Welcome to Pritzker Summer Research Program

1. Welcome to Pritzker Summer Research Program University of Chicago

2. Objective #1: Conduct research • Prepare you to conduct mentored- research projects • Mentor • Mentor’s staff and faculty collaborators • Cluster group leaders • Peers • Offer input on progress • Sounding board

3. Objective #2: Consider research career • Learn what medical research career are like • Collaborative • Working on research teams • Deadline–driven • SRP deadlines on website • Creative but Unpredictable • Your hypothesis may change based on findings • Flexibility • Work at your own pace • Offsets medical practice

4. Role of the Mentor • Critical piece of the SRP program • Goal is to have productive working relationship • Find out the best way to interact with your mentor and the mentor’s team • Facilitate the research you are doing • Responsible for specific “needs” related to you project (i.e. specific software, materials, etc.) • Sometimes hard to understand how it all fits together til the end…

5. Mentoring in the Movies

6. Common Issues in SRP • Mentor NOT available • Very common for “clinicians • Plan ahead • Find out who the other resources in the ‘lab’ are • Make it easy for them • phone, email, meet them in clinic/OR etc.

7. Cluster Groups • Cluster Group • Student liaisons help arrange meeting & communicate (Who is your Student Leader?) • Faculty leaders support and guide your progress through SRP • Assignments, troubleshooting, etc

8. Cluster Group Names • Groups named by dominant themes, leader expertise & NIH Mission • Due to project variety, some project assignments based on methods or expertise of leader but NOT reflected in title • Example: Hospital Care/Aging • Many projects related to hospital care • Several (not all) funded by NIA T35 • could also include quality of care projects • Attend first group before asking to switch Do you know who your Cluster Group Liaison is?

9. Project not working? • It is OK if… • Hypothesis is disproven • p value is >0.05 • enrollment is low • results are slow • If a project is NOT working…(i.e. no data) • Meet with mentor to troubleshoot • IRB issues? Methodological problem? • Change direction? • Focus on how to salvage project

10. Pitfalls of Methods

11. STATA and other software • During the Winter, STATA is provided FREE of charge (thanks to Dr. Lauderdale and her team) to avoid licensing fees • licenses would expire by Summer • Your mentor is responsible for providing you with the statistical programs & resources you need to carry out research • Usually done via computer in their lab with software

12. Want STATA on your own? • Visit the Library! • Beware PHI & leaving research info on the computer • Load on PERSONAL computer • Purchase directly from Stata – student discount BUT need to ask you mentor which version

13. Data Security • Portable data is vulnerable data • All devices (laptops, computer, tablets, phones) must be password protected AND encrypted • Never store any PHI data in an unencrypted state where it might be compromised • Never email PHI to someone outside of the University • Failure to abide by a few common-sense principles could result in disastrous consequences

14. CRI Recommendations Mac OSX • Use native encryption features through the Disk Utility, http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1578. The utility is capable of creating secure disk images and file volumes with AES 128-bit or 256-bit encryption. Windows • Use AxCrypt - a free encryption tool for Windows, http://www.axantum.com/AxCrypt/Default.html. Once installed it integrates with the Windows shell and offers simple right-click encryption and decryption of files with AES-256 encryption. • To protect your research data in the event of theft or loss of your device and for additional security protection, you can encrypt the contents of your entire drive.

15. Epic Training • Do you need Epic access? • Many of you have indicated on your application and received notice of how to do this LORI ORR & KATE BLYTHE lorr@bsd.uchicago.edu kblythe@bsd.uchicago.edu

16. Objective #3: The Paper • Provide a framework for scientific writing • Today: References (Deb Werner) • Hypothesis Introduction • Monday June 23rd • Methods • Results • Discussion Caution: There may be seasoned writers & researchers in the room

17. Objectives • Articulate framework of scientific paper • Review common pitfalls • Prepare you to assemble final paper for SRP

18. Before you write • Who are you writing for? • Goal: to identify ‘target’ journal • Readership • Impact factor • Review references for possible journals • Journals your mentor publishes in • Ask your mentor Who is the “audience” of your work?

19. Specify a Journal Target • Download instructions for authors • VERY detailed • Follow format • Word limit • Table/Figure • Reference • Subheadings • First page specify the journal format you are using • Do not just “start writing” …

20. Or Use JAMA as DEFAULT • Use JAMA original research as DEFAULT • Chicago-based, high impact, general audience • Maximum word limit of 3000 words • 5 Tables/Figures • Double spaced • Easy on the eyes for the reviewers (including me!)

