MSPE Research Activities

Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)

Heritage College Policy 2.22 requires all medical students to conduct research and scholarly activities under a mentor's direction and register these activities with the Office of Research and Grants through Salesforce. Students must ensure all requirements are met before starting any research or scholarly activity.

Unregistered activities in Salesforce will not be considered for Research Distinction on the MSPE. Details about eligible activities for Research Distinction on the MSPE can be found below.

Qualifying Research Activity Guidelines

The qualifying student must have made a significant contribution to the qualifying research, as 
demonstrated by the achievement of at least one (1) of the following:
  • First or second authorship of a peer-reviewed, published journal article.
  • First or second authorship on a research poster presented at a national or 
     international conference.
  • Podium presentation at a national or international conference.
  • Principal investigator on an awarded nationally or internationally competitive research
     grant.
  • Recipient of a nationally or internationally competitive research honor or award (e.g., 
     Student Researcher of the Year). Team or institutional awards do not qualify.

The qualifying research must also meet all the following criteria:
  • Data collection must have been performed while the student is enrolled at HCOM
     or on a research-specific Leave of Absence (LOA) from HCOM. Research 
     conducted during enrollment in the graduate degree portion of Heritage College 
     Dual-Degree Programs is also eligible.
  • Research conducted during other types of LOAs does not qualify.
  • Research may be conducted at an external institution if the student was enrolled 
     at HCOM or on a research-specific LOA at the time.
  • Research must be original; hypothesis driven and may include rigorous
     meta-analyses. Single case reports and literature reviews/review papers are 
     not eligible.
  • Research must comply with all Ohio University and HCOM policies and procedures,
     including registration in Salesforce prior to May 31st of the year prior to graduation.
  • Only research projects and dissemination activities entered in Salesforce by May 
     31st of the year prior to graduation will be considered.

In cases where a student’s research contributions are significant but cannot be publicly 
disseminated due to extraordinary circumstances (e.g., pending patent protection, classified 
data, proprietary industry research), the student may still qualify for the designation if:
  • A letter of support is submitted to the Office of Research and Grants 
     (traineeresearch@ohio.edu) by the research mentor by May 31st of the year prior to 
     graduation.
  • The letter must:
     o Describe the student’s role and contributions.
     o Explain the nature of the restriction on dissemination.
     o Justify why the student’s work merits recognition despite the lack of public 
        output.
All other eligibility criteria must still be met

MSPE Research Activity Summary Example

During his/her/their time at the Heritage College O.M.S. Example accomplished the following:

O.M.S. Example’s engagement in research and scholarly activity during medical school has 
been recognized as distinctive.