How to cold email a US doctor for a research position as an IMG (with template)

For an international medical graduate (IMG), US research is one of the most useful things to have before applying to residency. It adds lines to your application, it puts you next to a US physician who can write you a letter, and unlike an observership, a lot of it can be done remotely.

Most research positions for IMGs are never advertised. They start with a cold email to a physician who is already running studies. This guide covers who to email, what to offer, and exactly what to write.

Why research emails are different from observership emails

When you ask for an observership, you are asking for a favour: time in a clinic. When you ask to join research, you can offer something back: your time and work on projects the physician already wants finished.

That changes the email. The strongest research emails are not "please accept me". They say: "I read your work, here is what I can do, can I help?"

Who to email

• Physicians who publish in your target specialty. Search PubMed for your specialty and a topic you care about, sorted by most recent. Authors with several papers in the last two years are active researchers.
• The last author on a paper. In clinical research the last author is usually the senior physician who runs the group. The first author is often a resident or fellow, who can also be a good contact for smaller projects.
• Academic centres and teaching hospitals. Their faculty are expected to publish, and many run more projects than they have people for.
• Use the corresponding author email. It is printed on the paper, and it is the address the physician expects people to write to about their work.

What you can offer

Before you write, be honest about what you can actually do. Even without experience, there is useful work in research:

• Literature searches and screening papers for a systematic review
• Collecting and entering data from charts or databases
• Writing first drafts of introductions or background sections
• Basic statistics, if you have used R, SPSS, Stata or Python
• Formatting references and preparing submissions

Pick the one or two things you are best at. "I can do anything" is weaker than "I can screen papers and draft the background section".

How to write the email

Keep it to five or six sentences. Busy physicians read on their phones.

1. Subject line: short and specific. For example: Research volunteer – your work on heart failure readmissions.
2. Who you are: your name, your degree or year, and the specialty you are pursuing. One sentence.
3. Their work: one sentence about a specific recent paper and one detail from it. Never make this up.
4. What you offer: the one or two skills above, plus any past research, even if it was at your home school.
5. The ask: can you help on an ongoing or upcoming project, remotely or in person, and how many hours a week you can give.
6. Close: thank them, attach your CV, sign with your full name and email.

A template you can copy

Change every bracket. The sentence about their paper must be written for each physician. Emails to US physicians are sent in English.

Subject: Research volunteer – your work on [topic]

Dear Dr. [Last Name],

My name is [Full Name], a [graduate/final-year student] of [Medical School] pursuing a residency in [specialty].
I read your recent paper on [topic] in [journal], and [one specific finding or question it raised for you].
I have experience in [literature screening / data collection / statistics in R], including [one past project, if any].
Would you be open to me helping on an ongoing or upcoming project? I can work remotely and give about [number] hours a week.
My CV is attached. Thank you for your time.

[Full Name]
[Medical School] | [Email]

Mistakes to avoid

• Asking for authorship in the first email. Offer work first. Authorship is earned and discussed later.
• Overstating your skills. If you say you know statistics, you may be asked to run an analysis next week.
• Emailing only the most famous names. Mid-career physicians who publish often are usually more likely to reply and to give you real work.
• One copied email to everyone. It is the fastest way to be ignored.
• Disappearing after a yes. Reply within a day and deliver on time. Reliability is what turns a project into a letter of recommendation.

How to follow up

If there is no reply after one to two weeks, send one short follow-up in the same thread:

Dear Dr. [Last Name],
I wanted to follow up on my note below about helping with your research. I'd also be glad to help a fellow or resident in your group if that suits better.
[Full Name]

Then move on to the next physician.

Why you need to email more than a few physicians

Many physicians are happy to have help but have no project ready this month, or simply never see the email. The IMGs who find research positions usually write to dozens of physicians, and each email still has to be about that physician's own work.

Doing that by hand takes weeks. IMG Outreach does the research for you: it reads each physician's recent publications and writes an email about their work, and you review and send every draft from your own Gmail. You can start with 25 free drafts.

If you are looking for clinical experience instead, see how to email a US doctor for an observership, and for why all of this matters, what you need for US residency as an IMG.

Frequently asked questions

Can I do US research remotely as an IMG?

Yes. Literature reviews, systematic reviews, data analysis and writing can all be done remotely, which is why research is often easier to start than an observership.

Do I need research experience before emailing?

No. Many physicians take on beginners for literature screening and data collection. Say honestly what you can do and show you are willing to learn.

Should I ask to be an author?

Not in the first email. Offer to help, do good work, and authorship can be discussed once you have contributed. Most groups follow clear authorship rules.

Who is better to email, a professor or a resident?

Senior physicians lead the projects and write stronger letters, but residents and fellows often have smaller projects that need help right now. Emailing both is reasonable.

How many hours a week should I offer?

Offer what you can keep doing for several months, often 5 to 15 hours a week. Being reliable matters more than offering many hours and then disappearing.

Does research help an IMG match?

Research adds to your application and, more importantly, can lead to a US letter of recommendation from a physician who knows your work, which programs value highly.