{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T05:05:21Z","timestamp":1789707921972,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789689600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Early experiential learning, including participation in research and community-engaged health promotion, fosters critical thinking, scholarly development, and socially responsive practice; however, these opportunities remain inconsistently integrated into pre-clinical curricula. Dense foundational science content, limited faculty mentorship capacity, and reliance on optional engagement contribute to inequitable access, with participation often limited to higher-achieving students. These gaps challenge compliance with accreditation expectations that require medical schools to provide students with opportunities for scholarly activity and faculty mentorship. Concurrently, the transition of United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 to pass\/fail has increased the importance of scholarly productivity in residency selection, underscoring the need for scalable and equitable curricular models. Ross University School of Medicine delivers a longitudinal Community Medicine curriculum for all students, anchored by the Community-Based Assignment (CBA). The 12-credit Community Medicine program combines over 140\u2005h of didactic, experiential, and active learning, with community-based clinical experiences, interprofessional collaboration, and reflective exercises to develop scholarly and clinical competencies. Within the CBA, students work in small groups to design and implement either a research project or health promotion intervention across three semesters. The model is scaffolded across conceptualization, implementation, and reflection, supported by training in epidemiology, biostatistics, ethics, and dissemination, alongside structured faculty mentorship. The model adopts a glocal approach by engaging students in addressing locally relevant health priorities within Barbadian communities while developing transferable competencies in social accountability, evidence-based practice, and community engagement that are applicable across diverse healthcare systems and global contexts. Between January 2023 to May 2026, students initiated 170 projects (106 research; 64 health promotion), with 49 ongoing and 16 having received IRB approval, reflecting sustained engagement and competency development in inquiry, collaboration, and community engagement. Anecdotal feedback highlights transformative learning, improved understanding of social determinants, and greater confidence in applying evidence-based practice. Future directions include implementing a structured project transfer mechanism to ensure continuity across cohorts and expanding faculty involvement. Increased integration of interdisciplinary and clinical faculty will strengthen mentorship, promote longitudinal engagement, and enhance scholarly productivity across the medical education continuum.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2026.1951481","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T04:34:02Z","timestamp":1789706042000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Embedding research education and scholarly project development into a medical education curriculum: a transferable glocalized curriculum model"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Cordelle","family":"Lazare","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Community Medicine & Global Health, Office of External Affairs, Ross University School of Medicine","place":["Bridgetown, Barbados"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Leslie S.","family":"Craig","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Community Medicine & Global Health, Office of External Affairs, Ross University School of Medicine","place":["Bridgetown, Barbados"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rashida","family":"Daisley","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Community Medicine & Global Health, Office of External Affairs, Ross University School of Medicine","place":["Bridgetown, Barbados"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carlene","family":"Radix","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Community Medicine & Global Health, Office of External Affairs, Ross University School of Medicine","place":["Bridgetown, Barbados"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rhonda","family":"McIntyre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Community Medicine & Global Health, Office of External Affairs, Ross University School of Medicine","place":["Bridgetown, Barbados"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"216","DOI":"10.1007\/S40037-017-0328-2","article-title":"Scholarly concentration programs and medical student research productivity: a systematic review","volume":"6","author":"Havnaer","year":"2017","journal-title":"Perspect Med Educ"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"204","DOI":"10.1186\/s12909-020-02112-6","article-title":"Promoting positive perceptions of and motivation for research among undergraduate medical students to stimulate future research involvement: a grounded theory study","volume":"20","author":"Ommering","year":"2020","journal-title":"BMC Med Educ"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"635","DOI":"10.1186\/s12909-025-07229-0","article-title":"Attitudes toward and perceptions of barriers to research among medical students in the context of an educational and motivational strategy","volume":"25","author":"Quintero","year":"2025","journal-title":"BMC Med Educ"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0127470","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0127470","article-title":"Medical student research: an integrated mixed-methods systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"10","author":"Amgad","year":"2015","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1537430","DOI":"10.1080\/10872981.2018.1537430","article-title":"Contemporary global perspectives of medical students on research during undergraduate medical education: a systematic literature