As medical education and clinical practice continue to evolve, rigorous medical education scholarship is essential for identifying, implementing, and disseminating evidence-based educational strategies. This work strengthens the learning experiences of medical students and residents and ultimately benefits the patients they will serve.
MEDRI supports faculty, staff, residents, and medical students in developing as medical education scholars through professional development, funding opportunities, and individualized research support. MEDRI’s offerings include a seminar series focused on research methods and scholarly development, a medical education grant program for faculty at the USC Schools of Medicine, and personalized project consultations to support all stages of the research process.
Seminar Series
MEDRI invites faculty, staff, residents, and medical students from USC School of Medicine Greenville, USC School of Medicine Columbia, and MUSC to participate in the 2026-2027 MEDRI seminar series Conducting and Writing Literature Reviews.
This series will explore approaches to conducting literature reviews, including selecting the appropriate review type, conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses, preparing manuscripts for publication, and using technology to support the review process. For additional information, please contact Dr. Porter-Stransky.
Recordings of prior MEDRI seminar series including the Foundations of Medical Education Research and Advanced Topics in Survey Design are available here.
Grants
Faculty from USC Schools of Medicine Greenville and Columbia are eligible to apply for MEDRI grant funding to support medical education research projects. The annual call for grant applications is announced each May.
Dr. Appel, Using Master Adaptive Learning Behaviors to Improve Medical Students' Learning Strategy Selection
Dr. Blackwell, From Kitchen to Clinic: Alumni Perspective on Culinary Medicine Implementation in the Clinical Environment
Dr. Chatzistamou, Assessing AI Assisted Self Directed Learning in Undergraduate Medical Education
Dr. Pecheny, Aligning Didactic Teaching with Learner Retention: Evaluating Concordance Between Faculty Learning Objectives and Emergency
Dr. Appel, A Multi-faceted Investigation of Anatomy Study Strategies: Correlations with Foundational Knowledge, Clinical Application, and Learning Approaches
Dr. Chatzistamou, Enhancing Clinical Reasoning in Second-Year Medical Students: A Pilot Study of AI-Augmented Self-Directed Learning in the Endocrine and Reproductive System Block
Dr. Lowing, A Standardized Menopause Educational Module for Resident Trainees in Obstetrics & Gynecology, Internal Medicine, and Family Medicine
Dr. Mann, Feasibility of a submerged synthetic skin model for human tissue matching during sonar operations for lost and drowned persons with SONAR
Dr. Kahler, Improving Faculty Feedback Through Artificial Intelligence
Dr. Siddle, Sex and Gender Integration in Medical Education Since a 2016 National Survey: How Far have We Come?
Dr. Springhart, Implementation and Efficacy of the LEAP Initiative: From Aspiring Physicians to Healthcare Leaders
Dr. Zarkeno, Integration of Clinical and Basic Science Knowledge in Undergraduate Medical Education
Dr. Zarenko, Prevalence and implications of cadaveric anatomic variation in undergraduate medical education
Project Consultations
Do you have an idea for a medical education research project but are unsure where to begin? Has your project stalled, or would you benefit from expert feedback at a key stage in the process? MEDRI offers complimentary project consults for medical education research projects led by faculty from the USC Schools of Medicine Greenville and Columbia. MEDRI consultants can provide guidance across all stages of the research process, including refining a research question, selecting a conceptual framework, choosing an appropriate methodology, preparing an IRB protocol, analyzing results, and writing or submitting a manuscript.
To request a consultation, please complete this form »
MEDRI Directors
Kirsten A. Porter-Stransky, PhD, DipACLM
Executive Director
Caroline S. Astemborski, MD, MEHP
Director of Grants and Scholarship