Here are a list of some programs that are offering summer research opportunities. Check with individual programs you’re interested in, to see what’s possible for the coming year.
The UCLA Public Health Scholars Training Program
The UCLA Public Health Scholars Training Program provides undergraduate students the opportunity to explore the field of public health through hands-on training, structured workshops, group events, volunteering opportunities, and leadership and professional development. The program works with community-based organizations, health systems, government agencies, and others to offer scholars the unique opportunity to “learn by doing” public health in a large, urban city. Through internship experiences that focus on health equity, scholars work to advance the health of underserved populations by learning about the communities our partners serve, engaging with community members, and exploring the Los Angeles landscape while commuting on public transportation.
Health Career Connection (HCC)
Health Career Connection (HCC) is a comprehensive professional development program that provides paid summer internships to undergraduate and recent graduates in the field of public health and healthcare.
Through partnerships with local organizations, HCC provides internships in a variety of settings including but not limited to: hospitals, community health centers, medical groups, health plans, local health departments, community-based organizations and advocacy groups. During the course of the internship, students will work on meaningful projects and gain professional and personal development. HCC provides extensive exposure to health careers through workshops and events guiding students towards their authentic health career path.
Los Angeles Biostatistics and Data Science Summer Training Program (LA’s BeST @USC)
LA’s Biostatistics and Data Science Summer Training Students will conduct summer research for six weeks, starting late June, with training from public health leaders. All students will receive formal training in biostatistics and data science and meet experts in epidemiology, molecular biology, cancer, and clinical research with opportunities to work on real data sets. The main focus will be on heart and lung diseases, but students will also have the opportunity of being introduced to a wide range of public health research topics including cancer, metabolic disorders, and genetics. At the end of the summer session, students will present their research findings to the Keck community.
- awareness of work opportunities for quantitative scientists in public health
- the number of workers in math and science careers
- the number of underrepresented students pursuing graduate degrees in biostatistics at USC
- Health data analysis, epidemiology, clinical trials, statistical genetics and spatial
- statistics for geographical modeling
- Training using R, a widely used software in research
- Immersion in data from groundbreaking public health research studies such as the Southern California Children’s Health Study
Summer in Biomedical Sciences (SIBS) Undergraduate Research Program
The Summer in Biomedical Science (SIBS) Undergraduate Research Program will provide the opportunity for young people to be instructed in the techniques of modern biology while becoming integrated members of a vibrant clinical and scientific community.
Premedical Urban Leaders Summer Enrichment (PULSE)
The primary goal of PULSE is to provide students from underrepresented and/or educationally and financially disadvantaged backgrounds exposure to medical professions. PULSE is a full-day program that runs five days per week for six weeks and culminates with the PULSE Symposium. At the symposium, students formally present posters highlighting their summer work or research projects to faculty, family and friends.
Michigan Health Sciences Undergraduate Research Academy
The Institute is deigned to develop the Association of American Medical Colleges ( AAMC Core Competencies). The URA curricula are aligned to the core competencies that are fundamental to preparing students to be future healthcare professionals
Diversity is essential in addressing today’s health disparities – from the students who train to become tomorrow’s scientists and physicians, to the patients who will benefit from their research and care. The Michigan Health Sciences Undergraduate Research Academy (MHSURA) is designed for undergraduate students who want to explore biomedical research and health professional career pathways in a stimulating and inclusive environment.
Loma Linda University Undergraduate Training Program
Loma Linda University’s Undergraduate Training Program (UTP) is a nine-week summer research internship for undergraduate college and university students.
The internship focuses on giving students practical lab research experience alongside distinguished faculty, while providing mentorship in support of their future academic and research goals.
The program supports our mission to eliminate health disparities and increase the number of basic biomedical and physician scientists from diverse backgrounds involved in research. Students in the program are paid a competitive hourly rate with support by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) at the National Institutes of Health.
UCLA Public Health Scholars Training Program
The UCLA Public Health Scholars Training Program provides undergraduate students the opportunity to explore the field of public health through hands-on training, structured workshops, group excursions, and leadership and professional development. Located in Los Angeles, the program offers scholars the opportunity to train at UCLA, to explore public health in one of the most diverse counties in the US, and to experience the city’s vibrant culture. We work with community-based organizations, health systems, and government agencies to offer field placement opportunities for scholars that focus on health equity.
Pathways Undergraduate Researchers – Fred Hutch
Pathways Undergraduate Researchers is a full-time, paid summer internship program for first- and second-year college students, with special consideration given to students from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical science. Interns are paired and immersed in nine weeks of mentored activities in a Fred Hutch research group in Seattle. Interns also participate in a cancer biology education series, attend professional development workshops and enjoy social activities with their teams and peers.
Pathways Undergrads gives students from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical science the opportunity to explore, clarify and strengthen their research-related career interests.
We encourage students with an interest in computational biology and/or programming to apply.
The Keck School of Medicine’s Bridging the Gaps Summer Research Program will provide an opportunity to outstanding minority students to gain meaningful exposure to the exceptional research and clinical programs at the Keck School of Medicine.
