Medical Student Summer Research Programs
For 2026, there are three Medical Student Summer Research Programs:
- College of Medicine General Summer Research Program.
- Department of Surgery Summer Research Program of Excellence.
- Department of Surgery Howard R. and Marilyn B. McCollister Memorial Fund Rural Surgery Research Program.
Medical Student Summer Research Program Abstracts
See below for the top 5 MSSRP abstracts from 2025:
- Sterling Cloet, Claudia Berrondo, MD, National Trends in Post-Operative Length of Stay After Pediatric Robotic Pyeloplasty and Ureteral Reimplantation
- Drew Hedstrom, Chris Cornett, MD, Post Operative Outcomes Comparing Drain vs. No Drain Placement Following Single and Multilevel Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Surgery
- Wyatt Mach, Hesham Basma, PhD, Filamin C Mutations and Susceptibility to Chemotherapy-Induced Dilated Cardiomyopathy: Exploring the Role of Genetic Predisposition in Adriamycin Toxicity
- Karissa Nichols, Kayley Anderson MPH, Mapping Durable Medical Equipment Access for Tracheostomy and Ventilation in Nebraska
- Morgan Owens, Sara Bares, MD, Adherence to STI screening in pregnancy and missed opportunities
Post program, when asked if students felt their summer research experience was valuable, 93% responded, “yes”, 5% responded "maybe" and 2% said "no".
Growing Demand
- 60 applicants in 2022
- 93 applicants in 2023
- 73 applicants in 2024 (first year of limiting to rising M2s)
- 92 applicants in 2025
The 2026 application is open through Feb. 7, 2026.
If you have questions, email Kari Nelson, PhD.