Ideal candidates are college graduates, or pursuing or having completed advanced degrees (MPH, post-baccalaureate, etc.), interested in clinical research and a career in health science. In addition to research, there is an emphasis on mentorship, shadowing, and participation in a wide variety of GI and institutional conferences.

Background

The internship is housed within the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, recognized nationally for clinical excellence, at Thomas Jefferson University. Jefferson’s more than 30 full-time faculty, many national leaders, treat the full spectrum of GI and liver disorders. Within GI there are many specialized centers, including Liver Tumor, Barrett’s, Colon Polyps, Direct Access Colon Cancer Screening, GI Bleeding, Fatty Liver/NASH, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease, to name a few.

The GI division has a robust research program and at any time typically has more than 20 funded, and numerous additional unfunded, studies. Protocols cover a wide spectrum of disease. Some examples:

• Luminal GI: Colon cancer, colon cancer prevention, colon polyp and cancer detection, quality, new technologies, Barrett’s surveillance/treatment, esophageal cancer detection, achalasia, celiac disease, IBD (treatment/health maintenance/cancer prevention/quality).
• Advanced Endoscopy: Pancreaticobiliary cancer detection/treatment/management, ESD, new endoscopic imaging/technologies/other tools, obesity, reflux, POEM, complicated pancreatitis.
• Liver: NASH, hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatitis B & C, hepatic encephalopathy, liver failure.

Details

The internship is 10 months, ~ 1 day/week. Two interns alternate between functioning as a research coordinator and engaging in original research. Interns have ample opportunity for shadowing and conference attendance and participation. David Kastenberg, MD, will oversee the program. Interns each have physician research mentors. Interns also have a research coordinator mentor, Cynthia Miller, RN, who has >15 years of experience as Chief Coordinator in the GI Division.   

In the coordinator role, interns receive training and participate in all coordinator activities, including those related to the IRB (application, amendment, update, renewal, safety reporting, and other interactions); patient consent; regulatory compliance; data collection and organization; safety; auditing; initiation and site visits; and much more.

Under the guidance of the research mentor, interns experience deep involvement in clinical research. This includes the full spectrum of clinical research activities such as grant application, protocol creation, IRB application, patient consent, compliance, study oversight and investigator responsibility, data collection/analysis/interpretation, abstract and manuscript preparation, and presentations. 

Funding & Relevance

This research internship provides:

• Research opportunities covering a broad spectrum within gastroenterology and hepatology.
• Understanding and appreciation of the collaborative role of coordinator in clinical research.
• Mentoring, shadowing, and other clinical experiences.
• Additional education opportunities through a vast array of lectures and conferences.