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Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
MD Education

2023-2024 AOSC Timeline & Key Dates

Key Due Dates (2023-2024)

aosc_timeline_2023.png 

MD/MPH & MD/MA students are not required to complete AOSC research projects but are eligible for SRSP and RISE, and research electives. MD/MPH students are not eligible for T35 but are eligible for RISE and SRSP.

MSTP students are not eligible for AOSC, SRSP, T35, RISE, or research electives

What to Expect

Curriculum Overview

 M1 and M2 Years

During the first year of medical school, students participate in didactic sessions that provide an overview of the AOSC format, along with foundational lectures and small group sessions on ethical conduct of research, vulnerable populations, protected health information, conducting literature search, how to find a mentor, and the breadth of types of AOSC research that can be performed. With the guidance of their selected faculty mentor and AOSC group leader, students submit a research proposal for review. After the proposal is accepted, students initiate their project at the end of the M1 academic year during a four week summer research curricular session. Students may also submit an application for the Summer Research Scholars Program (SRSP) or the T35 program. These programs provide additional research resources and regularly scheduled interactive didactic sessions with physician scientist faculty to students dedicating 8-10 full weeks to research on campus. 

In the fall of their M2 year, oral presentations are held where students present their work to faculty to receive critical and constructive feedback. A few weeks following the oral presentations, a formal poster presentation session emulating a conference is held, where students present their work to peers and faculty.

 M3 and M4 Years

The remainder of work is independent, supported by 1:1 meetings between students, their research mentors, and their small group faculty leaders. During the third and fourth years, students may elect to receive elective research credit ranging from two to twelve weeks to continue their research. By January of their M4 year, in order to meet the AOSC graduation requirement, students must have submitted a first author manuscript for publication or a thesis paper. More details regarding these items are available on the AOSC Research Electives page.

Curriculum by Year

 M1

  • November 10, 2023: Attend M2 poster session
    View AOSC M2 2022 Posters here
  • Fall/winter 2023: Outreach to prospective mentors, preliminary lit reviews to refine research interest
  • TBD: T35 applications due (8-10 weeks’ funded summer research; counts as AOSC work)
  • February 19, 2024: RISE applications due
  • March 4, 2024: Research Proposal due
  • March 4, 2024: Early Bird Summer Research Scholars Program (SRSP) application due
  • April 5, 2024: Final submission deadline for Summer Research Scholars Program (SRSP) applications
    Eligibility: All M1 students EXCEPT those who are MD/PhD are eligible for SRSP funding. Dual degree M1 MD/MA or MD/MPH students are eligible to apply for SRSP. 
    Applications go live in February of every year with decisions announced one week after each application deadline. If a student does not get into SRSP in the early bird round, the student may re-apply for the final SRSP deadline.. 
  • April 7, 2024: CITI biomedical research training OR Social and Behavioral Science Training OR Good Clinical Science Training. Instructions are in Emerg. 
    CITI training is your training for writing an IRB.
    Asynchronous video lectures are also due on April 7th (check Emerg)
  • May 2024: Summer research begins (4 week minimum, remote or on-campus is acceptable and to be determined between student/mentor) and must be completed during the 10 weeks of summer break. Any 4 weeks in the 10 weeks period can be used to satisfy the 4 week research requirement. Optional SRSP/T35 programs also begin.

 M2

 M3

 M4

  • Flex Time Throughout Year: Research electives (Ad Hoc)
  • January 15, 2024: Proof of first author manuscript submission due (substitute for thesis requirement). *Note: If student is first author on a complete paper submitted to a journal that is derived from research performed as a medical student – AOSC or not – the student fulfills the AOSC graduation requirement. This includes original research, systematic review, or scoping review papers only. A first author paper can be submitted at any time during your time in AOSC to be accepted for a thesis exemption. 
  • January 15, 2024: Thesis is due, unless you have submitted a first author publication.Please complete this form to submit your thesis. Thesis template.