1. COURSES ON RESEARCH METHODOLOGY FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS

An essential component of Medical training is initiating the students towards biomedical research and inculcating in them the ability to define lacunae in the present knowledge and how to frame researchable questions.  A medical student of the Ala-Too International University (AIU) is required to be conversant with various regulatory requirements, ethical issues and international standards of planning, conducting and publishing research.

The Centre for promotion of Medical Research (CPMR) plans to start a series of courses in research methodologies which would educate our students on important aspects of research. The curriculum of these courses will be so designed as to expose them to basic aspects of ethics, biostatistics, cell biology and all other areas not covered by departmental academic activities. The courses will be conducted by in-house faculty of the institute but in areas where expertise or enthusiasm does not exist, experts from outside Ala-Too International University could also be involved. The courses will be interactive in nature. 

Implementation: A workshop shall be organized in each academic session to accommodate interested medical students.  The number of students per course will be limited so as to make it more interactive. Each faculty will be obliged to encourage the students to attend the course as a part of their medical training. Regular feedback from and evaluation of the course/faculty by the participants will be done to bring in further improvements for courses in future.

Each course will comprise of but not limited to the following topics:

1. Generation of hypothesis, Making right research question.
2. Study designs: Designing studies appropriate to the research question.
3. Inclusion and exclusion criteria for research study (patients and controls).
4. Study Tools: Questionnaire, investigations, clinical data collection, etc.
5. Defining outcome measures and conclusions.
6. Basic Biostatistics for sample size calculation and research data analysis.
7. Issues: randomization, blinding, concealment, bias, confounders, risk factor, correlation etc.
8. Ethical issues including consent taking in conducting research and patient’s/volunteers information sheet.
9. Good Clinical Practice.
10. Data management and analysis.
11. Presentation of results.
12. Literature search, Manuscript writing.
13. Scientific misconduct including plagiarism.

The CPMR will offer all necessary assistance in the smooth conduct of such courses.

2. RESEARCH PRESENTATION BY THE FACULTY

The CPMR seeks to encourage the faculty members to present their research at our department at monthly basis. The presentation is voluntary. The faculty member making the presentation generally focuses on his/her research carried out in the recent past on a specific topic of interest.  This is an important platform for scientific interaction, generating new ideas and for fostering inter-departmental collaborative research.

The monthly Research Presentations will provide the right environment and forum for our faculty to discuss new ideas and forge collaborations between basic scientists and clinicians.  This will go a long way in enhancing the overall research environment.  The CPMR earnestly appeals to all faculty members to join hands with renewed enthusiasm to make this monthly activity a useful exercise.

3. CONDUCTING MEDICAL CONFERENCES AND WEBINARS

The medical profession is constantly on the move, it constantly progresses, it’s always at the forefront. The specialties are so many that in order for the interested partied to be informed on their particular field they need a central forum where they will receive all the necessary updates. The CPMR can take care of that need!

Medical conferences are not useful solely to inform. Researchers, the pioneers of the profession also have the opportunity to share their discoveries with the world. That’s how thousands of lives are saved. They can also organize workshops, where the participants can have hands-on experience, so their knowledge won’t only be theoretical.

Medical conferences also allow doctors to get to know each other, to build relationships. This makes it easier for them to share their experiences and their patients’ history (always anonymously) and all this is happening while having in mind what’s good for the patient.

CPMR plans to organize one national and one international conferences, and periodic webinars, invited lectures by experts in each academic session to facilitate the faculty and students of the progress of medical science.

4. RECOGNITION OF RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENT AT MEDICAL SCHOOL

The Director, Coordinator and Scientific Committee, CPMR Plans to confer awards for recognition of the research output and good quality publications by faculty members and students at faculty of Medicine, Ala-Too International University.

5. PROMOTION OF COLLOBORATIVE RESEARCH WITH NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTES / UNIVERSITIES

Medical and scientific researches in the last few years have become increasingly global, cross-national, cross-cultural, and collaborative. Local and International collaboration is emerging as a norm and is an accepted form of current research environment. It is strongly encouraged by various funding agencies as well. CPMR plans to collaborate with faculties/ universities of Kyrgyzstan, central Asia as well as India, USA and other international institutes to promote both short- and long-term research collaboration that would keep abreast of international science and share expertise and resources which enhance the scientific community and in-house training. It would benefit both the health care system and the students and faculties. It also helps in building up of research capacity.

6.PROJECTS AND GRANTS FROM FACULTIES

Medical research-oriented institutions should possess a separate high quality research constituted by efficient research and publication background clinicians, physicians, heath and allied sciences personals including statisticians. CPMR plans to encourage faculties to write research proposals grants applications and research manuscripts. 

We envisage to develop CPMR into a permanent state of the art diagnostic and research centre with the help of national and international support. The infrastructure and trained staff will set the stage for attracting national and international funding for research. All faculty and scientific staff will be encouraged to submit research proposals for funding periodically both in basic as well as translational research.

Research is the lifeline of medical advancement. Essentially every single treatment, diagnostic tool and medication in Western medicine is a result of research. Without dedicated researchers, there is no way to develop better ways to prevent, diagnosis and treat disease. Undergraduate research, no matter how small, contributes to the greater good of medical advancement. The grants and research projects would help the medical school to create an excellent infrastructure for biomedical research and at the same time it will train our faculty to be a successful mentor and students to hone their skills in biomedical research, writing and publishing papers and would improve the overall research productivity of the university.