There are two parallel but complementary capstone pathways:

• TRIP (Translational Research Individual Project): a faculty-mentored individual capstone research project.

• TEAM (Translation, Entrepreneurship, and Applied Medicine Project): a collaborative team-based capstone project, organized by therapeutic or focus area.

All M-TRAM students participate in the TEAM project in Fall Quarter, regardless of track.
From Winter onward, capstone requirements diverge by track to support students’ focus areas and career goals.

What is TRIP?

• TRIP (Translational Research Independent Project) is an immersive, hands-on experience for TRACK1 students to gain deep, practical expertise in their chosen track. TRIP provides real-world exposure, building on academic training and allowing students to work alongside professionals in the field. 

What is TEAM?

• TEAM (Translational Entrepreneurship in Applied Medicine) is a core component of the M-TRAM program, where students work in small groups to address real-world challenges in translational medicine. Throughout the year, students apply principles of translational medicine across early translation, clinical investigation, and medical adoption and commercialization, learning how to move from bench to bedside and beyond. It is a collaborative, project-based learning experience where students engage in research, clinical trial design, and business development, with a focus on the integration of these areas to solve unmet needs in healthcare.

Each student who completes a TRIP or TEAM project, presents a poster at the TRAM Annual Symposium that showcases their work and findings.

Quarterly Presentations

• Fall: Grant proposal presentation – Student Teams collaborate on structuring and pitching a research grant proposal.
• Winter: Clinical study design presentation – Teams or individual students develop study protocols and methodologies for clinical investigation.
• Spring: Business proposal presentation – Teams or individual students create a commercialization strategy for a translational research project.

Poster Presentations

• All M-TRAM students are required to present a poster at the annual TRAM Symposium in May, either as part of their TEAM collaborative capstone or individually for their TRIP capstone research project.

TEAM DISEASE AREAS:

• Oncology: cell and immunotherapy
• Oncology - drug therapeutics
• Women's health - oncology
• Women's health - general
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Neurodegenerative diseases
• Neuro-oncology
• AI/computational biology diagnostics
• Rheumatology/autoimmune diseases
• Rare genetic diseases
• (other disease areas can be included, based on students' interests)

TEAM ensures that all students, regardless of track, gain exposure to research grant proposals, clinical trial design, and commercialization strategies.

M-TRAM offers three integrated tracks representing different aspects of translational medicine. While students choose primary focus, they gain foundational knowledge in all three areas.

TRACK 1.  Early Translation: Basic Science to Pre-Clinical

Identifying drug targets, biomarker discovery, and validating therapeutic approaches pre-clinically

• Drug discovery and biomarker validation.
• Assay development and computational modeling.
• Preclinical in vitro and animal studies.

TRACK 1 TRIP Activities:

• (REQUIRED) Research project in a faculty lab (Medicine, Pediatrics, Bioengineering, Chemistry, etc) or
  • Core facilities (Proteomics, Genomics, IMA Knowledge Centers, etc.).
  • Stanford research centers labs (CVI, IMA, SCI, ChEM-H, LCGM, etc.)

• Participation in Stanford SPARK meetings  - CSB 242
• CSB 240A (required) and CSB 240B (optional but highly recommended): A Practical Approach to Drug Discovery and Development

TRACK 2.      Clinical Translation: Clinical Investigation

Evaluating therapies in human clinical trials for safety and efficacy.

• Clinical study design, patient recruitment and biostatistics.
• Retrospective/prospective clinical data analysis.
• Regulatory and ethical considerations in human trials.
• Clinical outcomes modeling using EMR database.

TRACK 2 Supplemental Activities (at least one is required):

• QSU (Quantitative Sciences Unit).
  • Real-World Implementation of Trial Findings 
  • Building IRB-compliant data systems or evaluating how data flows securely and accurately in clinical trials
  • Clinical Trial Design and Planning        
• LCGM - participation in the GMP training program
• Investigator-led clinical trials within specific departmental research groups or clinics (e.g., Oncology, Neurology, Cardiology, etc.).
• Industry based clinical development project.
• Participation in Stanford SPARK meetings (Fall, Winter, Spring) - CSB 242
• CSB 240A (required) and CSB 240B (optional but highly recommended): A Practical Approach to Drug Discovery and Development
• Biomedical Data Science Course (BIODS 202)

TRACK 3.      Late Translation: Medical Adoption & Commercialization

Bringing new therapies to market through business and regulatory pathways.

• Biotech industry internships and regulatory affairs internships.
• Market analysis, business development, and venture capital projects.
• Health economics and reimbursement strategy projects.

TRACK 3 Supplemental Activities (at least one is required):

• SIC Venture Studio or other Healthcare venture capital firms projects.
• Stanford Office of Technology Licensing (OTL) internship
• Company business development (BD) departments' projects..
• Biotechnology Law Firms internships.
• Healthcare, biotech, pharma consulting firms.
• Participation in Stanford SPARK meetings (Fall, Winter, Spring) - CSB 242
• CSB 240A (required) and CSB 240B (optional but highly recommended): A Practical Approach to Drug Discovery and Development
• Participation in the Stanford IGNITE program
• Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellowship
• BioEntrepreneurship Bootcamp (BioE 396)
• UCSF Catalyst Program Internship