Trainee Research Opportunities

Thomas Jefferson University Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology supports the Sidney Kimmel Medical College (SKMC) Scholarly Inquiry Program. We have opportunities for clinical and population-based research for medical students at all levels of training.  

How to Get Involved

November 1 - December 30: we accept applications for students interested in formal research projects within our department

January: selected students are matched with potential research mentors

August: students will present the progress and/or results of their research project during Obstetrics & Gynecology Grand Rounds.

Application Requirements

Please email your application to our research coordinator, Brandy Firman at Brandy.Firman@jefferson.edu

• Resume or CV
• Include prior research experience
• Application Supplement
• Name and email
• Current medical school year
• Time availability for research
• Research type of interest (you may select more than one)
• Prospective patient-facing
• Chart review
• Population/database-based
• Areas of interest (e.g., menopause, obstetrics)

Outside of the November 1 - December 30 application window, please email Brandy Firman for availability of additional research opportunities.

Get More Information  

All Obstetrics & Gynecology residents at Thomas Jefferson University must participate in scholarly activity. Our residents complete both Quality Improvement and Scholarly Research projects during their residency. Our residents’ work has been presented as both poster and oral presentations at regional and national meetings, including the annual conferences of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the Society of Family Planning, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and the American Public Health Association.   

Program Goals

• In the PGY3 year, residents complete and present their research to the department.
• Residents are strongly encouraged to publish their work and present at regional and/or national meetings.

Research Support

Mentorship

The generalist and subspecialist OBGYN faculty provide the primary research mentorship for our residents. Residents also frequently collaborate with other departments at TJU and affiliate hospitals. Our faculty have experience in grant writing, study design, clinical trials and both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.

Resources

We offer extensive resources to support our residents’ research endeavors, including access to research databases and software and TJU’s Scott Memorial Library, a fully equipped university medical library with over 2,300 journals and 126,000 volumes, full-time medical librarians and the latest informational technologies.

The Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University has a strong history of nationally funded clinical research across a wide range of high-risk pregnancy conditions. Our faculty are involved in a variety of research types, including clinical, translational and public health/population-based research. The primary focus of our research agenda is clinical with our faculty and fellows routinely conducting clinical trials that influence national and international guidelines in obstetrics. Our residents and nursing staff are also important members of our research team and help facilitate clinical trials in outpatient and inpatient settings.  

Research Support

Mentorship

Research opportunities are designed to emphasize specific areas and fellows are encouraged to select one research area of interest at the beginning of the three-year fellowship program. Each research area has at least one mentor from the MFM faculty who will be responsible for the research guidance and evaluation of the fellow under their supervision.

Resources

We offer robust resources to support our fellows’ research endeavors, including: 

• Scott Memorial Library support for systematic review and meta-analysis;
• REDCap database platform;
• Bio-statistical software;
• Pregnancy-related databases, including cervical length screening, preeclampsia, chronic hypertension, preterm birth;
• Ultrasound database;
• National delivery databases;
• National inpatient sample database;
• MFM Fellow Research Grant awarded annually to one or more fellows.

Additional Training

Jefferson and the MFM division encourage fellows to supplement their research training, offering guidance and financial support for Jefferson graduate-level degrees, certificates and courses. Given the clinical focus of our research, we recommend pursuing formal training in clinical epidemiology, study design and biostatistics.

See Recommended Advanced Degrees