Other Resources

WCUCOM provides a variety of facilities, resources, and institutional support to facilitate research and scholarly activity among students, faculty, and clinical partners. These resources include specialized laboratory and teaching facilities, library and statistical support, research software, funding opportunities, and collaborative partnerships with local healthcare institutions. This page provides an overview of the resources available to support research development, implementation, and dissemination at WCUCOM.

WCUCOM has a biomedical research laboratory facility in the Academic Building (COM 1), Room 116. The laboratory is a 2,200 square foot facility that includes two tissue culture rooms, a prep room, and a cold room. The open laboratory design concept includes six mobile lab benches, a chemical fume hood, lab benches lining two walls, and a third wall lined with cubicle workstations. Laboratory records and functions are linked through electronic laboratory notebooks and a private intranet system. The biomedical laboratory houses a fluorescent microscope, and a full array of standard laboratory equipment. Space in the biomedical research laboratory is allocated based on the needs of ongoing projects, with priority given to externally funded projects.

Most of the COM teaching facilities double as research facilities, particularly for medical education research. This includes the Osteopathic Principles and Practices teaching laboratory; the Innovative Learning Center (ILC) utilized for research related to clinical practice, telehealth, and clinical simulation; and the Ross Anatomy Laboratory utilized for anatomical and radiological sciences research.

Hattiesburg is the home of two hospitals, Forrest General (FGH) and Merit Health Wesley (MHW). The former houses a family medicine residency program while the latter houses emergency medicine, internal medicine, and rotating internship residency programs. WCUCOM students on clinical rotations in Hattiesburg and other Mississippi residency sites interact extensively with the residents and participate in research projects in resident-student teams.

WCUCOM is able to provide seed funding for faculty-initiated pilot projects through the internal budget of the Associate Dean of Research, who is advised by the Research Committee for substantial requests. Requests for other types of support such as journal publication charges, data sets, outside consultant requests, etc. should be made to the Associate Dean of Research well in advance of need.

All proposals for external grant funding must follow university procedures. WCUCOM encourages collaborative and Interdisciplinary/Interprofessional projects.

The WCU library maintains both hardbound and electronic subscriptions supporting the practice of evidence-based medicine as well as health-related research of the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the School of Nursing, the School of Physical Therapy, and the School of Pharmacy. The WCU library also maintains a webpage dedicated to Osteopathic Medicine: Medicine Resources. In addition, the University of Southern Mississippi is a 10-minute drive from the WCU campus and the USM library resources can be accessed on site.

Reference management software can make it easier to organize literature, insert citations while writing, and format references according to journal requirements. Students are strongly encouraged to begin using a reference manager early in the writing process rather than manually managing citations and references.

Zotero – Free reference management software that integrates with common word-processing platforms, including Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

WCU does not maintain general site licenses for all research-related software. However, individual licenses for IBM SPSS Statistics are provided to WCUCOM students during the OMS-I year as part of the BSPH course. Students who need assistance accessing or using SPSS in subsequent years should contact Dr. Fastring, Associate Dean of Research, or Dr. Keel, Director of Student Research.

Limited support may also be available on a case-by-case basis when an approved student research project requires access to specialized software, databases (e.g., HCUP, BRFSS, NHIS, etc.), or other research resources. Students are encouraged to discuss their project needs with the WCUCOM Research Team.

Many faculty have statistical expertise. The Associate Dean of Research is an epidemiologist and provides study methodology and biostatistical support for both student and faculty research projects.