AT WSMRF MEMBER INSTITUTIONS

2008-2009 WSMRF Committee Members

and Institutional Contacts

(note:  Student Committee members are updated as information is received.  If there is a new Student Representative at your institution, or if you are a student who would like to be a Student Rep from your school listed below where there is no rep listed, please contact Fran Kissel at fkissel@mednet.ucla.edu)

BYLAWS OF THE WESTERN STUDENT MEDICAL RESEARCH

FORUM (WSMRF)

The Western Student Medical Research Forum (WSMRF) was formed April 1972 by the members of the Charter National SAMA Scientific Council.  It was organized to fulfill the needs of students in the health professions who were engaged in original medical research, but did not have the opportunity to present their work at a formal meeting with expert and peer review.  The WSMRF cooperated with three other regional forums:  National Student Research Forum (Univ. of Texas Medical Branch); Midwestern Student Research Forum; and Eastern Student Research Forum.

The WSMRF is held in Carmel, California each year during the first week of
February in conjunction with the Western Society for Clinical Investigation (WSCI), Western Society for Pediatric Research (WSPR), and the Western Region, Society for Investigative Dermatology (WR, SID) and Western Association of Physicians (WAP).  The WSMRF is unique in this regard because it is independent of a sponsoring medical school and it offers to student participants (at the Student Scientific Sessions, Faculty Subspecialty Meetings and Faculty Poster Sessions) the opportunity for exposure to a wide variety of prominent faculty researchers.  The WSMRF is thus able to grow due to the active support and full cooperation given by faculty members of the senior research organizations and the generous financial support of both the participating Medical Schools and the American Medical Association Education and Research Foundation.  All student research presenters are included in the Student Forum planned activities.

Participants are selected on the basis of an abstract on any topic of original medical research. All abstracts submitted are published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation , February issue and the best abstracts are chosen for presentation.

The selection process is as follows: 

WSMRC COMMITTEE MEMBER DUTY STATEMENT

• Upon acceptance of appointment, the new committee member shall contact the WSMRC Administrative Coordinator regarding his/her address, phone numbers, best time to be reached and other pertinent information. The new committee member should request background information regarding the Committee if the outgoing committee member has failed to provide this material.
  
• Maintain close communication either by phone or punctual correspondence with WSMRF Executive Director regarding changes at respective schools such as: personnel, addresses, etc., also his/her own address, phone number(s).
  
• Receive and circulate promptly all materials received from the Executive Director:

  WSMRC Newsletters

  Call for Abstract Posters

  AFCR Abstract Forms

   Meeting dates, locations, and information regarding Forum organization

  Miscellaneous Announcements

  All material shall be placed in conspicuous places on bulletin boards in the schools, labs, clinics, hospitals, cafeterias, lounges and other places the committee member determines to be appropriate.

• Coordinate meetings during the year with the Dean and/or Faculty liaison designee to discuss their school's views and recommendations regarding WSMRC's activities.
  
• The committee member is required to write an article of news from

  his/her school for each WSMRC Newsletter issue. This entails two (2) issues (May & December) each year. Each committee member shall be responsible to submit this material in early April and early November without being prodded by the Executive Director.

• Attend the Annual Research Forum (early February each year).  Be available to assist at Forum in whatever capacity required. Attend all forum activities, the only acceptable reason for absence being if he/she is presenting a research paper scheduled for the same time.  All

  committee members will be available to student research presenters and guests will assist the Officers in various needed areas. Deliver Official Programs and other materials to Dean and Faculty Representative(s);

also, review meeting and issues discussed and voted upon.  Each will attend:  Business Meetings; Social Activities; Student Scientific Sessions; Poster Session; and Awards Banquet. It should be noted that the Officers and Committee Members are the official hosts of the Research Forum so their attendance will be mandatory at all scheduled activities.  If for personal reasons a committee member is unable to attend, he/she will be held responsible to advise Dean for Alternate or Replacement Committee Member and advise WSMRC Office accordingly.

The retiring committee members shall provide orientation to the new committee members.  It is recommended that a replacement committee member be recruited and recommended to the Dean or the contact person in the Student Affairs Office for appointment.  Arrangement for the potential committee member to attend a Research Forum as an Alternate to audit the Business Meeting is encouraged.  Students early in their medical school education should be recruited to promote continuity of school representation.