review","volume":"23","author":"Stone","year":"2018","journal-title":"Med Educ Online"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"16","DOI":"10.5334\/pme.2199","article-title":"Seeds of scholarship: a systematic review of research engagement in undergraduate medical education","volume":"15","author":"Krungkraipetch","year":"2026","journal-title":"Perspect Med Educ"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0343232","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0343232","article-title":"The problem is escalating: barriers faced by medical students in conducting research; a scoping literature review","volume":"21","author":"Mokhwelepa","year":"2026","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"25","DOI":"10.1111\/medu.13630","article-title":"The global-local tension in medical education: turning \u2018think global, act local\u2019 on its head?","volume":"53","author":"Prideaux","year":"2019","journal-title":"Med Educ"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1523","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfma.2021.10.024","article-title":"\u201cGlocalization\u201d in medical education: a framework underlying implementing CBME in a local context","volume":"121","author":"Chou","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Formos Med Assoc"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"898","DOI":"10.1111\/medu.15740","article-title":"Reconciling the tension between the \u2018global\u2019 and the \u2018local\u2019 in medical education","volume":"59","author":"Fruhstorfer","year":"2025","journal-title":"Med Educ"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"E760","DOI":"10.46374\/VolXXVIII_Issue1_Bhardwaj","article-title":"Association of the change in USMLE step 1 scoring with research output among applicants to anesthesiology residency programs: a retrospective observational study","volume":"28","author":"Bhardwaj","year":"2026","journal-title":"J Educ Perioper Med"},{"key":"B12","first-page":"83","article-title":"Students\u2019 perspectives on the impact of scholarly projects on residency applications","volume":"125","author":"Abdelrahim","year":"2026","journal-title":"WMJ"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2995","DOI":"10.1007\/s40670-025-02508-3","article-title":"Medical students\u2019 attitudes towards research participation after the United States medical licensing examination step 1 scoring change","volume":"35","author":"Li","year":"2025","journal-title":"Med Sci Educ"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"511","DOI":"10.1093\/acamed\/wvaf073","article-title":"A structured framework for fostering medical student research innovation and supporting mentorship capacity","volume":"101","author":"Ouyang","year":"2026","journal-title":"Acad Med"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"23821205221091511","DOI":"10.1177\/23821205221091511","article-title":"Implementing kolb\u00b4s experiential learning cycle by linking real experience, case-based discussion and simulation","volume":"9","author":"Wijnen-Meijer","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Med Educ Curric Dev"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e102","DOI":"10.3109\/0142159X.2012.650741","article-title":"Experiential learning: aMEE guide No. 63","volume":"34","author":"Yardley","year":"2012","journal-title":"Med Teach"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"93","DOI":"10.59324\/ejceel.2024.2(5).06","article-title":"Main learning theories in education","volume":"2","author":"Giannoukos","year":"2024","journal-title":"Eur J Contemp Educ E-Learn"},{"key":"B18","volume-title":"Teaching for Quality Learning at University","author":"Biggs","year":"2011"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"63","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2019.00063","article-title":"Service-learning as a practical introduction to undergraduate public health: benefits for student outcomes and accreditation","volume":"7","author":"Mason","year":"2019","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"B20","volume-title":"Defining and Measuring the Social Accountability of Medical Schools","author":"Boelen","year":"1995"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"887","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2923.2009.03413.x","article-title":"Social accountability and accreditation: a new frontier for educational institutions","volume":"43","author":"Boelen","year":"2009","journal-title":"Med Educ"},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1923","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(10)61854-5","article-title":"Health professionals for a new century: transforming education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world","volume":"376","author":"Frenk","year":"2010","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"67","DOI":"10.1080\/0142159X.2016.1231914","article-title":"The impact of socially-accountable health professional education: a systematic review of the literature","volume":"39","author":"Reeve","year":"2017","journal-title":"Med Teach"},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"65","DOI":"10.1186\/s13063-025-09359-8","article-title":"Barriers to randomized trials of integrated care for adolescent mothers in the Caribbean: lessons from the THRIVE trial and the project amai in Barbados","volume":"27","author":"Ieong","year":"2025","journal-title":"Trials"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Medicine"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmed.2026.1951481\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T04:34:17Z","timestamp":1789706057000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmed.2026.1951481\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]]},"references-count":24,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fmed.2026.1951481"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fmed.2026.1951481","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-858X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-858X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]]},"article-number":"1951481"}}