ABIM Research Pathway

The Department of Medicine offers candidates with interest in a career as a physician scientist the opportunity to enter our ABIM Research Pathway. Training leads to certification in internal medicine and a subspecialty plus 2-3 years of research. Special rules apply to each of the subspecialties requiring 6-7 years of training in internal medicine, fellowship and research.

Dr. Terry Watnick oversees the Research Pathway and ensures each resident is successful. Her expertise in mentoring young physicians and conducting her research in the biology of cystic kidney disease ensures our trainees are successful in the Pathway. Our chair, Dr. Stephen Davis, is highly supportive of the Research Pathway as a means to ensure each resident's trajectory as a physician scientist.

If our residents and fellows in the Research Pathway do not already have a PhD, they are strongly encouraged to complete our PhD for Clinicians during their research years. This program provides a rigorous, accelerated curriculum in basic or translational research. PhDs are awarded through the Graduate Program in Life Sciences and in Biochemistry, Molecular Medicine, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Neuroscience, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitative Science, Epidemiology, Gerontology and Toxicology. See PhD Program for Clinicians for more information.

To apply for ABIM Research Pathway, please view our application process and complete a supplemental application to expand on your research interests. Review the ABIM Requirements for this pathway for more information. If you are invited for an interview for the Research Pathway, you will meet with faculty from both the residency and fellowship programs and with Drs. Watnick and Baek, giving you a comprehensive view of our residency, fellowship and research opportunities. If you have any questions, please email us at umdmed@som.umaryland.edu.

ABIM Research Pathway Participants

Below are our current ABIM Research Pathway participants.

Rebecca Goldblum, MD, PhD

BS: Physics, Biological Physics, Chemistry, Brandeis University, 2012
MD, PhD: Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biophysics, University of Minnesota, 2021
Internal Medicine Residency: University of Maryland 2022-2024
Fellowship: Cardiovascular Disease, University of Maryland, Planned 2025

Rebecca earned her MD and PhD from the University of Minnesota Medical School. There, she studied the mechanism through which microtubule filaments undergo reorganization under oxidative stress and how this pathological dysregulation contributes to impaired cardiac contractility. Rebecca is interested in studying the biophysical properties of the cardiac cytoskeleton and how they are dysregulated in disease states.

She began her Internal Medicine residency at University of Maryland in 2023 and will start her Cardiology Fellowship in 2025.

Alyssa Schledwitz, MD

BS: Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, 2018
MD: University of Maryland School of Medicine, 2023
Internal Medicine Residency: University of Maryland 2023-2025
Fellowship: Gastroenterology, University of Maryland, Planned 2025

Alyssa earned her MD from the University of Maryland, where her research focused on the divergent roles of the M1 and M3 muscarinic receptors in the development of colon cancer. She continues to study the colon cancer tumor microenvironment with an interest in the neuronal contribution to GI cancer progression. She is also interested in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, and plans to spend her post-doc investigating IBD drug delivery methods.

She began her Internal Medicine residency in 2023 and will start her research years in 2025, followed by a clinical GI fellowship.

Natalia Sampaio Moura, MD

BS: Cell Biology and Genetics, University of Maryland, 2016
MD: University of Maryland, 2024
Internal Medicine Residency: University of Maryland 2024-2026
Fellowship: Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Maryland, Planned 2026

Natalia earned her MD from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where she studied the impact of cholinergic signaling on the development of the intestinal epithelial cell milieu, on intestinal permeability of inflamed murine colon, and on colon cancer progression in murine models and colon cancer cell lines. Natalia's interests lie in leveraging the use of muscarinic receptor M1 agonists and M3 antagonists in the management of colon cancer.

She began her Internal Medicine residency at the University of Maryland in 2024. She will start her post-doctoral research training in 2026, then will begin Gastroenterology fellowship.

Michael Sikorski MD, PhD

BS: Bioengineering, University of Maryland, 2015
PhD: Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland, 2022
MD: University of Maryland School of Medicine, 2024
Internal Medicine Residency: University of Maryland 2024-2026
Fellowship: Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Maryland, Planned 2026

Michael earned his MD and PhD from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where his research focused on the genomics and epidemiology of typhoid fever in Samoa and Santiago, Chile. He also contributed to the fields of enteric vaccines, typhoid genomics, and public health through projects with our Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, the Global Typhoid Genomics Consortium, and the World Health Organization.

In June 2024, Michael initiated his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He will begin his fellowship in Gastroenterology and Hepatology, along with post-doctoral research training, in July 2026. Michael aims to integrate his expertise in bacterial genomics and enteric vaccines with gastrointestinal diseases to advance the understanding of gut microbe-host immunity interactions and enhance global public health outcomes.