FIRE+ Program Description

The Focused Individualized Research Experience-Plus (FIRE+) Program was created in order to support medical student research projects that fall outside and beyond the FIRE curriculum. This Program aims to provide support, management, oversight, and tracking of student research projects and endeavors. The FIRE+ intent is to bring these students and projects under one structured program to ensure appropriate research guidance and support so that research quality, safety, and integrity are maintained and can be evaluated for a sustainable and successful scholarly endeavor. 

FIRE+ Goal

The primary goal of this program is to further enhance the appreciation and understanding of rigorous research design and skills, to implement quality projects, and to achieve additional scholarly output of medical students. In doing so, this will lead to more competitive students/applications for residency match. It is a secondary goal/expectation that an outcome will be a peer-reviewed publication and/or a national conference presentation. 

Program Eligibility

Any research and scholarly activity performed by medical students OTHER THAN RESEARCH RELATED TO THE M1/M2 FIRE CURRICULUM is required to be included in FIRE+. New research projects outside of the FIRE curriculum in M1/M2, continuity of the FIRE project in M3/M4 years, or independent research as extracurricular activity must be approved by FIRE+. After submission of a brief in-take form, FIRE+ projects will be reviewed to ensure quality and rigor with the anticipation that the project can be publishable in peer-reviewed journals and presentable in national/international professional conferences. 

FIRE+ Research

Any translational and health-related research would be eligible as a FIRE+ project. However, we will broadly categorize it as bench/laboratory research, clinical research, population health/public health research, secondary data analysis including retrospective chart review, survey research, quality improvement, medical education, social and behavioral science research, review and meta-analysis and others. 

Project Intake & Tracking Survey

In order to support and track ongoing research projects (outside of the FIRE curriculum), a database record needs to be created. Please complete the REDCap survey below denoting project details, mentor, etc. Please submit one survey per project. 

Link: https://redcap.link/FIRE-Plus

Project Support

In addition to providing the infrastructure and support of medical student scholarly activity, the FIRE+ Program may be able to provide financial support for research projects, e.g., manuscript fees, conference fees, lab fees. 

For More Information or Questions

Dr. R. Lane Coffee, Jr.

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Department of Medicine

Co-Director | Focused Individualized Research Experience (FIRE)

Director | FIRE+ Program

E rlc@ucf.edu

P 407.266.1539