Research-Based (RREMS)

Contact

Amy Schnappinger

Member Services Manager
Email: aschnappinger@physiatry.org

Program Structure

RREMS is an eight-week funded summer externship designed to expose medical students to a structured research experience and respected academic physiatrists. Established in 2007, this competitive program has helped over 80 medical students with little exposure to PM&R confidently choose a fulfilling career. First year medical students are encouraged to apply, but all are welcome!

Directed by Brad Dicianno, MD, the goal of RREMS is to enhance the visibility of the specialty and accelerate the development of high-caliber physicians and researchers in PM&R. We're proud to have had many success stories over the years.

RREMS is supported by the Craig H. Neilson Foundation and the Foundation of PM&R.

Applications are now closed for 2024.

RREMS students spend eight weeks working on their proposed research plan at the sponsor site of an accomplished PM&R mentor. In addition to the research completed during the program, many students are also given the opportunity to spend time in the clinic with their mentors. Participants are given a $4,000 stipend, and the sponsor site also covers registration and travel to the AAP's Annual Meeting, where students present scientific papers. Learn more from our RREMS Director, Brad Dicianno, MD:

The specific dates of the program are determined by the student and site sponsor if the research project is funded. The program requires students to complete eight consecutive weeks at their site.

How to Apply

Submitting your Application

Scan or combine all materials into a single PDF file. Name the file in the following format: SmithM_2023. Scroll to the bottom of this page for tips on how to create a strong application. Application materials include:

Research Plan: Each student must make contact with the designated person at their desired sponsor and devise a 3-page proposal (excluding references) after communicating with an approved mentor. The proposal must be single spaced in Times New Roman 12-point font and contain the following information. Be sure to include details on your role within the project work.

Title
Background Including Importance of Proposed Work
Specific Aims and Hypotheses
Methods
Analysis Plan
Role of the Student
Expected Results and Rationale
References

NIH Bio-Sketch: An NIH Bio-sketch for the faculty mentor must be provided.

Personal Statement: Students must submit a one page personal statement explaining interest in research, clinical exposure that may be available or any other information that may be relevant.

Student's Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Resume: The CV should include prior degrees and institutions attended, undergraduate grade point average and MCAT scores.

Letter of Recommendation: Letters of recommendation (up to 2) are acceptable but not required. This should be submitted electronically with your application.

Additional Materials: If a research project involves something that is potentially patentable, licensable or copyright worthy, the faculty mentor and student are encouraged to work with their local technology transfer office and RREMS to generate a dissemination plan that will meet the needs of the program without compromising the commercial potential of the research. Please notify us in advance if this is anticipated.

Click here to submit your application.

xr:d:DAEwdlyo4ts:26,j:39660503531,t:22110113

What to Know Before You Apply

Finding a Research Project & Mentor

Review the list of sites and mentors from the AAP's approved list of sponsor sites. The list includes:
1. Research currently being conducted
2. Available mentors
3. Link to the department web site
After reviewing the list, we ask that you begin by contacting one (1) site at a time.
1. Exchange emails with potential mentors about opportunities that may available and/or schedule a discovery call with the site.
2. To move forward at the site, confirm a mentor and begin work on the research plan for your application.
3. Email AAP at aschnappinger@physiatry.org with the name of your mentor and proposed project title when you start work on it.
4. If you determine that site/research is not what you are looking for, inform your contact immediately so they do not hold a spot for you.
5. You may then reach out to another site.
Please DO NOT put multiple sites “on hold” by committing to completing an application with them. This prevents other students from being able to apply.

Additional Application Details

Students may submit only one application and research proposal for the 2023 program.
The student must be enrolled in an accredited medical school in the United States and be a US citizen or permanent resident of the US. We encourage applications from students wishing to work with mentors outside of their own institutions.
The primary mentor listed be an MD and/or PhD who holds a primary faculty appointment in the PM&R department at the sponsor site.
Each approved student will receive a $4,000 stipend, as well as additional travel and registration expenses to cover the AAP's Annual Meeting. This stipend will be released in installments, and students will receive the full amount only when completion of their project is confirmed by their mentor.
Students are responsible for making their own housing arrangements and travel to/from their summer research institution.
Each student must commit to a project that will last eight consecutive weeks over the summer and present their findings at the AAP's subsequent Annual Meeting. The starting date of the project is set by the student and mentor.

Testimonials

Shivam Gulhar

Medical Student, Virginia Commonwealth University

"One of the most challenging decisions that many medical students struggle to make is what specialty to choose. The summer I spent participating in the Rehabilitation Research Experience for Medical Students Program was a great step forward on my journey to making that decision. My work with understanding the movement patterns of stroke patients was an invaluable experience that reminded me of the gratification that came with interacting with patients and helping them improve their quality of life."

