Purpose
Medical students increasingly participate in education research with faculty mentors, but this work typically remains confined to individual institutions. We identified this limitation as an opportunity to leverage existing multi-institutional faculty collaborations to create the Student Medical Education Research Team (SMERT) to develop student scholarship and establish inter-institutional collaborations in medical education research.

Methods
Faculty from three medical schools initiated monthly meetings with their student mentees to share research ideas and provide constructive feedback. The program expanded to include resource sharing via cloud storage, manuscript review workshops, and education research skill development sessions. We utilized situative theory to guide assessment methods, implementing rubrics for abstracts and posters and self-assessment and peer rating questionnaires addressing communication, leadership, and self-management dimensions. Program evaluation follows the CIPP (context/input/process/product) model.

Results
SMERT has grown to 139 members (105 students, 34 faculty) representing 20 institutions. The initiative has yielded four presentations at national conferences (NEGEA, CGEA, and IAMSE). Monthly meetings facilitate ongoing project development and collaboration. A workgroup is currently developing an organizational structure from national to institutional levels. Students gain exposure to the medical education community while enriching research projects with their perspectives. The interinstitutional nature enhances project scope and quality.

Conclusions
The SMERT model demonstrates feasibility and transferability as it builds upon the existing foundation of faculty-student research collaborations common at most medical schools. While project timelines may extend beyond individual student availability, the benefits of early career networking and collaborative skill development outweigh this challenge. SMERT effectively promotes valuable relationships among medical students and establishes professional networks that will benefit their future careers.