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By Zachary Grimmet

Most premedical students know that research is an important element of a successful pre-medical career and a great way to spruce up the medical school application. Entering the world of biomedical research for the first time as an undergraduate premedical student can be a daunting experience. The research laboratory – intimidating though it may be – also holds great promise for captivating scientific discovery, including discoveries in medicine. Laboratory research can therefore be an exciting experience for undergraduates wishing to pursue medicine or other health professions in their career. But for someone new to the game, how should you choose between the plethora of university laboratories available?

First, make the commitment and dive headfirst into the world of scientific research – take diverse courses, talk to engaging professors, and peruse faculty webpages to find laboratories studying biological problems that you find compelling. Most laboratory websites will describe a lab’s current projects, recent publication record, the members of the lab, and the principal investigator (PI). A lab that is a good fit will have 1) current research projects that interest you and which you understand, 2) a PI with a track record of undergraduate mentorship, and 3) a community which includes younger trainees (medical students, clinical fellows, post-doctoral fellows, PhD students and/or fellow undergraduates).

In your first research experience, it is essential to work on a project which excites you; genuine passion for your area of medical research will fuel your drive to take a deep dive into your chosen topic, formulate significant hypotheses, design innovative experiments and ultimately embark on a process of impactful scientific discovery. However, if you’re unsure what sort of biomedical science might interest you, I would certainly advise you to explore uncharted waters and investigate fields off the beaten path. Some areas of science, like cancer immunology, the gut microbiome, Alzheimer’s disease, etc. are exceedingly popular (for good reason!), but trainees often flock to these laboratories and these fields have become much more competitive in general as a result. This means more difficulty in getting papers published, more chance of getting your research story “scooped” by a competing laboratory working more quickly, and generally more of a challenge in distinguishing yourself from other pre-medical students doing similar research.

Subscribe to weekly email updates from comprehensive biomedical journals (Nature, Science, Cell) if your interests are varied, or field-specific journals (Immunity, Cell Metabolism, JAHA) if your interests are narrower. Strong fields of biological research which are frequently overlooked by undergraduates include more “basic” disciplines such as cell and structural biology, genomics, and developmental biology. There are many laboratories in these fields that are asking ground-breaking questions and publishing high-impact studies. An added benefit of training in a basic science laboratory is that early training in these disciplines (biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, etc.) will provide a broad familiarity with scientific methods (and the same rigor of scientific thought as all good laboratories). If you choose to continue in biomedical science, you’d be able to select a new discipline for your next laboratory more easily than you might if you start in a translational or clinical laboratory, where basic science techniques may not be taught in as much depth. A transition from basic to translational research is a natural one, whereas a transition from translational to basic research is likely to be more challenging.

Ask friendly professors if they can recommend specific PIs who excel at undergraduate mentorship. Often, the best mentor for new trainees is not the most well-known scientist with monthly articles in prestigious journals like Cell, but instead an attentive teacher running a productive lab with trainees at various levels who rave about their PI. The latter mentor would also be much more likely to get to know his/her students on a personal level, allowing for a more meaningful and personalized letter of recommendation for their application to medical school. Phenomenal mentors may be difficult to find, but faculty (and instructors, post-docs and graduate students) will know and recommend them! Don’t be shy, ask around, and schedule some intro meetings with these PIs. To do this, send a short email (copy their administrative assistant if possible) introducing yourself and explaining which projects you’d be interested in. Be professional and courteous of their time, but express sincere excitement for their scientific enterprise, and if the interest is mutual, schedule a time to see the laboratory and meet the other lab members. Regardless of their scientific focus, forming relationships with biomedical faculty who prioritize mentorship will be crucial; they often write the best letters of recommendation, know the ins and outs of departmental politics, and can become lifelong sources of advice should you continue with a medical or scientific career post-grad.

The importance of working with an attentive PI who values training pre-medical students can’t be overstated. As a newcomer to the pace and mechanics of laboratory work, you will benefit greatly from someone who will teach you (at your own pace) how to perform techniques, critically assess novel data, generate innovative hypotheses and make astute decisions about future directions. At the same time, it is essential to be aware that PIs themselves rarely train undergraduates hands-on; instead you will likely be paired with a graduate student or post-doc for learning procedures and protocols. Use your introductory meeting with the PI to learn about these other lab members as well, find who you may be working with, and learn about them. Meet them if you can, and probe for their mentorship style and available time for a new student. If they demonstrate genuine interest in training the next generation of physicians and scientists, this is a strong indicator of a healthy lab environment in which you’d be likely to thrive!

Crucially, you want to assess if your mentor will give you escalating responsibilities as you become more competent, and if desired, eventually allow you direct ownership over a small independent project. One of the most common ways to fail as a pre-medical student in a research lab is being frequently left to your own devices; too much autonomy will lead to a lack of research focus and inefficient progress. However, a gradual increase in independence will give a more fulfilling experience, a greater opportunity to fall in love with scientific discovery, and hopefully prominent authorship of an influential publication! Whichever lab you choose to join, you will have the opportunity to uncover new scientific knowledge and contribute to medical science – an exciting privilege afforded to precious few. Good luck!