Office for Student Research
Office for Student Research
The Office for Student Research strives to inspire and equip every medical student to engage meaningfully in research that advances science, improves patient care, and supports their growth as scholars and future leaders in medicine.
For general questions for either campus location please email:
COMP Office of research (Pomona) COMP-OSR@westernu.edu
COMP-NW Office of Student Research (Lebanon) COMPNW-OSR@westernu.edu
Student Research Faculty & Staff
Hendrik Szurmant
Mission Statement
Student Research Support Resources
Individual Research Advising:
Guidance on project selection, mentor matching, study design, IRB pathways, timelines, and dissemination strategy.
Research Skills Training:
Workshops and resources on literature review, hypothesis development, statistics, scientific writing, and poster/oral presentation skills.
Funding and Grant Support:
Assistance identifying internal and external funding opportunities, preparing applications, and budgeting research projects.
Research Symposium Planning & Management:
Full organization of the annual COMP Student Research Symposium, including abstract submission systems, judging, scheduling, and awards.
Student–Faculty Research Matchmaking:
Centralized coordination to connect motivated students with active faculty researchers and available projects.
Biomedical & Clinical Research (BCR) Longitudinal Track Coordination:
Administration of the BCR Track including curriculum oversight, progress monitoring, and student support.
Data & Compliance Guidance:
High-level assistance with IRB basics, responsible conduct of research, human subjects protection, and data management best practices.
Career Development in Research:
Advising for students pursuing research-oriented specialties or academic medicine, including CV development and mentorship planning.
WesternU Research Fellowship
The WesternU Student Research Fellowship is sponsored by the office of the Senior Vice President for Research and applications are evaluated and recommended for funding by the WesternU research committee. Look out for program announcement by email in early to mid-December. Applications are typically due by mid-February. Awards include $3500 towards the student and up to $1500 towards research costs.
Travel and Publication Support
COMP supports student conference travel and publication costs currently up to $750 per student per year. Applications for reimbursement of costs are evaluated by the COMP Research Committee. SUBMIT APPLICATION
Internal Pomona:
COMP Student Research Symposium
The annual COMP Student Research Symposium is held on the Wednesday before winter break during conference week. It brings together students from all four classes and provides a dedicated venue to showcase their research, celebrate scholarly achievements, and foster cross-class networking.
WesternU Student Research Symposium
The WesternU Student Research Symposium is a university-wide event organized by the Senior Vice President for Research and the University Research Committee. While dates have varied in recent years, the next symposium is scheduled for late January and will highlight research across all WesternU programs.
Internal Lebanon:
WesternU-Oregon Research Symposium
The annual Oregon Research Symposium has been held in November, December or January. The next symposium is scheduled for early January. It brings together COMP-NW and CHS-NW students from all four classes and provides a dedicated venue to showcase their research, celebrate scholarly achievements, and foster cross-class networking.
External
There are many discipline-specific national and international conferences that students can attend. Two broad external conferences that students commonly attend are:
Western Medical Research Conference
Organized by the American Federation for Medical Researchers, this is the largest medical student and resident research conference in the country, offering abundant opportunities for both oral and poster presentations. Held each mid-January in beautiful Carmel, California, the meeting provides an outstanding environment for networking and sharing research accomplishments with the broader medical community. Abstracts are typically due in mid-September. For additional information, see: AFMR – Western Region. Funding to attend this conference is generally coordinated by the Office for Student Research, with support from the Dean’s Office and the Senior Vice President for Research.
OMED
OMED, hosted by the American Osteopathic Association, is the world’s largest gathering of osteopathic physicians and students. The conference offers extensive opportunities for presentations, professional development, and networking across the osteopathic medical community. Its location changes each year, with the most recent event held in Nashville, Tennessee. OMED is typically scheduled annually between September and November. For details see OMED | The world’s largest gathering of osteopathic physicians
All research is subject to regulatory requirements designed to ensure the safety of participants and researchers. Human subjects research is overseen by the Institutional Review Board (IRB), animal research by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and biosafety by the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC). WesternU uses the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) for required safety training, and IRBNet for submitting research protocols.
Please never conduct research without the appropriate approvals in place. If you are ever unsure about requirements, reach out to us—we’re here to help guide you. For further information, see Research Committees: Regulatory Affairs
Link to research rotation form
External Summer Research Programs for Medical Students
The NIH MRSP Program is a year long research program for medical students in their second to fourth year of medical school: Medical Research Scholars Program | Clinical Center