Research Opportunities
There are a wealth of mandatory and optional research experiences and opportunities available for the radiology residents at Vanderbilt.
Research Track
Diagnostic Radiology (DR) Residents have the option to create a full "research track" experience in our program. Generally these experiences are incorporated into the regular 4-year training program as a specialized track in our Leadership Development Program. There are opportunities to work with members of both the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS) and the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering (ViSE).
The research track is available to all matched residents through our leadership program and does not require a special NRMP code. In a few cases, residents have chosen to extend the length of their training to allow an additional year or more of research. These cases require additional planning and resources but may be available in some cases. Potential residents who might be interested in such an opportunity should contact our program director to discuss the possibility further.
Research Experience
As a part of our Leadership Development Program, all second-year DR and Interventional Radiology (IR) residents join an NIH-funded, VUIIS-affiliated research team. Residents are given an average of half a day a week for the entire second year of residency for their research efforts. Specific goals of the research project are team-dependent, but at a minimum all residents are expected to submit an abstract to a national meeting as well as to participate in the annual Vanderbilt Radiology Resident Research Forum and the Vanderbilt Graduate Medical Education Research Symposium. Most of our residents have great success in their research experiences and go on to produce exhibits, present abstracts and/or write papers with their research teams. And you can always find plenty of our residents presenting or exhibiting at major meetings, such as the most recent RSNA meeting.
Unlimited Opportunities
Residents interested in greater experiences in research have numerous options available to them. Additional dedicated research time throughout residency is available to highly-motivated residents with a concrete plan for how the time will be utilized. The largest block of time is available during the Leadership Development Program, which allows up to 6 months of dedicated research time in the fourth year under the appropriate circumstances. In all cases, emphasis is placed upon making sure residents have a strong mentorship network and a concrete and manageable plan. We strongly encourage interested residents to seek extramural funding and our NIH-funded faculty members are always eager to mentor and assist those residents who wish to pursue such a route.
