The transition of the USMLE Step 1 and COMLEX-USA Level 1 exams to a pass/fail scoring system has created a need for adaptability in the way medical educators advise students for residency preparation. With this change, residency program directors have shifted to a more holistic review of applicants with a greater emphasis on activities outside of the classroom, especially research. This increased focus on medical student research requires innovative strategies, particularly at schools in which resources are limited. Public datasets could provide the ability to generate quality research opportunities for medical students with a low “barrier to entry”.

In this session, we will cover the details of a curriculum created to generate student research that could be easily translated to any medical school. This session will allow attendees to explore an available database to look for variables that would be needed to answer a given research question. Attendees will be able to list available public databases, describe how to search for variables needed to answer a research question, and implement a plan for how data mining could be used at their institution to help students generate quality research projects.