Undergraduate research

Student Selected Components

Student Selected Components (SSCs) are an integral part of the School of Medicine curriculum at ARU – and a great way to develop research skills.

Through SSCs, you can delve deeply into topics of personal interest. You'll develop essential academic and research skills, including critical analysis and information retrieval.

Additionally, you will present and communicate your research at annual celebration day events for the year 3 and 4 SSCs. With the support of your supervisor, it is also possible to publish and present your work as scientific articles and conference presentations.

SSCs throughout your course

  • Year 1: a literature-based project focusing on healthcare topics in primary and community care and secondary care, as well as health leadership.
  • Year 2: a creative enquiry project using art forms (eg drawing, poetry, music) to explore professional identity, the patient voice, or compassionate practice, concluding with a creative piece and reflection.
  • Year 3: a group poster project focused on managing long-term or chronic conditions. Involves literature review, hypothesis development, and presenting a group poster at the end of the project.
  • Year 4: a longitudinal supervised project on research, quality improvement, entrepreneurship and innovation, or digital transformation aligned with the Evidence-Based Medicine theme. Concludes with a presentation day. 

Examples of SSC topics

Examples of recent Year 1 SSC topics:

  • Viruses and the vulnerable brain: A review of emerging evidence linking viruses and pathogens to neurodegeneration
  • Ketamine as a novel therapeutic in military veteran mental health: Mechanisms, efficacy, and clinical considerations
  • Sustainable Kidney Care: An Introduction to Green Nephrology
  • The impact of domestic abuse on women in the military

Examples of recent Year 3 SSC topics:

  • The impact of climate change on neurological health
  • Exploring the Impact of technology enhanced learning on understanding of neuroanatomy and alleviation of neuroanatomy phobia
  • The climate crisis is a mental health crisis
  • Fexolinetant, a new treatment for hot flushes in menopause
  • Patients living with and beyond cancer

Examples of recent Year 4 topics:

  • Can capillaroscopy visualise individual blood cell movement in hands and feet?
  • Aquaporin mutations in lens pathophysiology
  • Investigating the molecular mechanisms underpinning post-traumatic osteoarthritis in non-invasive mechanically loaded models
  • Understanding drink spiking Incidents: an analysis of emergency department case entries in the UK via Freedom of Information requests
  • Mapping the use of dogs as inclusion aids as a topic in the medical curriculum

Examples of recent Year 5 topics:

  • Public health and preventative medicine research
  • Neonatal medicine and general paediatrics
  • Assessment, resuscitation, stabilisation and transfer of acutely unwell adults and children in the emergency department
  • Anaesthetics and critical care
  • Mastering communication skills for finals and beyond

Year 5 includes a four-week clinical specialty-based SSC. Consultants and GPs in the region currently offer a range of SSCs that you can choose from – or they may be proposed by you.

Annual celebration day

In Year 4, the SSC culminates in an annual celebration and presentation day. We invite internal and external stakeholders to attend.

Two photos of Medicine students sharing their research work at an annual Presentation Day