Teaching medical students research while reaching the underserved.

OBJECTIVES: This study's objective was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a 9-week summer training program for teaching medical students research, while performing community-based participatory research in an underserved area.

DESCRIPTION: Interactive didactic sessions familiarized students with research methods. Concurrently, they designed and completed a participatory project with a community mentor.

EVALUATION: Questionnaires were used to assess students' experience with the program, their project, and their mentors. Pretests and posttests assessed students self-perceived understanding of research principles.

CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation indicated that the program increased understanding of the research process and acquainted students with caring for patients in medically underserved communities.