Research in the Internal Medicine Residency Program

All University of Wisconsin internal medicine residents participate in a scholarly project during training, ranging from reviews of clinical topics to clinical or basic science research.

Residents have access to all the resources of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, which is consistently ranked in the top 10 national research rankings for public and private universities. 

In addition, the UW School of Medicine and Public Health ranks in the top 25 U.S. medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding. The Department of Medicine is also consistently ranked among the top departments of internal medicine in the nation for NIH funding, and all 11 of our subspecialty divisions are robustly engaged in research activities.

Research Opportunities for Residents

Here are some of the ways we support resident research.

• We provide up to 12 weeks in the PG-2 and PG-3 year to pursue research/scholarship.
• The "Advances in Medicine" scholarly presentations during the PG-2 and PG-3 year offer the opportunity for residents to develop a niche area of clinical expertise, and obtain useful feedback on presentation and teaching skills.
• Our associate program director for research meets with all interns and is regularly available to discuss projects and connect residents to mentors and projects throughout the department and campus.
• We provide individualized training in evidence-based practice skills and presentations.
• We cover expenses for residents presenting research at regional or national meetings.
• The program and department provide (free of charge) support with IRB submissions and statistical analysis for any resident research project.

Additional Programs and Training Grants

The UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research provides educational resources to support patient-oriented research, including a masters and PhD in Clinical Research, and graduate certificates in Fundamentals of Clinical Research, Patient Safety and Clinical Investigation. We encourage residents to join those programs; many participate in research for short (1-3 months) or extended (>9 months) periods, either as electives or more formal research fellowships.

If you would like to continue to conduct research after graduation, training grants fully support postgraduate salaries and provide over 75 percent protected time for graduate school work and research. Many of these grants cover tuition for graduate school and provide an opportunity to compete for NIH-funded loan forgiveness.

Research Centers