sponsored by RateADrug.com

Internships, scholarships available

Would you like to gain hands-on patient experience and participate in a large-scale study of prescription, over-the-counter, and alternative medications? Here's a chance to add an impressive credential to your graduate or medical school application and resume.  You could also win a $1,000 cash scholarship.

 RateADrug.com is accepting 2-5 students from each university into its PPREP internship program. Interns administer surveys to medication users, keep a blog on their chosen condition of focus, gain marketing skills and experience, and submit a written report on their findings. Upon successful completion of their 4-month internship, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion from RateADrug.com and a recommendation from the Medical Advisory Board upon request. The best interns will have their biographies and research featured on the RateADrug website (http://rateadrug.com/Finalists.aspx), and the top intern will receive a $1,000 cash tuition scholarship.

 RateADrug.com is not affiliated with the FDA or any pharmaceutical companies. Unlike most other health-related websites, it does not accept advertising from drug companies. RateADrug.com aims to create the world's largest user-generated database of side effects and benefits of prescription and non-prescription medications through 5-minute user surveys and reviews collected on its website.

 Wall Street Journal recently cited RateADrug.com in the article 'Living With A Lifesaving Drug's Side Effects" as an online resource for patients, saying "Web sites including WebMD and RateADrug encourage patients to post their own user reviews of medication side effects." (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203278404574412791106176098.html). Mashable.com wrote an article about RateADrug.com, saying, "How do you know what [your] side effects might be? Sure, your doctor will probably explain them and you can read the label, but what do real users have to say? Will it make you see blue, cause indigestion, or simply zonk you out and make you think you’ve been fishing all day? That’s where RateADrug comes in." (http://mashable.com/2009/03/17/rateadrug/).

 Sara Estrin, PPREP Co-founder and pre-med graduate from the University of Iowa explains, "Most medications are approved after relatively short clinical trials. The full range of benefits and negative side effects are usually not discovered until months and even years after their release, when feedback from large numbers of patients spurs new research.

 'Studies have shown bias in clinical trials in favor of the sponsors of the research—the pharmaceutical companies. Recently, research conducted at UCSF's Health Policy Studies showed negative results of clinical trials, even when found, were often under-reported or not reported at all."

 "RateADrug's surveys are designed to uncover a drug's hidden benefits and side effects. We believe our research will significantly reduce the time between a drug's release and the discovery of its full effects," Sara says. "Interns in the PPREP program can make a real difference by contributing to this unbiased study. This will be a worthwhile endeavor for any student interested in pursuing a career in medicine."

 To be eligible for acceptance into the program, you must be pursuing a pre-health professions program. Undergraduate as well as postgraduate students are eligible.  Participants are selected based on the quality of their application and degree of motivation. RateADrug accepts students year-round on a rolling admissions basis.

 You can learn more and apply at RateADrug.com http://rateadrug.com/StuInstruction.aspx.

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