MD Research is a specialized education program that trains international medical graduates in research methodologies. We attempt to help students receive publications to boost their profiles for highly competitive residency programs in the United States, most of which, do not accept applicants without research experience.

This program is led by a team of academic physicians, in most medical specialties, with extensive experience and notable affiliations with top medical institutions in the United States.

This program provides training in biostatistics, research design, systemic review, meta-analysis, and scientific writing. Students have the opportunity to pursue publishing in reputable journals.

The program typically spans three months. It is a purely remote program that requires 4-6 hours of additional commitment outside of class hours.

Participants receive formal LORs (letters of recommendation) based on their performance, which may significantly bolster their residency applications.

Participants are trained to produce high-quality research that can be published as abstracts or full papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Our program’s focus in educating international medical students on high-quality research and offering them the opportunity to publish provides a leg-up in the residency application process.

We provide a strong letter of recommendation that emphasizes dedication to research in qualified candidates. Program directors in the United States cannot determine the clinical effectiveness of foreign medical graduates, as those students are not trained in American universities. Therefore, research experience indicates clinical effectiveness when it comes time to choose candidates for residency.

As more people apply to residency each year, USMLE scores matter less (as more people achieve high scores). Research becomes an integral separator for successful candidates.

Once a student enrolls in our 12-week program, they will have access to 1 hour of video content and 2 hours of direct engagement with faculty every weekend. We expect students will watch and learn from the videos to the best of their ability. They should prepare any questions they have for the faculty before meetings.

Our faculty will guide students in writing journal articles in an attempt to publish them.

Research is essential for competitive specialties, especially dermatology, orthopedics, neurology, and surgery.

For example, here are average numbers of research experiences and publications (abstracts, peer-reviewed articles) for non-US, international medical students in competitive specialties (rounded to nearest whole number):

Dermatology – 5 research experiences, 7 publications
Orthopedic surgery – 12 research experiences, 39 publications
Neurology – 5 research experiences, 13 publications
General surgery – 4 research experiences, 10-15 publications

Citation: National Resident Matching Program. (2024). Charting Outcomes in the Match: International Medical Graduates, 2024 (5th ed.). National Resident Matching Program. https://www.nrmp.org

Strong research experience, especially working toward publishing in U.S. journals, can help offset weaker USMLE scores. Pursuing research shows your commitment to your profession and potential as a resident.

While there is no set number, having at least one publication in a reputable journal in your CV can exponentially enhance your application.

Research takes time. Reputable journals (see list in brochure) seek only innovative, quality papers to publish. Program directors understand that not every paper gets published on time- they will question you about your experience in doing the research. They are more interested to know your participation in research rather than seeing the publication status of the manuscript.

If our efforts in research do not result in what we deem to be a quality paper, we will switch topics. Research takes time. Quality research takes more time. It is impossible to guarantee publication or a paper of quality while remaining moral and honest. We will strive to be consistent in our communication regarding any significant changes.

We reserve the right to make rapid changes to ensure a timely publication in the interest of progressing student career goals.