The Alfaisal Scholar Program in Research Excellence (ASPiRE)
ASPiRE — the Alfaisal Scholar Program in Research Excellence — is a flagship in-house initiative by the International Office designed to train Alfaisal medical students in the fundamentals of high-quality research.
Through its three specialized tracks—Basic Research, Clinical Research, and Medical Education Research—ASPiRE provides an immersive, structured, and hands-on learning experience led by distinguished faculty. The program equips students with essential research skills, practical workshops, real project work, and mentorship, empowering future physicians to contribute meaningfully to scientific discovery and academic medicine.
Inside the ASPiRE Tracks
ASPiRE Medical Education Research Track (MERT)
The Medical Education Research Track (MERT) is an intensive 8-day program designed to introduce medical students to the foundations of medical education research.
Through 11 hands-on workshops, group activities, and a final proposal presentation, students learn scientific writing, study design, qualitative methods, literature review, statistics, and critical appraisal. MERT equips participants with the essential skills to design, analyze, and communicate meaningful education-focused research.
ASPiRE Clinical Research Track (CRT)
The Clinical Research Track (CRT) is a comprehensive program designed to equip medical students with the core skills needed to conduct high-quality clinical research. Across multiple structured workshops, participants learn study design, hypothesis formulation, proposal and IRB preparation, literature review, case reports, cohort studies, advanced biostatistics, survival analysis, and systematic review methods. CRT also introduces peer review, critical appraisal, and good clinical practice, providing a complete foundation for entering the world of clinical research.
ASPiRE Basic Research Track (BRT)
The Basic Research Track (BRT) is an immersive summer program that introduces students to core laboratory and biomedical research skills. Over 8–10 weeks, participants train directly in university labs, learning essential techniques, experimental design, data collection, and scientific reasoning. Each week focuses on a specific research theme, exploring diverse laboratory methods while contributing to active research teams. BRT provides a strong foundation for students pursuing future careers in scientific and translational research.