Medical Student Research

We believe that early exposure to cutting-edge research and psychiatric care in clinical settings inspires a new breed of scientists, passionate about helping those with mental illness. The medical student research opportunities in our Department engage scholars in independent projects, and provide an authentic research experience that helps them to define their career goals.

Medical Scientist Training Program

Our faculty members serve as mentors to students in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), sponsored jointly by the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon. Upon acceptance into the program, students consult their career advisor to choose a mentor for their PhD studies and may choose from among our research faculty. 

Examples of MSTP Students Mentored by our Faculty

 

Wonjae Chung

D. Wonjae Chung

Research: Role of ErbB4 in pathogenesis of schizophrenia

Mentor: David Lewis, MD

 

 

 

Kevin DownlingKevin Dowling

Research: Integrating genetics and computational neuroimaging to study the underlying circuit biology relevant to cognition and neuropsychiatric disease. 

Mentor: Robert Sweet, MD


 

 

Sam Dienel

Samuel Dienel

Research: Development of prefrontal cortical circuitry and the pathogenesis of schizophrenia

Mentor: David Lewis, MD

 


 

Maria LyMaria Ly

Research: Role and relationship of hippocampal activity with other biomarkers in early stage Alzheimer's disease

Mentor: Howard Aizenstein, MD, PhD

 

 

School of Medicine’s Longitudinal Research Project (LRP)

Medical student training opportunities in specific areas of psychiatric research are provided through these programs:

Medical students who want to conduct their scholarly project in other areas of psychiatric research should view our list of research faculty and then contact potential mentors individually.