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2010 South East Regional Meeting

On behalf of the organizing committee, it is our pleasure to invite you to the Inaugural South East Regional Meeting to be hosted at the University of Alabama - Birmingham School of Medicine in Birmingham, AL on October 9, 2010. We look forward to hosting physician-scientist trainees from the South East region and beyond.

Financial Support:

The American Physician Scientists Association would like to gratefully thank the following organizations for their financial support for Inaugural Meeting of the South East Regional Meeting in Birmingham, AL.

Additional Funding was provided by:

University of Alabama - Birmingham
Howell and Elizabeth Heflin Center for Genomic Sciences
Center for Aging
Center for Emerging Infections and Emergency Preparedness (CEIEP)
Comprehensive Neuroscience Center
Center for Glial Biology
Civitan International Research Center
Center for Biophysical Sciences and Engineering (CBSE)
Comprehensive Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Autoimmunity Center
Comprehensive Cancer Center
Center for Free Radical Biology (CFRB)
Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS)
Gregory Fleming James Cystic Fibrosis Research Center
Center for Metabolic Bone Disease
BioMatrix Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Center (BERM)
Center for Cardiovascular Biology
Comprehensive Diabetes Center
Center for Women's Reproductive Health (CWRH)

Emory University
Medical School Senate
Graduate Student Government Association
Laney School of Graduate Studies

Participants Listing

Click Here to find out who else is attending the 2010 South East Regional Meeting (Participant List is open only to current members of APSA)

Speakers

Click Here to view the bios for all the speakers and session leaders of the 2010 South East Regional Meeting

Tentative Agenda

General Breakout Sessions:

What a long, strange trip it’s been: MD/PhD and the match

Session Leaders:
Robin Lorenz, MD PhD (Bio)
Jason Paik PhD (Bio)
Brent Rexer, MD PhD (Bio) 

We will be answering questions such as: "How did you decide on a field of research for graduate school?" "Are you still in the same field now, or in something completely different?"  "How did you decide on a medical specialty?"  "How do you balance research and clinical work?"  "Is there anything you wish you had done differently?" UAB MSTP director Dr. Robin Lorenz and UAB MSTP student Dr. Jason Paik will discuss their recent JAMA publication entitled "Postgraduate Choices of Graduates from Medical Scientist Training Programs, 2004-2008". Drs. Lorenz and Paik will report published and recent data regarding residency choices amongst MSTP graduates and provide commentary on these early outcomes in terms of the needs of MSTP students in frequently and infrequently chosen residency specialties. These data will be supplemented by the experience of Dr. Brent Rexer, a 2003 graduate of the Vanderbilt MSTP and current Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Vanderbilt.

Being a Female Physician-Scientist

Session Leaders:
Lisa Guay-Woodford, MD PhD (Bio)
Sandra Zinkel, MD PhD (Bio)

We will be discussing issues that female academicians and physician scientists uniquely face in pursuing their career goals, and educate male M.D./Ph.D. trainees and undergrads about the problems in not having an equitable environment. The goal of this panel is to enable participants to better understand the unique issues that female academics and physician-scientists face in pursuing their career goals.  Speakers will review the status of women in science and academia, identify hurdles experienced by women in academia, as well as potential solutions, suggest ideas on how to live a balanced life, and discuss their own training and experiences as women in academia.  This panel aims to inspire female M.D./Ph.D. trainees and undergraduates to make the most of their careers, and to suggest tips on how to accomplish their goals.  The panel will also be informative for male M.D./Ph.D. trainees and undergraduates, since it will provide insight into issues such as inequity in the workplace.

Successful Grant Writing

Session Leader:
Kenneth Newell, MD PhD (Bio) 

Dr. Newell will present tips for writing fundable grants. This workshop is geared towards teaching participants how to write a successful grant at the pre-doctoral and later professional stages.  Attendees will learn the general grant outline, how to pick a relevant project for funding and will hear about common sources of grant funding for the pre-doctoral applicant.  Workshop leaders will also teach how to design effective aims for your grant, how to go about choosing the right preliminary data to present and will share other important advice on making your grant stand out.

Post-Grad Training for Unconventional Career Goals

Session Leaders:
Denise Koo, MD MPH (Bio)
Sten Vermund, MD PhD (Bio)

Here we will discuss post-graduate training for M.D./Ph.D. graduates pursuing unconventional career goals (e.g. public health and surgery). Dr. Denise Koo, CDC Director of the Scientific Education and Professional Development Program Office, and Dr. Sten Vermund, Director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, will relay their experiences in unconventional (i.e. not 80% lab, 20% medicine) careers spanning scientific and medical disciplines as well as the globe. Drs. Koo and Vermund will encourage M.D./Ph.D. students to to combine their training with their talents in ways which may be more productive and rewarding than adhering to an established career model, as well as discuss how M.D./Ph.D. graduates can have careers rooted in public health as academic physicians.

Undergraduate Specific Breakout Sessions:

Getting into an MD/PhD Program

Panelists:
MSTP Students 

This session, composed of current M.D./Ph.D. students from UAB, Emory, and Vanderbilt, will inform undergraduate students what they need to get into an M.D./Ph.D. program. This session will provide basic information about entry into an MSTP, such as average GPA and MCAT scores, as well as inform students of the Emory, Vanderbilt, and UAB MSTP timelines. The students will also relate their experiences both prior to matriculation into an MSTP and after beginning pursuit of their M.D and Ph.D., explaining why they chose a dual degree program and what their lives have been like following that choice.

Research / Medical Experience before Matriculation - What to Get, How to Get it

Panelists:
MSTP Students

This session caters specifically to undergraduate students. Research and medical experience is critical to get into an M.D./Ph.D. program. This session will outline what type of experience is most needed, including how to obtain the vital "sustained and productive research experience". Undergraduate research programs offered by UAB, Vanderbilt, Emory, the NIH, and the CDC will be outlined. Additionally, information regarding successful medical experiences beyond shadowing physicians will be offered.

MD/PhD Director Panel
Descriptions of Emory University, Vanderbilt University, and University of Alabama - Birmingham MSTPs

Panelists:
Terry Dermody, MD (Bio)
Mary Horton, MPH MA (Bio)
Robin Lorenz, MD PhD (Bio) 

The MSTP directors of UAB, Emory, and Vanderbilt will outline what they look for in applicants to their M.D./Ph.D. programs. The directors will be available for open discussion with students regarding questions about entry into, life within, and completion of an M.D./Ph.D. degree. For interested undergraduate students, this is a unique opportunity to discuss M.D./Ph.D. topics with the leaders of these three excellent programs.