Our Story

"Over the years as a heart surgeon I have watched young, optimistic, motivated students come and go on our department as they sought exposure to and inspiration from our work. More often than not these visits were inspiring for the students, but in reality far from optimal experiences for them. The students were often met with some degree of indifference and seldom with a defined program that the department invested time and effort in creating and effectuating. They often stood awkwardly by as “spectators” rather than as welcome and helpful participants. From the department’s standpoint, the students, even in the best case scenario, were never of real and immediate value, and, in the worst case scenario, were in many ways “time wasters”. That was clearly an unacceptable outcome for both parties and reminds one of the expression “a mind is a terrible thing to waste”.

Frederic Joyce MD

“When it became my turn time to do such a rotation, my father vowed to do better- for both me and his department! Together we envisioned a more defined and motivated engagement from both of us, but we wondered how such a goal could be achieved. We tried to put ourselves in the position of both student and medical institution. It became clear to us that a facilitator was the solution. The idea of The Student Research Scholar Program (The Program) was hatched. The Program would identify medical departments with defined research projects that could truly benefit from a more educated and long-standing student involvement. The Program would also identify worthy students that would be trained by the Program to successfully engage in the project, thus, contributing to the department while also enhancing the students’ learning experience and be truly inspirational. This approach worked and we decided to expand upon the idea so others could benefit. To accomplish that goal, in December 13, 2018 the Student Research Scholar Program was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation in the State of New York.”

Morgan Joyce