21. This is not ‘creative writing’ “Your audience (other scientists usually) are not interested in flowery prose, they want to know your findings.”

22. IMRaD • Unlike a novel, newspaper article or an essay…a scientific paper has a required structure and style • By international consensus "Introduction Methods Results and Discussion" or IMRaD Hengl, T. and Gould, M., 2002. Rules of thumb for writing research articles.

23. Introduction • Opening line • Start broad with something that interests your audience “the hook” • But not too broad • “Sleep is a required biological function” • Could frame it as a problem with scope • “Sleep deprivation is a common problem worldwide” • Funnel method to end • with your specific aim and your hypothesis

24. Introduction • Routinely 2 to 3 paragraphs • Think about the 3 main items that someone needs to know to understand your aim • Each of these items could be a separate paragraph • Create topic sentences for each paragraph carefully that introduce the next idea • Need good ‘flow’ • Transition words and phrases between ideas

25. Similar idea In addition Furthermore Moreover also Likewise Similarly As a result For example Opposite idea However Nevertheless In contrast Regardless Transitions Words Monitor frequency of use to avoid overusing same word to start sentences

26. Strategic References • Avoid “reference rehash” • “Chang et al showed X. Towle et al demonstrated Y. Boone et al demonstrated Z.” • OK to do this for 1-2 landmark studies • Goal is to synthesize prior work • “Prior studies have showed…” • “Some studies showed that X…. In contrast, other studies showed Z.”

27. Create tension or ‘gap’ • Given that other studies have taken place, why is your study needed • Highlight potential links to therapy, policy, scientific discovery “To date, no study has explored…” “Currently, it is unclear..”

28. Pitfalls of Introduction • Too long • Reference rehash or overload • Not making the case for the study – WHY? • Jargon or abbreviations not explained • Too broad • Poor flow

29. Aim and Hypothesis • End of the introduction • The specific aim of this paper is to… • We hypothesize that… • What is a hypothesis?

30. Characteristics of a good hypothesis

31. Good Hypothesis? • Medical students with a good summer research experience will enter different careers than those who have a bad summer research experience

32. Better Hypothesis? • Pritzker medical students who report high satisfaction with the Summer Research Program will be MORE LIKELY to pursue research careers than those Pritzker students who report low satisfaction with the Summer Research Program

33. Even Better Hypothesis? • Pritzker medical students who are report high satisfaction with the Summer Research Program will be TWICE AS LIKELY to pursue research careers than those Pritzker students who report low satisfaction with the Summer Research Program

34. Uploading Assignments • http://srp.uchicago.edu

35. Logistics • Note down presentation date/time on website • Invite mentor, family & friends • Payment –roughly $5500!! • Made in 2 installments • mid & end of summer • Requires assignments completed

36. What are the hours? • Expectation is full-time • Natural ebb & flow • May feel like its easy now… • “Crunch time” as final paper & presentation nears • Plan ahead

37. Too much free time? • Talk to your mentor • Related project • Troubleshoot difficulty • Work ahead to prevent crunch time • Paper • Power point (Aug lecture)

38. START Program • Scholars in Translational Aging Research Training Program • sponsored by the National Institutes on Aging • Hear about different research & clinical topics related to aging • Monday mornings (first session this Wednesday) • Sign up sheet GOING around OR email kblythe@bsd.uchicago.edu

39. SRP Questions • That your mentor or cluster group leader can’t answer… • AND are not on FAQs • Email Kate Blythe for ALL LOGISTIC questions (Epic, stata, lecture recording etc.) • Use S&D EMAIL for mentor /project issues

40. Questions?

41. SRP  S&D? (n=64, Aug 2013)

42. SRP  S&D? (n=64, Aug 2013)

43. Conquering Fear of Statistics • FIRST use your mentor and resources of your mentor’s lab, Dept, colleagues etc. • May have a statistician for the project • Or someone they curbside for stats questions • Revisit notes from Dr. Lauderdale’s class • If your mentor needs help… • biostatistics assistance available to faculty (and their students) • Save for when you need it –at critical point • Costs $$$ after 2h of use (to your mentor) • http://biotime.uchicago.edu/