When academic schedule and genuine interest in promoting student research creates a personal conflict, it is recommended he/she relinquish their committee member status after discussion with Dean and/or faculty representative.  It is expected that each committee member assess his/her contributions to both his/her school and WSMRC to determine the effectiveness and representation of both.  Being a committee member encompasses a great responsibility to the school being represented, the student body of each school and the overall future of WSMRC. For a self-motivated individual, being an effectual committee member can be both an educational and worth while experience that provides an opportunity for personal growth.

Members of the professional societies sub-specialty review committees judge the student abstracts with an objective point system on an equal basis with faculty abstracts.  In that way, those professors most familiar with the subject matter judge the abstracts concerning that subject.  By this process, all abstracts are judged and assigned a point rating.

At an intersociety Program Planning Committee meeting, which is usually held during the month of October, the presidents of the WS, AFCR, WSCI, WSPR, WR, SID, and WAP and the Executive Director of the WSMRC, meet to plan the Carmel Program.  On the basis of their point rating, student abstracts compete with faculty abstracts for placement in the Faculty Subspecialty Meetings and Poster Sessions.  The Student abstract with the highest score abstract is selected to be presented to the Combined Plenary Session of the WS, AFCR, and WSCI and is known as the "E.E. Osgood Award" Winner (other high graded student abstracts may also be selected for plenary sessions).  The highest scored abstracts receive the WSCI / WS, AFCR Subspecialty Awards and are presented to regular subspecialty meetings or Plenary Sessions.  The student abstract on a pediatric topic with the highest score is selected to be presented to the Plenary Session of the WSPR and is known as the "Lowell Glasgow Student Research Award" Winner. Other highly rated abstracts are selected for presentation at the Faculty Poster Sessions.  The Student Scientific Sessions are filled with the highest rated student abstracts which were not selected for presentation to the Faculty Subspecialty Meetings or Poster Session. From each member school, the top rated abstracts not already receiving awards are given one year AFCR memberships and a certificate suitable for framing.

        Two additional awards known as the "Klea D. Bertakis Award" and "Dionesia P. Bertakis Award" (established by the officers and committee members of the WSMRC) are given to those students who give the best oral presentation of his/her paper at the Oral Student Scientific Sessions.  The "Claude and Clifford Lardinois Awards" are also given to two students who have the best poster presentations at the Student Poster Session.  The judges, who include the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Senior Advisory Chairman, Committee Member Representative(s), and Faculty Advisor, rate each presenter with a ten point rating scale. All graders evaluate all presenters and scores are then averaged for each presenter to allow selection of the winner.  (Grade Sheet Sample follows).  Posters are graded on a somewhat modified basis to reflect the nature of the presentation and are graded by the guest speakers (3) and four (4) WSMR Committee Members.

STUDENT FORUM GRADING SHEET

FOR THE WSMRC KLEA D. BERTAKIS, DIONESIA P. BERTAKIS, AND CLAUDE AND CLIFFORD LARDINOIS AWARDS

PRESENTER NAME: ______________________________________________________

TITLE: __________________________________________________________________

JUDGE: _________________________________________________________________

Numerical Ranking Guide (CIRCLE GRADE)

9-10    OUTSTANDING - One of the best presenter in regards to this
particular area.
TOP 10%

7-8     VERY GOOD - Ranks well above the average presenter.
70th - 90th PERCENTILE

5-6     AVERAGE - Comparable to the average presenter in this area.
40th - 70th PERCENTILE

3-4     BELOW AVERAGE - Deficient in regard to this particular area.

20th - 40th PERCENTILE

1-2     POOR - Definite weakness in this area.
0 - 20th PERCENTILE

SLIDES (POSTER):  Relevance, Clarity, Creativity       
1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10       

DELIVERY:  Style, Clarity      
1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10       

SCIENTIFIC QUALITY:    
1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10       

RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS
AND COMMENTS:  
1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10       

TOTAL SCORE: ___________________________________________________________

COMMENTS:

In 1977, the first attempt was made to give full representation in the organizational and decision making process to each of the 16 medical schools included in the Western Forum.  In March 1976, a letter was sent to each Dean of the 16 medical schools participating in the WSMRF.  It was explained that for the 1977 forum each medical school would be represented by a committee member on the Western Student Medical Research Forum Committee (WSMRC). It was hoped that this structure would allow the forum to involve as many students of each school as possible.  Committee members would also provide suggestions and feedback.  Participation has increased and now all 16 western medical schools are represented by a committee person who is also invited to the Student Forum. Member schools can have co-committee member(s) or alternatives and are appraised of the fact that each school has only one vote.