Ohio State was awarded its first grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. OSU was one of 23 institutions selected for funding.

The OSU HHMI “Med Into Grad” Scholars Program will use the award to help advance basic science research for 24 graduate students during the next four years.

The total grant is worth $700,000, which means six students per year will receive a $30,000 stipend, as well as travel and tuition money to support their research. This year, graduate student support begins July 1.

The program closely resembles the OSU College of Medicine’s Integrated Biological Science Graduate Program.

The IBSGP is a doctorate graduate program that integrates education and research across several biomedical research disciplines in association with human diseases.

Likewise, the “Med into Grad” program will incorporate students from the six basic sciences: biomedical engineering, computational biology, genetics, microbial biology, neuroscience and RNA biology, according to an OSU Medical Center press release.

Joanna Groden, College of Medicine associate dean for Basic Research, and Ginny Bumgardner, College of Medicine associate dean for Research Education and Graduate Studies, will be in charge of the program and for reviewing applications for support.

The selected students will work with OSU faculty across multiple colleges. In addition, the students will participate in medical classes and faculty-led clinicals within the College of Medicine that pertain to their area of study.

The “COM faculty not only train physicians, but train basic
scientists as well,” Groden said. “And I need to stress that applicants don’t need to be in the College of Medicine to be eligible for this program.”

For example, “You can be an electrical engineer who wants to work on the technology to make an artificial hand,” Groden said. “We will work with you to provide access to mentoring and education with a clinical orientation to make your project happen.”

As always, the goal of the students who receive the grant should be able to produce publishable research, Groden said.

Groden hopes to get many applications to choose the best candidates.

Prior to applying, students should have already chosen a thesis mentor and have decided on a research area that interests them and is worth investigating. The applicant and their mentor should have begun thinking about other professors who will join the graduate student’s dissertation committee to provide perspective in clinical areas.

After their time in the “Med into Grad” program, the students are expected to receive their doctorates.

These new doctorate students will become postdoctoral fellows for another training period of three to four years and “are encouraged to go to another university for this further training, where new ideas and new ways of thinking can be nurtured,” Groden said.

“The goal of our program is to provide a unique perspective in the clinical or translational application of basic science research for our students,” Groden said.

Applications for the grant are due Feb. 15.