Megan Kennelly

Medical Student, University of Cincinnati

“I would highly recommend the RREMS program to any student considering PM&R as a career. The RREMS program was my first exposure to the academic medicine side of PM&R, something I likely would not have seen otherwise. It was also an invaluable opportunity to get involved in the field of PM&R early-on and experience the PM&R community through the AAP national meeting. Now as a fourth year, pursuing a PM&R residency, I am thankful to have had my RREMS experience and encourage anyone interested to apply!”

Bryan Le

Medical Student, Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University

“The RREMS program was invaluable! I was able to gain experience in stroke rehabilitation research, while also getting early exposure to what the specialty has to offer. The program advocates for students, providing opportunities to publish and present their findings at the AAP conference. I also developed meaningful relationships with mentors who are experts in the field. Overall, the RREMS program further solidified my passion for a career in PM&R.”

More Information

Hosting PM&R Departments

Hosting PM&R Departments also support the travel, hotel and registration of the trainee to the AAP's Annual Meeting, allowing students to present their research, observe scientific paper presentations, and network with peers and leaders in the specialty. Here's what you need to know:

Sponsor sites must reapply annually; applications will not automatically be renewed.
The sponsor site must be in the United States or Canada.
The goal of RREMS is to give the student exposure to research in academic PM&R. Each primary mentor listed must be an MD and/or PhD level faculty. It is preferred that each primary mentor holds a primary faculty appointment in the PM&R Department at your institution. If that is not the case, in order for the mentor to be approved, his/her primary faculty appointment must be in a related department (e.g., Orthopedics, Neurology) AND the application must describe how exposure of the student to PM&R will be achieved (e.g., PM&R is a division of an Orthopedics Department; or mentor is a physiatrist who has an appointment in a Neurology Department, etc.).
Each site must provide a contact person who can talk to students and help to devise potential projects of interest. Websites for the institutions are also requested so that students may browse abstracts and information about projects.
Each site must offer a project that will last 8 consecutive weeks and begin June or July 2022.
Once sites receive approval, they will be listed on the AAP website and in marketing materials, and students can begin contacting them via the contact person listed.
By submitting an application, the sponsor agrees to cover travel and registration expenses for the AAP's Annual Meeting for each student sponsored. The application will not be accepted unless these expenses are paid for by the site.
Multiple applications from mentors and site sponsors are allowed. More than one award can go to one institution, if agreement is received from the site sponsor. However, we will limit awards to one per mentor and reserve the right to limit the number of awards given to any one sponsor site if high quality applications are received from multiple sites.
If a research project involves something that is potentially patentable, licensable or copyright worthy, the faculty mentor and student are encouraged to work with their local technology transfer office and RREMS to generate a dissemination plan that will meet the needs of the program without compromising the commercial potential of the research. Please notify us in advance if this is anticipated.

Tips For Creating a Strong RREMS Application

We want to help you succeed, so here are some recommendations to make your application stand out above the rest!

Role of the Student: This should be clearly outlined in the proposal. The role of the student should also be realistic for what the student can achieve, given the student’s background. If the student cannot complete some tasks independently, it can be noted how the mentor and co-investigators will assist on those tasks.
Ethical Approval: Projects that have already attained IRB or Animal Committee approval are usually recommended, since delays in approval can be barriers to successfully completing the summer project.
Timeframe: The student must be able to gather and/or analyze data and be able to write up the results by the end of the two month experience. The only acceptable projects are those for which it is feasible for the results to be available by the end of the summer. If the student will have a steep learning curve to overcome prior to being able to participate in the project, there may not be sufficient time to complete it successfully.
Size of the Study: The student is not expected to be present for every portion of the study, from subject recruitment to analysis of data. In fact, this may be unrealistic. Therefore, proposing a full clinical trial is not generally feasible or appropriate as a summer project, unless part of the trial is already underway. Having the student work on a pilot project or a subcomponent of a larger clinical trial may be more appropriate. The study should be ambitious, but not overly ambitious.
Commitment of Institution & Mentor: The mentor’s biosketch and letters of recommendation are opportunities for the mentor and site sponsor to show that they are devoted to providing the student with a valuable educational experience and that they have worked with the student to draft the proposal. Mentors who have a track record of mentoring students, conducting research and publishing in the topic area of the project are favorable.
Commitment of the Student: The student’s personal statement affords the opportunity for them to highlight his or her interest in rehabilitation research and show the reviewers why funding their proposal will lead to their own academic development.
Science of the Application: The application should be well written, referenced and hypothesis-driven. Proposals that simply are data-gathering opportunities are not viewed as favorably as those that attempt to answer a research question with strong scientific methods.

Supported By

Site sponsor institutions are committed to advancing the specialty by hosting students for the Rehabilitation Research Experience for Medical Students (RREMS). Students select a site sponsor with a research focus they are interested in exploring, then work with them to develop a proposal that is submitted with their application. If selected, the student then spends eight weeks working with their mentor at the site sponsor to develop their abstract.

2024 Site Sponsors

Apply to this Program

Applications for 2024 are open. Deadline is January 30.

Apply

Membership Info

Get Involved