Summer Public Health Scholars Program at Columbia University
The program is designed for undergraduates entering their junior or senior year and recent baccalaureate degree students who are undecided about their career goals. This is a rigorous program which includes Public Health coursework at Columbia University; hands-on field experience and immersion in a diverse, economically disadvantaged urban environment; seminars and lectures with public health leaders; and mentoring by faculty members, ensuring students’ exposure to the breadth and importance of public health as a career option. https://www.ps.columbia.edu/sphsp
Maternal Child Health Careers/Research Initiatives for Student Enhancement – Undergraduate Program (MCHC/RISE-UP)
The MCHC/RISE-UP Program provides opportunities for enhanced public health leadership training in the area of maternal and child health focusing on social determinants of health, elimination of health disparities, and developmental disabilities. Grant funding for this program was awarded to Kennedy Krieger Institute by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a national consortium of institutions and universities that provides undergraduate scholars with three public health leadership experiences: (1) clinical, (2) research, and (3) community engagement and advocacy
Dr. James A. Ferguson Emerging Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program (Ferguson Fellows)
The Dr. James A. Ferguson Emerging Infectious Diseases Research Initiatives for Student Enhancement (RISE) Fellowship Program is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-funded, ten-week summer program providing educational and professional development opportunities for fellows interested in infectious diseases, public health, mental health, maternal and child health and/or health disparities research. The overarching goal of the Ferguson RISE Fellowship is to promote diversity among future public health research leaders.
Project: IMHOTEP at Morehouse College
This 11-week program begins with two weeks of intense educational training in the following public health courses: Public Health & Health Disparities, Epidemiology, Biostatistics (with SPSS training) and Scientific Writing. The purpose of this training is to equip interns with the academic information necessary to successfully complete the program. During the following nine weeks, interns are paired in a one-on-one mentored relationship with experts at CDC, academic institutions, local and state agencies, or community-based organizations to complete a public health research project. In addition, interns participate in a variety of seminars, workshops, educational initiatives and are required to complete 16 hours of community service.
https://www.morehouse.edu/phsi/imhotep.html
Future Public Health Leaders Program (FPHLP) at University of Michigan
The University of Michigan Future Public Health Leaders Program (Michigan FPHLP) is a residential summer program funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Through field placements, skill building workshops and mentorship, Michigan FPHLP provides students with opportunities for growth, learning and awareness in the field of public health. The ultimate goal of the program is to increase the diversity of the public health workforce and the people committed to reducing health disparities.
Cancer Disparities Internship at University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Medical School Program in Health Disparities Research, in collaboration with the Masonic Cancer Center, invites eligible undergraduate students to submit an application for the 11th Annual Health Disparities & Cancer Research Summer Internship. This 9-week program is a paid, full-time internship designed to give undergraduate students from Minnesota’s racial/ethnic minority and underrepresented communities experience conducting cancer and/or health disparities research. The program also provides students opportunities to shadow clinicians at hospitals and clinics in the Twin Cities. Students interested in exploring or pursuing a research or clinical career in a health professional field are encouraged to apply today!
https://med.umn.edu/healthdisparities/education/cancer-disparities-internship
REU: Social Network Analysis for Solving Minority Health Disparities
University of Nebraska Lincoln
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Minority Health Disparities Initiative (MHDI) administers the Minority Health Disparities REU, which is an interdisciplinary program aimed at conducting cutting edge social and behavioral research into understanding and reducing health disparities and in diversifying minority health researchers.
https://www.unl.edu/summerprogram/health
Summer Health Professions Education Program
Program dates: vary per university, see: http://www.shpep.org/sites/
The Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) is a free summer enrichment program focused on improving access to information and resources for college students interested in the health professions. SHPEP’s goal is to strengthen the academic proficiency and career development of students underrepresented in the health professions and prepare them for a successful application and matriculation to health professions schools. These students include, but are not limited to, individuals who identify as African American/Black, American Indian and Alaska Native and Hispanic/Latino, and who are from communities of socioeconomic and educational disadvantage. SHPEP, formerly known as the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP), expanded in 2016 to include a broader array of health professions.
Unite for Sight Global Impacts Corp
The Global Health Leadership Internship provides outstanding undergraduate, public health, medical and other clinical students, and graduate students, as well as recent graduates, with an opportunity to engage in high impact front-line global health delivery programs. This internship has a minimum of a full-time 4 week commitment, but at least an 8-10 week commitment is preferable. A minimum of a 6 week commitment is required during the summer months. The internship opportunity is available year-round.
http://www.uniteforsight.org/volunteer-abroad
Application Deadline: taking applications year round for internships
WesternU: Summer Health Professions Education Program
Western University of Health Sciences
The WesternU Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP), sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, offers an innovative approach to academic enrichment in the basic sciences through team-based learning. WesternU SHPEP is a rigorously inter-professional program offered in a diverse and vibrant urban environment. Student learning of foundational science, inter-professional teamwork, heath disparities and healthcare policy will be driven by weekly clinical cases. Hands-on training in clinical skills is provided in a wide range of health professions through the WesternU Colleges of Dentistry, Osteopathic Medicine, Optometry and Physical Therapy. Additionally have an opportunity to explore Allied Health, Graduate Nursing, Pharmacy, Podiatric Medicine, and Graduate Biomedical Sciences as availability permits. Student accommodations and dining are provided at our host-housing college, Pitzer College.
https://www.westernu.edu/shpep/