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Academic Project & Research Opportunities

Pediatric residents at DeVos Children's Hospital complete an Academic Project during their three years here. The goal of this requirement is to learn more about the process of research, including development of a research question; collection and analysis of data; performance of a literature search; and presentation of the results to a formal gathering of peers (eg, Pediatric Grand Rounds, Research Day here, or regional or national meetings). Our residents work closely with faculty mentors to accomplish this goal. Other resources, such as statisticians, are available at the Grand Rapids Medical Education and Research Center for Health Professions (Education & Research Center) located nearby. The nature of the project is not limited to a single type and may include clinical research, bench research, meta-analysis, or any unique research that satisfies the objectives. Data collection and processing, media production, and travel expenses for presentation at state or national meetings is supported, as needed, by the residency program. Residents are encouraged to submit their research for possible publication in pediatric journals.

Many of our faculty are very involved in clinical research, most notably those in the divisions of Hematology/Oncology, Genetics, Neonatology, Critical Care Medicine, Cardiology and General Pediatrics. In addition to working with our clinical pediatric faculty, you have the opportunity to explore the possibility of working with basic scientists at the Van Andel Institute.

Residents develop a research project during their training and have the opportunity to present it at numerous scientific meetings. Some have been submitted for publication. Examples of resident research projects.

The Research Department of GRMERC has developed several tools and resources that will help residents and fellows develop ideas into manageable and realistic research projects. We have found that using these resources saves time and energy while avoiding typical pitfalls and dead ends. For example, the research project outline facilitates the translation of a good idea into a research project, provides the bulk of the narrative portion of IRB application, and serves as the guide for implementing the project. Click here to be directed to the Research Section of the GRMERC website.