Predoctoral Research

The mission of the Predoctoral Research Program at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine is to shape the future of dental medicine and dental education through research; to educate students from diverse backgrounds about the importance of research in dental medicine; and to mentor students to make informed decisions about research career opportunities.

Program Structure

As part of the APEX program, GSDM offers formal research training for credit to students. Students who maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher in their didactic and clinical courses are eligible for research training during APEX. The rotation is based on a five-day week as follows:

• Students dedicate two days for research training and three days for the Apex clinical assignment;
• Students dedicate three days for research training (30 hours per week) and two days for the Apex clinical assignment under the Intensive Research Elective Course (IREC). ; see more information below.

The Intensive Research Elective Course (IREC)

The goal of the IREC is to provide intensive and structured research experience throughout the dental school curriculum for students who are interested in careers in oral health research. There are three opportunities to patriciate in IREC:

• IREC 1 – Intensive Research DMD year 1 (under APEX);
• IREC 2 – Intensive Research DMD year 2 (course weight: 2);
• IREC 3 – Intensive Research DMD year 3 (course weight: 2).

Students can also do research on a voluntary basis and usually spend no less than 10 hours per week in research training. DMD and DMD Advanced Standing students can start research during the second semester of their dental education.

For more information on predoctoral research opportunities, please visit the Research website.