The aim of the Research Track is to recruit the next generation of clinician-scientists to Columbia University and the New York Presbyterian Hospital. Trainees in the Research Track will complete Residency (2-3 years) and Fellowship (2-5 years). In addition, the Department of Medicine traditionally has recruited its faculty members at the Instructor and Assistant Professor level from among its ranks, particularly from research oriented fellows, and this tradition is enthusiastically embraced by the Chair of Medicine.
The Research track is designed to fulfill the requirements of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Research Pathway. Members of the Research Track will participate in all basic aspects of clinical training. In addition, residents in each year of the Research Track are scheduled for research-focused conferences and sharing of individual work. Trainees will also attend a weekly continuity clinic in the program’s ambulatory practice, Associates in Internal Medicine.
Trainees will also attend a regular seminar series in a journal club format, geared to intensive review of a research subject. Faculty members from the Department of Medicine will participate. Residents will also have the opportunity to publish repots on the mechanisms of disease or therapy in the “P&S”, our medical center’s magazine, which is widely read throughout Columbia University. In addition, the trainee will present a departmental conference and a Grand Rounds, based on their own research.
Members of the Research Track can elect the Research Pathway (“short-track” option) of the ABIM and initiate research and enter the fellowship of their choice in the PGY3 year. Members of the Research Track can also elect to remain in clinical work through PGY3, and initiate research and/or fellowship in PGY4.
Trainees may join any laboratory at Columbia University or, in rare cases, laboratories outside the University. Courses in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and in the Mailman School of Public Health are available to further enhance career development.
We encourage applications from future physician-scientists. Dedication both to clinical work and to finding answers at the lab bench are the most critical attributes of the future physician-scientist. Prior graduate work or a significant experience in a lab together with academic accomplishments are highly desirable.
The Research Track no longer has a separate National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) number. Applications to the Research track are reviewed by the directors of the House Staff Program and Research Track and by the Vice Chair for Research of the Department of Medicine. Selected candidates are invited to be interviewed by both clinical and research faculty and by the Fellowship Director of their choosing. Candidates are encouraged to visit Columbia University Medical Center on one of the research-focused interview dates. Applicants to the Research Track may choose that track in their ERAS application, but should list the NRMP number for the categorical program when completing their rank list (see How to Apply).
Questions about the Research Track can be addressed to:
Jonathan Barasch, MD
Research Track Director
Associate Professor of Medicine
(212) 305-1890 |