Students

Student applications now closed.

Submission Deadline: March 25th, 2024 at 4:00pm PDT.

Eligibility

  • The competition is only open to currently registered UBC undergraduate students.
  • Undergraduate students must be registered in a direct-entry UBC undergraduate program at the time of application (the summer studentship can be held immediately after graduation). Due to UBC award regulations, unclassified students are not eligible.
  • Students in direct-entry health professions in Nursing, Pharmacy, Speech & Audiology, Genetic Counselling, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy are eligible to apply as they are considered undergraduate students.
  • All students must be in good academic standing and students must also have a minimum GPA of 75% to be deemed eligible.
  • If you are currently or plan to be on a co-op placement during the MRPM award please contact med.studentresearch@ubc.ca to discuss eligibility.
  • Note that this year’s funding period must occur between May 1st — August 31
  • Students must attend three workshops (dates TBA) to be eligible for funding.
  • Students that have applied for the FoM SSRP summer studentship may also apply for MRPM funding.
  • Although students are encouraged to apply for all eligible funding competitions, only one summer research studentship may be accepted for the eligible time period (i.e. either NSERC USRA, SSRP, or MRPM).
  • Up to three students will be assigned to each awarded research project:
    • two non-MD undergraduate students (required)
    • one MD student (optional)
  • Non-MD undergraduate students:
    • are eligible in years 2+ of their program
    • will receive a minimum of $9,400 for 16-weeks of full-time research experience (35 hours/week or 560 hours total). Supervisors are required to fund at least $3,400 of this amount contingent on eligible student awards
    • must be eligible to conduct research for 16-weeks (non-consecutively) between the time period of May 1 — Aug 31
  • MD undergraduate students:
    • are eligible in year 1 of their program
    • will receive $3,200 for 8-weeks of full-time research experience (35 hours/week or 280 hours total). Supervisor funding is not required.
    • must be eligible to conduct research for 8-weeks (non-consecutively) between the time period of June 1 — Aug 31

Application Process

  • See previously funded MRPM projects to get a sense of projects that have been successful in the past
  • Each student may submit only one FoM MRPM application
  • Students will be asked to complete an application providing contact information, a student statement, and general CV (see MRPM CV template).
  • Students are not required to submit transcripts. Student grades will still be used in the evaluation process for non-MD students, but they will be obtained internally. The application form asks applicants to give consent for their grades to be accessed. Do not include letters of reference or any additional documentation with your application.
  • Supervisors will be informed of successful application in February.
  • Once projects are approved, student applications will open in February and students can apply directly to the funded projects
  • Students will rank research projects in order of interest.
  • Supervisors will be given an anonymized list of eligible students and they will choose 5 or more students to interview. There will be at least two weeks to complete the interview process.
  • Tentative dates for student interviews will be in early April.
  • Up to 3 students will be assigned to each funded research project.
  • Award notices will be sent out to successful students in April. Students must confirm award acceptance prior to starting research project.
  • Students are permitted to choose only one summer research project (i.e. NSERC USRA, FoM SSRP, etc.).

Application Instructions

Application Portal

Funded Projects Summer 2024
Role of Cell-Cell Contacts in RPE Atrophy in Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Gamifying Neuro Rehabilitation
Development of novel hybrid co-polymer for corneal stromal tissue engineering
Etiopathogenesis of capsular contracture: Novel application of mathematical model
Characterizing pudendal nerve function in adults with chronic spinal cord injury and able-bodied controls
STEM Outreach Research Student
Towards data-rich, accurate diagnostics at the point of need: biofunctionalization of multiplexed silicon photonic biosensors
Fast-TRIP: Fast TRIage of core biopsy Pathology reports by Natural Language Processing: expediting breast cancer treatment for high-risk breast cancers
Access to the medication abortion pill mifepristone: A Survey of Pharmacies in British Columbia and Ontario
Machine learning enabled high-throughput single cell isolation for cancer genomics using inkjet printing
Neuromodulation of the spinal cord

Deadline

March 25th, 2024 at 4:00pm PDT. Applications now closed.

If your application is not successful:

  • Applicants will be contacted in April with the results of the selection process.
  • Unfortunately, many excellent students may be unable to be funded due to the limited student positions available.

