The Journal of Scholarly Research in Progress is a peer-reviewed journal aimed at promoting and disseminating student scholarly activity at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. The journal also serves as a venue to support students' development of scientific writing skills and writing confidence. SCRIP invites all Geisinger Commonwealth students to contribute their original research articles, quality improvement projects, case reports, short communications, letters, editorials, and literature reviews on topics related to clinical, biomedical, epidemiology, population health, and medical education, ethics or humanities.

 
SCRIP is now accepting submissions from all Geisinger Commonwealth students for the 2025 edition.  

 Manuscripts must be submitted online using the submission form below and should be submitted by a student author of the manuscript. The corresponding student author takes responsibility for the article during submission and peer review. Thus, he or she is responsible for communicating with the editor on behalf of all co-authors and for sharing correspondence with co-authors.

 If you have any questions prior to submitting, please e-mail Sonia Lobo, PhD at scrip@geisinger.edu. Submitted manuscripts will be peer-reviewed prior to a possible decision on acceptance for publication. Submission Deadline is May 30th, 2025. Please adhere to the author submission guidelines and complete an author consent/declaration form upon submission. Failure to adhere to the submission guidelines may result in your manuscript being returned to you for technical corrections prior to proceeding to peer review.

Please contact scrip@geisinger.edu with any editorial related questions. 

For technical difficulties with Submittables, please contact support@submittable.com.

2025 Summer Research Immersion Program (SRIP)

Program Overview:

GCSOM’s Summer Research Immersion Program (SRIP) is an 8-week program open to current first-year Phase 1 students at GCSOM who are in good academic standing. The program provides students the opportunity to gain hands-on research experience in basic science, clinical science, public/community health, behavioral health, or medical education under the guidance of a research mentor. Participants are also offered supplemental seminars on study design, IRB protocol development, scientific writing, and other topics within research. The experience includes an educational stipend contingent upon fulfillment of program requirements.

Eligibility and Requirements:
Students must be enrolled at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine at the time of application and program commencement.  Students who are required to remediate a full course are not eligible to participate in the SRIP.
 

Program Dates:  
The program runs for 8 weeks, from June 2 to July 25, 2025.  The Summer Research Symposium will take place on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.

Program Goals:

• Provide students with an immersive research experience under a mentor’s guidance
• Enhance students’ knowledge of the scope and types of research relevant to improving health in the region, nationally, and globally
• Provide research opportunities that span the translational continuum from laboratory-based biomedical studies to clinical and public health research conducted with community partners
• Engage students in peer learning and networking
• Enhance students’ skills in oral and written scholarship

Application Information:
Your application includes the following components:

• Completed SRIP Application Form, identifying up to three preferred projects
• Completed Research Needs Assessment
• Current CV/resume (uploaded)

Applications will be accepted between December 6, 2024 and 11:59pm on February 7, 2025. Application materials will be evaluated only after the application window closes.

Acceptance Information:
Acceptance decisions are made by the Office of Research and Scholarship based on input from research mentors and/or a Student Research Review Panel comprised of GCSOM faculty. Applicants may be contacted for additional information or updated project preferences after submission. If there are more qualified applicants than placements available, a wait list will be created. Student assignments will be made based on student preference to the greatest extent possible. Please refer to the SRIP Canvas course and the ARCH database for project opportunities and additional application materials. Students will be notified of selection to participate in March - April 2025. Full participation in the program is contingent upon verification of academic eligibility at the conclusion of the academic year.
 

Please note that the SRIP is a competitive program; submitting your application does not guarantee acceptance to participate.

Program Overview:

GCSOM’s Medical Research Honors Program (MRHP) is a long-term, hypothesis-driven research program. Students who complete the program, while remaining in good academic standing, will receive an honors distinction upon graduation. To complete the 4-year program, students are required to submit a research project proposal, write a thesis, and deliver an oral defense. Additionally, students will write abstracts, present posters, and publish findings while building towards their thesis defense. The research experience is guided by a research mentor, a thesis advisory committee, and the program director. Participation in the Summer Research Immersion Program is highly encouraged but not required.

Program Benefits:

Research experience is integral to the development of medical practitioners who reflect the mission and values of GCSOM. Additionally, matching into competitive residencies requires research experience, presentations, and publications. Through the MRHP you will:
 

• Advance fundamental scientific knowledge
• Strengthen critical thinking skills
• Stand apart in competitive residency application fields
• Refine scholarly communication through scientific writing and presentations
• Gain a mindset of continual growth and learning

 
Application and Acceptance Information:

As the first step in your application, please reach out to Tracey Pratt at tpratt@geisinger.edu to express your interest in applying.  All first-year medical students have been added to the class of 2028 MRHP Canvas course, which will allow you to access the course prerequisites.

There will be two deadlines to apply to the MRHP; we can accept a maximum of 25 MRHP students per class.  Students who wish to apply for early consideration should submit their project proposals by May 5, 2025.  The final deadline for admission to the MRHP will be September 15, 2025.  Your completed application, including your CV, Letter of Support from your Mentor, Acknowledgment of Mentor Expectations, and Project Proposal must be submitted by 11:59pm on either May 5th or September 15th. Note: Use of Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, are highly discouraged. The reviewers want to hear from you regarding your research proposal, not an AI bot. Please contact Tracey Pratt at tpratt@geisinger.edu if you have any questions about the application process.

If you plan to apply in May, please ensure that all program prerequisites have been completed prior to submitting your application.  

Summer 2025 SRIP participants who successfully complete the program do not need to complete the prerequisites for the September deadline.  If you are not participating in the SRIP, you will complete the required prerequisites listed on the 2028 MRHP Canvas course.

Acceptance decisions are made by the Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship in consultation with the Manager of Research Education Resources. After submitting your application, you may be contacted for additional information or asked to revise your project proposal. Please refer to the MRHP Canvas course for project proposal templates, resources, and additional application materials. Students will be notified of acceptance into the program in May 2025 or October 2025 (unless further review is required). Full participation in the program is contingent upon verification of academic eligibility.