings. 

The STREAMS program is funded under a NIH/NIDDK T35 Institutional Short-Term Training Grant, led by principle investigators Herb Chen, M.D., FACS, Fay Fletcher Kerner Endowed Chair, and Jayme Locke, M.D., MPH, Arnold G. Diethelm Endowed Chair in Transplantation Surgery.   David Kloda, program administrator in the Division of Transplantation serves as the administrative coordinator for the program.

This training program provides stipend support for summer medical students based on the current NIH NRSA predoctoral stipend levels. The current monthly rate is $2,110 and is prorated based on the number of weeks that are committed to full-time research. Travel support in the amount of $1,000 is also available for each student to present their first-authored abstract at a national surgical meeting.

“As a prior recipient of a T35 award as a medical student, I know how impactful programs like STREAMS are for medical students,” said Hollis. “It is an honor to help direct this program with Dr. Richter and attract the brightest medical students into academic surgery.”