• Abdulhadi A Alamodi, Ahmed Abu-Zaid, Lucman A Anwer, Tehreem A Khan, Mohammad Abrar Shareef, Ahmed A Shamia, Salman M Nazmi, Abdullah M Alshammari, Hassan Rahmatullah, Ammar J Alsheikh, Ranim A Chamseddin, Loai M Dweik, and Ahmed Yaqinuddin.
• Alfaisal University , Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• Med Teach. 2014 Apr 1; 36 Suppl 1: S36-42.

IntroductionConcern 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.MethodsThe 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.ResultsOverall, 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.ConclusionsResearch 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.

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