Undergraduate research: An innovative student-centered committee from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction: Concern has been expressed in recent times whether medical schools have adapted sufficiently to cater for the increasing demand of physician–scientists. Studies have shown that research involvement at the undergraduate level is vital to accommodate this growing need. Enhanced communication skills, improved problem-solving abilities and better future employment opportunities are among the other many benefits of undergraduate research (UR). Herein, we report projects run by a unique student driven undergraduate research committee (URC) at Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia aimed at providing the future generation of physicians training opportunities for pursuing a research intensive career.

Methods: The article describes the unique structure of the URC and provides an in-depth description of the various programs and activities used in promoting students’ research activities. We analyzed students’ perception of URC activities via a questionnaire and analyzed research-output of the first graduating batches through their publication record.

Results: Overall, more than 60% of the graduating students were involved in the various research programs offered by the URC and around 50% published in peer-reviewed journals with an average impact factor of 2.4.

Conclusions: Research involvement by medical students is an essential need of the twenty-first century and models like URC could provide crucial platform for research training to the new generation of physician–scientists.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Prince Fahad bin Khalid’s Undergraduate Medical Research Program for providing continuous generous financial support which not only enabled this committee to emerge into reality, but also made sure that all students from different financial backgrounds are given equal opportunity to engage in UR. Gratitude is also extended to Dr Khaled Al-Kattan (the Dean of the College of Medicine), and Dr Faisal Al Mubarak (the Provost of Alfaisal University), for their guidance and support in promoting a student-centered UR Committee (URC).

The publication of this supplement has been made possible with the generous financial support of the Dr Hamza Alkholi Chair for Developing Medical Education in KSA.

Declaration of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.