Getting Started In Wilderness Medical Research

There are many different approaches to research as a medical student.  The levels of commitment and involvement range from writing up a case report to organizing a student research expedition.  No matter your research goals, the first step is finding a topic that interests you.

Find  a Topic:   The topics applicable to wilderness research are so broad that picking a subject can seem daunting at first.  The best way to start exploring possible projects is to browse journals and medical society web sites.  We all have more than enough reading to do but picking up a journal in our spare time is both a good habit and a great way to see what areas are actively being explored.  The WMS journal Wilderness and Environmental  Medicine is a good resource to start with. The list of other journals and topics relevant to wilderness medicine is exhausting but the general fields include tropical medicine, emergency medicine, disaster relief, sports medicine, military operational medicine, environmental medicine, hyperbaric medicine, etc.

Browsing medical society web sites and going to medical conferences are additional ways to find an interesting subject. The official break down of wilderness medicine topics and web links can be found on the Student Research Web Links page. The web links page as well as the message boards for the Research Committees are good starting points for you.

Student Research Committee Bulletin Board--bulletin boards currently down 8/2/06

General Research Committee Bulletin Board (WMS Members)--  "

WMS Research Grant Winners 

Student Research Web Links [Not yet available]

Learn about the topic: Once you have found a topic that interests you, there are several different forms your research might take.  No matter which avenue you choose for your research, the best way to start is to learn all that you can about the subject.  Read previously published articles relevant to your topic.  Not only will you be knowledgeable about the subject but you will also find out who is doing research in that field.

Seek out advice and find a mentor:  Talk to faculty at your school and researchers working in your field of interest.  These people can give you advice about where to get involved and the direction that the field is going.  This type of discussion doesn’t have to lead to a formal collaboration; it can simply take the form of advice regarding research opportunities available.  Ideally you want to find a mentor who can help guide you as you start out your research career.  If you are already knowledgeable about the subject matter the researchers you talk to are more inclined to take you seriously.

Project Ideas:

            Write a case report

Get involved with an ongoing research project

Develop an adjunct project complementing an ongoing project

Start your own project

            -using an existing data set

            -create your own data set

Write a case report

A basic way to get involved with research and potentially present your work is to write a case report.  Some faculty collect cases worthy of being written up at the medical student level.  These cases are interesting, but not necessarily appropriate for a write-up by a practicing physician.  Instead, a student is often allowed to submit the case report as a means introducing him or herself to the research field. This type of project requires a faculty sponsor to provide the case and give a little guidance.  The best way to start with this type of project is to approach a faculty member .

Case reports and other projects often result in your participation in poster presentations at professional gatherings.  These presentations are a great way to network with researchers in your field of interest as well as another item for your CV.

Get involved with an ongoing research project

Faculty Project-  Get involved with an ongoing project through one of the faculty at your school.  Many physicians in academic medical settings are conducting research of some sort and often have projects that students can help with.  Talk to faculty or other students to see what is going on at your school and to explore what areas of research might interest you.  There are plenty of projects that are entirely “bench work” but if you ask around you may find some people who collect their samples or data out in the field.

Institute and Non-Governmental Agency Projects-  If you have time to travel or are located near a non governmental research institution, you can contact   research institutions or foundations and see if they have any opportunities for        medical students.  These centers usually focus their research in specific areas of medicine and can be found as stand alone entities or specific university     departments with focused research interests.

Government agencies-  The military has several research organizations that           conduct research in fields directly related to wilderness medicine.  The diverse     fields investigated cover many aspects of environmental injuries as well as the           provision of care in austere environments all over the world.  These research         institutes are located all across the United States and the world.

Student Research Web Links [Not yet available]

Start your own project-  This option is much more involved and time consuming when compared to getting involved with an ongoing project.  The depth of the project you devise can vary greatly but the time commitment and difficulty is usually more than getting involved with an ongoing project.  That being said you can do just about anything from a poster presentation to organizing and conducting an international research expedition (see Apex II -  www.apex-altitude.com).  Even if you are doing a project independently, finding a good faculty mentor to help guide and support your project is extremely important. 

 ***Hint: Use an existing data set***:  There are many sets of data that various people and organizations keep but may not use. Examples of the types of data sets are the medical records kept by adventure racing organizations about the medical complaints at races.  Other sources of data include but are not limited to:

            Adventure race medical records

            State and National trauma registries

            Local fish and game rescue statistics

            Mountain rescue group reports

            National Park accident reports

            Vietnam War wounds database

            American Ski Resort Association accident data

These data sets naturally vary in the amount of data and the applicability to the questions you are asking. The above list is just to start you thinking about places that may have data you could use but does not imply access to the above data sets.  Nonetheless, these raw data sets are valuable sources of information that you can use to support your hypothesis.

Student Wilderness Research: The Next Step [Not yet available]

WMS Student Research Committee

Chair  Chris Davis                –University of Colorado School of Medicine