Application Process: Apply online »
Applications open Jan 7, 2026
Preview of application (PDF).

Stipend: $3600 – $4500 ($450 per week)
Duration: 8-10 weeks starting May 18 (through July 10 to July 24, 2026)

The Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (DFMCH) has numerous faculty who are eager to have UWSMPH medical students work with them on people-oriented, clinically relevant, hands-on research and quality improvement projects. Students have ample opportunities to see patients in a variety of settings (office, hospital, others), learn important research concepts and skills, and participate in social events with other faculty and students.

Schedule: This is a tentative schedule:

  • May 18 – 20 — Work with faculty
  • May 21/22 — Orientation seminar (at DFMCH or virtual)
  • May 25 – June 18 — Work with faculty
  • June 19 — Mid-point seminar (at DFMCH or virtual)
  • June 22 – July  9 — Work with faculty
  • July 13 — Final presentations (at DFMCH or virtual)
  • July 14 – July 24 — Complete work with faculty (for those opting for 10-week assistantship)

Director: Sean Duffy, MD

Stipends: We have funding available to support up to 16 students at $450 per week for the 8-10 week session.

Please complete the online application, including your cover letter described at the bottom. As soon as your application is received, copies of your application will be sent      to the faculty with whom you are interested in collaborating. The faculty members will contact you to set up interviews either in person or remotely. These interviews will allow faculty and students to determine whether there is mutual interest. Faculty and student matches should be considered binding on both parties unless significant, unforeseen circumstances occur. Since agreements between faculty and students may be made at any time, students who submit their applications early are more likely to have their choice of projects.

For additional information, please contact Sean Duffy at:

E-mail: sean.duffy@fammed.wisc.edu 

2026 Research Projects

Investigator: Randall Brown, MD, PhD
Collaborators: Andrew Quanbeck, PhD; Shinye Kim; Rachel Grob, PhD
Location of study: Madison

Background information:

Over 2 million acute care hospitalizations annually in U.S. result from traumatic injuries, such as motor vehicle accidents, gunshot wounds, and stab wounds. Traumatic injuries that require hospitalization represent a potentially seminal event for prolonged opioid exposure and, hence, the development of opioid misuse and opioid use disorder (OUD). Care management and brief behavioral interventions may improve pain and pain related distress, and thereby decrease
rates of substance misuse in this population.

Primary Objective: Determine the feasibility of delivering an adaptive intervention, comprised of opioid risk monitoring, pain coping skills training, and RN care management, that may be tailored to pain-related distress and opioid misuse risk, to reduce pain-related impact and reduce substance misuse risk.

Specific Aim 1: Evaluate the feasibility of delivering the proposed adaptive intervention, as measured by rates of recruitment and retention at Weeks 4 and 12.

Specific Aim 2: Evaluate the potential acceptability of the adaptive intervention, as measured by descriptive self-report data (e.g., ATAQ, CSQ, AIM) from participants.

Explore intervention impact on pain and OUD risk.

What is the potential student role in the project, including clinical time?

Students will work with the research team in the screening of potentially eligible patients hospitalized for injury at UW Hospital, which includes contact w/ patients. They will attend lab meetings where this and other projects are discussed, to orient them to workflows, study conduct, measures etc.

Students will work clinically with addiction medicine faculty members on the inpatient consult service and in some of our outpatient addiction consult settings (Alcohol-associated liver disease clinic, HIV Clinic, Compass low-barrier clinic for opioid use disorder).

Investigator: Sarina Schrager, MD, MS / Lashika Yogendran, MD, MS

Location of study: Madison

Background information:

Our recent scoping review (a product of an SSRCA collaboration in 2024) found that people want to talk about colon cancer screening with their primary care providers (PCPs). (Yogendran) Patients also want a comprehensive list of potential harms and benefits of all available screening options including accuracy. Further, they wanted detailed descriptions of the process of each of the tests with a recognition of the fear of getting a colonoscopy. Colon cancer remains the 4th most common cancer diagnosed in the US and the 2nd most common cause of cancer death.

Colon cancer is being diagnosed more and more in younger people, triggering new recommendations for onset of screening at 45 (down from 50). Screening rates are suboptimal.

Yogendran L, Wakefield H, Christenson L, Schrager S. Shared decision making in colorectal cancer screening: a scoping review. JABFM 2025;38:635-60.

What is the potential student role in the project, including clinical time?

The student will review the literature, using the recent scoping review as a starting point. From this research, the student will develop informational materials for the patients and clinicians to use when discussing screening options. These materials will support shared decision making by clearly outlining the potential harms and benefits of each different screening modality and working to elicit each patient’s feelings about screening. If time permits, the student will then “test” the materials with a convenience sample of adults over 45 years of age at one Madison clinic for clarity and accuracy. The student will also be able to see patients with both of the PIs.

Additional comments

We will obtain IRB approval to ask patients to evaluate the materials.

Investigator: Patricia Tellez-Giron, MD

Location of study: Madison

Background information:

Hypertension, a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, requires effective management to reduce morbidity and mortality. While many patients benefit from treatment, others may struggle due to a lack of resources or understanding of the importance of blood pressure control. Building upon the success of previous initiatives, this project aims to further improve hypertension management by incorporating targeted health education and addressing social determinants of health. While, continuing previously successful blood pressure improvement control initiatives: Outreach calls to remind patients of needed follow up and also continuing increasing referrals to our pharmacy team for a hypertension protocol.

What is the potential student role in the project, including clinical time?

Students participating in this project will:

  • Gain hands-on experience in quality improvement methodologies
  • Contribute to project planning and implementation
  • Assist with patient outreach calls, health education, and referrals
  • Develop skills in hypertension management, lifestyle counseling, motivational interviewing, and addressing social determinants of health
  • Collect and analyze qualitative feedback from patients
  • Contribute with data analysis and publication
  • Be able to create a poster and present at conferences if desire
  • Participate in clinical sessions to observe and assist with patient care

Additional comments

Bilingual (Spanish/English) proficiency is preferred, but we encourage enthusiastic students of all language backgrounds to apply!
Students should be comfortable using EPIC and will be provided with a UW-MF computer. Most work can be completed remotely, with flexible hours. Students will receive training on project goals, standardized call scripts, HTN education and referrals sources for identified patients’ needs. They will also have opportunities to shadow mentors at Wingra Clinic.

This is an excellent opportunity to:

  • Assist a clinic serving a diverse population
  • Improve patient health and well-being
  • Gain experience in public health, quality improvement, and social determinants of health

We look forward to your application!

Medical Students Join DFM Faculty on Summer Research Projects.