If your application is successful:

  • Applicants will be contacted in April with the results of the selection process.
  • Successful applicants will receive their full stipend via the Student Services Centre (SSC).
  • The FoM MRPM will also purchase student accident insurance for all successful awardees for the duration of their placement.
  • Students will be required to complete a brief project summary report and an online evaluation after the completion of their studentship. Additional details will be sent to successful applicants via email.

Students with special circumstances, such as multiple award offers, are encouraged to contact us.

FAQs

Student FAQ's

I’m not a UBC student. Can I still apply?

  • This competition is only open to currently registered UBC students.

I am a part-time student at UBC. Am I eligible to apply?

  • Please email med.studentresearch@ubc.ca ca to discuss your eligibility. Please include your graded credit course load over the previous 4 winter terms as well.

I am an Unclassified student at UBC. Am I eligible to apply?

  • The FoM MRPM is paid as an award and due to UBC award regulations unclassified students are no longer eligible for this program.

Are international students eligible to apply?

  • Yes, currently registered UBC international students are eligible to apply.

Can I hold this award in my graduating year?

  • Non-MD undergraduate students are eligible to apply for this award in their graduating year as long as they are registered as a UBC student as of March and meet all other eligibility criteria.

Can I hold this award if I am in the MD/PhD Program?

  • Unfortunately, we are unable to open it to MD/PhD students at this time. MD/PhD students are classified as graduate students. We are opening up this pilot project to undergraduate students only this year.

Are direct-entry students in the health professions eligible to apply?

  • Yes, students in direct-entry health professions in Nursing, Pharmacy, Speech & Audiology, Genetic Counselling, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy are eligible to apply as they are considered undergraduate students.

Can students hold both a FoM SSRP and a FoM MRPM for the same time period?

  • No, the FoM MRPM is a full-time commitment and you may not hold two concurrent summer studentships. Students can only hold one source of summer research funding (i.e. FoM SSRP, FoM MRPM, or FoM NSERC USRA). If you are offered more than one award, you must only accept one. Knowingly accepting multiple summer studentships that overlap with one-another without prior approval constitutes academic misconduct, and may jeopardize future funding opportunities and applications with the Faculty of Medicine.

Are Co-op students eligible to apply?

  • If you are currently on co-op placement or plan to hold a co-op placement at the time of the award please contact med.studentresearch@ubc.ca to discuss eligibility.

Can students hold a FoM MRPM and a Work/Learn?

  • Typically no. The FoM MRPM is a full-time research award and other awards should be declined. There may be some instances where this may not be the case. Please email med.studentresearch@ubc.ca  for more information and to ensure feasibility.

I am in the UBC-BCIT joint Honours in Biotechnology program, am I eligible to apply?

  • Most likely, but please contact us at med.studentresearch@ubc.ca to confirm your eligibility. Please include your student number and confirm that we have your permission to look at your registration record in the body of the email.

Do I have to submit transcripts with my application?

  • We use the Student Information System (SIS) to access student grades. Students are asked to consent to this process on the FoM MRPM application form. Students in non-standard programs where grades will not be available within their SSC Grades Summary should contact the FoM MRPM coordinator directly med.studentresearch@ubc.ca to make arrangements to obtain grades via other channels in advance of the deadline.

How will GPA be calculated for non-MD and MD students?

  • non-MD students GPA calculation will include the best 24 graded credits from the previous 2 winter terms (2022W2 and 2023W1). To be eligible this GPA calculation must be over 75%. 2023W Term 2 (Jan-Apr 2024) grades are not included because the term ends after the FoM MRPM application deadline. The GPA calculation does not typically include grades from any summer sessions, part-time terms, co-op terms, and courses taken for Cr/D/Fail. Transfer students with fewer than 24 credits completed at UBC by the application deadline will evaluated based on all grades currently available on SSC, as well as any interim grades. In some cases, we may ask for transcripts from your previous institution. As outlined on the website, the onus is on the student to provide any grades not available from the SSC/Student Information System (e.g. interim grades, students doing joint degrees with other institutions etc.). UBC-BCIT Honours students should contact studentresearch@ubc.ca prior to application to ensure eligibility.
  • MD students need to be in good standing and award eligible. This will be confirmed by the Research Coordinator in consultation with the MD Undergraduate Program after student application.

More questions?

Please email the Student Research & Education Coordinator at med.studentresearch@ubc.ca.