School of Medicine Basic Science Research
Conducting Life-Enhancing Research to Advance Medicine
Creighton University School of Medicine is dedicated to impacting our world through a culture of continuous learning, growth and development. In our basic sciences, researchers are working in areas such as hearing loss, cancer, aging, drug design, HIV, prion diseases, neurological diseases, substance abuse, stroke, asthma, cardiovascular disease, antibiotic resistance and gene therapies.
Research is conducted in a collegial, collaborative environment with a priority on providing exceptional research opportunities for students and other trainees.
We strive for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging as we recruit and equip our faculty, conduct research and support our learners. A diversity of ideas, perspectives and thinking is fundamental to our culture of inquiry.
Research Opportunities
School of Medicine students are encouraged to participate with faculty mentors in diverse research projects, where they make substantive contributions. The most active areas include hearing loss, cancer, neuroscience and infectious diseases.
Creighton medical students may pursue funded research projects (during the summer after M1 year) through the Creighton Summer Medical Student Fellowship Program. Participants concentrate in clinical or basic science research and discover the integral role of research in developing medical therapeutics and treatment. The program is administered by the Student Research and Scholarly Activity Committee, chaired by Garrett Soukup, PhD.
To support student research and scholarly projects, the School of Medicine may provide travel awards to supplement medical student costs of presenting scholarly work at regional or national conferences. For more information, contact SOMResearch@creighton.edu.
Additional research opportunities for medical students
Regional and National Scientific Meetings
- Creighton University Research Day
- Midwest Student Biomedical Research Forum
- The Creighton Neuroscience Symposium
Student Chapter of American Physician Scientists Association
- Faculty contact: Mark Reisbig, MD, PhD
Research and Scholarly Activity Committee
- Faculty contact: Garrett Soukup, PhD
Students wishing to be paired with a faculty mentor to perform research should contact SOMResearch@creighton.edu.
Creighton graduate students perform groundbreaking research in diverse graduate programs and research.
Master’s Degrees in Natural Sciences
Natural Science Doctoral Degrees
Core Facilities
Creighton’s facilities provide research support to our investigators and community of researchers.
- Flow Cytometry — Provides equipment and services to identify, quantify, analyze and isolate cells in complex mixtures such as blood.
- Histology — Provides equipment to analyze animal and human tissues for sample processing, embedding, sectioning, histochemistry, immunohistochemistry and imaging.
- Innovative Genomics Core — Provide a total solution of genomics research from consultancy to experiments to data analysis.
- Integrated Biomedical Imaging Facility — Features a multi-photon confocal microscope that allows high resolution imaging of labeled cells and tissues.
- Lynch Cancer Research Center Biorepository — Creighton’s cancer research spans many areas including endometrial, skin, blood, breast, colon, prostate, brain cancer and drug discovery and development. Includes the Hereditary Cancer Database and Biorepository.
- Molecular Biology — Provides instrumentation and services including DNA sequencing and oligonucleotide synthesis.
- Translational Hearing Center — Open to all researchers at Creighton with technologies focused on hearing research, the Translational Hearing Center includes Advanced Microscopy, Audio and Vestibular Technology, Drug Development and Delivery and Mass Spectometry.
Graduate Student Programs
Students interested in making a lasting difference in research are encouraged to consider Creighton’s Master of Science, PhD or Dual-Degree Medicine Programs within the Biomedical Science, Medical Microbiology & Immunology or the Pharmacology & Neuroscience Departments.
All students will complete foundational coursework, followed by specialized courses, to align with the specialization within your department. Programs include:
Research Meetings
Medical students, as well as graduate learners and trainees, looking for research opportunities and mentors in the School of Medicine are invited to attend Research Interest Groups. Supported by the Department of Clinical Research, the program aims to improve the quality of research and provides opportunities for our learners to have access to research projects. Additionally, our faculty find mentees and research teams are formed.
Creighton also offers access to seminars, grand rounds, conferences and symposia that contribute to education and research in the School of Medicine.
Meeting Information
Meetings are held in-person and virtually and are open to all our students, residents, fellows and faculty from both campuses.
Topics covered during a meeting may include:
Studies being considered
- Scientific merit review
- Trial design considerations
- Who should be involved in supporting the study?
Studies ongoing
- Difficulties with IRB submissions
- Enrollment issues
Studies completed
- Analysis phase
- Writing phase
View current listing of Omaha and Phoenix Research Interest Groups.
Department of Biomedical Sciences Seminars
- When: Thursdays, noon to 1 p.m.
- Where: Eppley Building Rm 107
- See a complete schedule
Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology
- When: Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to noon
- Where: Criss III, Rm L57
Department of Pharmacology and Neurosciences
- When: Fridays, 9 to 10 a.m.
- Where: Hixson Lied Science Building Rm 359
Translational Hearing Center Seminars
Department of Medicine Grand Rounds
- When: Wednesdays, noon to 1 p.m.
Department of Gastroenterology Grand Rounds
- When: First Wednesday of the month, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
Department of Surgery Grand Rounds
- When: Fridays, 7 to 8 a.m.
Trauma Department Research Meeting
- When: First and Third Wednesday of every month, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Creighton Neuroscience Symposium
- Bellucci Symposium on Hearing Research
- Cancer Research Symposium
- University Research Week
- Department of Medicine Research Symposium
- GME Research Symposium
- Midwest Student Biomedical Research Forum
- NIAMRRE – National Institute for Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Education