Participation in scholarly activity hones critical thinking skills, which is why completing an independent resident research project is a key element of our academic curriculum. We believe this process provides a solid foundation for judging the validity and value of the medical literature, helping residents to pass their certifying examinations and to take better care of patients. Each resident will have the support of a faculty advisor to help them in devising and carrying out their scholarly project over the course of their three year training period. Our philosophy is that the scholarly project is not a supplement to the curriculum, but rather an integral part of it. There is no one size fits all for scholarly work.
Our residency research director is the editor of a scholarly journal published online and focused on translational medicine. (The majority of our residents choose this option). Other residents choose to design or join an original research project that can be presented at Michigan State Research Symposium, Michigan QI Summit, National Primary Care Research Group, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine and other regional and National forums. The generosity of our hospital medical staff affords us the ability to send residents to these meetings if they are accepted for presentation. Most years we have several residents accepted to present.