The pathway
How It Works
From application to scholarly output, ORIGINS follows a deliberate, repeatable arc designed to fit a twelve-month academic cycle.
Step One
Submit Your Application
Each year, ORIGINS releases its application in late April. The application is shared across the ORIGINS and ACOS-MSS social media channels, with submissions due by early June. Watch those accounts so you don't miss it, and apply early. Applications are not accepted year-round, and admission is competitive, so complete every section thoughtfully and completely: your surgical specialty focus, academic year, and prior research experience all factor into selection.
Step Two
Join a PI-Led Research Team
ORIGINS leadership reviews each application and places accepted students onto a research team led by a Principal Investigator whose active work aligns with their interests. Each team brings together several accepted applicants with a range of research backgrounds, so every member both contributes and learns.
Step Three
Produce Scholarly Work
Working alongside the rest of their PI's team (fellow accepted applicants spanning a range of research experience), the student contributes toward a defined deliverable over the program period: a peer-reviewed manuscript submission or an abstract accepted to a regional or national surgical conference.
Step Four
Advance Your Application
Students complete the program with documented scholarly output that directly strengthens their ERAS application and demonstrates sustained engagement in surgical research.
The annual arc
A Twelve-Month Academic Cycle
Applications go out in late April and are due in early June; each accepted cohort then moves through a single academic year, from summer team placement to program completion the following spring.