I’d like to apply for the campagna scholarship, but I am stuck on a topic and would like some help from upper class medical students, residents, attendings, or researchers. 

The 3rd question of the essay asks you to come up with a plan that you’re interested in researching, but can be accomplished within the 10 weeks. 

How can I make this happen?

I am interested in DBS effects of the nucleus accumbens, especially in association with refractory drug addiction, MDD, and OCD.

Seems like any kind of meaningful research in these areas would take years, what kind of project could I do in 10 weeks?

Thanks for any help!
Lost MS2

Hey slants. I don’t know if you have already received feedback or have finished your application. I don’t have a lot of research experience, but based on my previous work doing ‘summer’ projects, I would say that due to the usual challenges faced with IRB applications at most institutions, trying to write-up a proposal for and complete a new clinical project over a summer requires a small miracle. You would be better served analyzing data that has already been collected, doing a retrospective study, or attaching yourself to a project already ongoing. The reasons are that a project already underway already has been approved and the only paperwork would be adding you to the protocol and doing whatever cursory research curriculum the institution requires. The other projects would not face as much difficulty gaining approval by the IRB (generally) as a new proposal/project. I’m sure there would be potential ongoing projects or data in the area of functional neurosurgery at OHSU if that is what you wanted to do.

Hope that helps.

Hey Chords,

Thanks for the reply.  So, maybe I should be a bit more vague in my application and just say I’d like to study a certain area by helping out with one of the already established projects. 

That’s the kind of thing that’s making me confused about this project.  I’d like to try to write out some detailed 10 week project - as they want me to do in the application.  But, like you stated, without attaching myself to an already established project, I wouldn’t get anything done.  Then again, it’s going to be difficult to word this in any kind of detailed way without knowing much about their research.

I’ll try looking into the retrospective study or data analyzing. 

Thanks a ton Chords, much appreciated!