The Department of Plastic Surgery is seeking highly motivated medical students to conduct remote clinical outcomes research. Research projects focus on topics such as health disparities, leadership qualities, and medical student education, to name a few. As a remote researcher, you will work with University of Pittsburgh faculty, residents and student leaders in the field of plastic surgery. Access to PubMed for extensive literature searches as well as experience with statistical analysis is required. Priority will be given to those who are committed to plastic surgery and do not have the available resources to conduct plastic surgery research at their current hospitals.
Important dates:
September 1-October 1, 2026: Online Submission Site Opens
October 15-30, 2026: Virtual interviews of top applicants
November 1, 2026: Notification of acceptance into program
January 1-December 31, 2027: Program period
Submit your 2027 Application Here
Remote Scholar Research Program
The Remote Scholar Research Program is designed to provide motivated medical students with the opportunity to gain meaningful experience in plastic surgery clinical research through a fully remote research experience.
Because this program is intended to provide research opportunities to students who may not otherwise have access to plastic surgery research at their home institutions, applicants must meet all of the following eligibility requirements:
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must:
- Be a second- or third-year medical student at the time of application.
- Attend a medical school that does not have access to plastic surgeons or established plastic surgery research opportunities.
- Not have previously published a research paper in the field of plastic surgery.
- Have prior experience using statistical analysis software, such as (but not limited to) R/RStudio, STATA, GraphPad Prism, or SPSS.
- Have prior experience using professional reference management software such as EndNote, Mendeley, and Zotero.
- Be able to commit 5–10 hours per week to clinical research projects.
- Be motivated to learn, contribute meaningfully to research projects, and work independently in a remote environment.
Program Details
This is a research training and mentorship opportunity, with students participating in ongoing clinical research projects in plastic surgery. Students will have the opportunity to develop their skills in clinical research methodology, data analysis, scientific writing, and research dissemination.
This is an unpaid, non-funded position. No stipend, salary, or other financial compensation will be provided.
Limited Positions
Only 3 medical students will be selected for the upcoming academic year. Because of the limited number of positions, applications will be reviewed carefully based on eligibility, research experience, statistical skills, demonstrated commitment, and the potential benefit of the program to the applicant.
Application Period
Application Window: September 1–September 30, 2026
Applications must be submitted through the online application portal only during the application window.
Please do not email applications or application materials. Email applications will not be considered at this time.
If you meet all eligibility requirements and are interested in developing your skills in plastic surgery clinical research, we encourage you to apply during the application period.
Submission portal will be available on this website on September 1, 2026.
-
Congratulations to our 2026 Remote Scholars:
Medical Student Medical School Cheyenne Watts, MS2 University of Vermont Elnaz Asadi, MS3 SUNY Downstate, NY Jada Tschetter, MS3 University of South Dakota Jah’Deja White, MS2 Meharry Medical College, TN Uzay Cambaz, MS4(/6) University of Tübingen, Germany 2025 Remote Research Scholars:
Matteo Angelini, MS5 Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan Camile Delva, MS2 City University of New York, NY Sofia Ghani, MS2 Howard University, Washington, DC Akeem Henry, MS2 Meharry Medical College, TN Rachel MpanuMpanu, MS3.5 Ross University, Caribbean Jazmin Woods, MS3 American U of Anguilla, Caribbean 2024 Remote Research Scholars:
Anna Bazell MS2, University of South Carolina Yousef Husseiny MS5, New Giza University Coleen Lewis MS2, American University of Antigua Douvae Miller MS4, St. George's University Connor Morson OMS1, Idaho College of Medicine Ertha Sefu Omba MS2, Morehouse School of Medicine Ana Paula Fontoura Andrade Reis MS5, Università degli Studi di Milano Abigail Royfman MS1, University of Toledo Alexandra Savage MS2, University of Alabama Inaugural 2023 Remote Research Scholars:
Tarek Arabi MS4, Alfaisal University Nicole Eregha MS4, Ross University Julia Kasmirski MS4, University of São Paulo George Lear MS1, Quillen College of Medicine Guillermo Lopez MS2, University of Puerto Rico Arslan Mohamed MS2, City University of New York (CUNY) Xuan-Mai Nguyen, PhD MS3, Carle Illinois College of Medicine Hazem Saqr MS7, New Giza University Dhipthika Srinivasan MS2, AT Still University