Applying for summer programs, internships, or research immersions is a great opportunity for high school students. These programs provide early exposure to professional settings, hands-on experiences, and valuable mentors who can guide you in the right direction. College admission committees are increasingly looking for candidates who show a demonstrated interest in their field and a dedication to going above and beyond. Having a summer program like this on your profile can give you a leg up.

For students interested in medicine and healthcare, such exposure gives you a first-hand look at medical institutions and research labs. You get to develop practical skills by doing lab work and shadowing actual doctors as well as explore medical specialties that are not included in high school curriculums. For residents of Illinois, here are the top 10 medical summer programs for high schoolers:

1. Lumiere Research Scholar Program—Medicine track

Application deadline: Varies according to cohort. November 24, 2024 for the upcoming Winter cohort. You can apply here

Eligibility: All high school students

Program dates: There are four cohorts throughout the year in the spring, summer, fall, and winter

Location: Online

Fee: $2,990 (Individual Research Program), $5,900 (Premium Research & Publication Program), $8,900 (Research Fellowship), $8,900 (Professor Premium Publication Program). Financial aid is available  

If you’re looking to develop your own research paper in the field of medicine, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a good way to do so. The program will match you with an expert PhD mentor, who will guide you through the entire research process. 

You can choose from a variety of program formats, from a 12-week program to a 12-month research fellowship. Medicine, Neuroscience, and Biology are offered subjects, and previous students have worked on projects like ‘Exploring the role of humanin as a potential preventative in Alzheimer’s disease’ and ‘How the CRIDPER-Cas9 gene editing complex can treat human immunodeficiency virus 1’.

2. Veritas AI + Medicine

Application deadline: Varies according to cohort. October 20, 2024 for the upcoming Winter cohort

Eligibility: High school students anywhere in the world. You must also have completed the AI Scholars program or have some previous background in coding

Program dates: Multiple, year-round cohorts

Location: Online

Fee: $2,290. Up to 100% financial aid is available

This Veritas AI program is a great way to explore the intersection between AI and medicine while also engaging in hands-on research. This 10-week program will introduce you to the fundamentals of both fields and look at how AI is transforming genomics, neuroscience, hospital admissions, and more. 

You will attend lectures and group sessions, and work on developing a real-world project with 2-4 other students—such as using AI and ML models to diagnose diseases or sharpen medical scans. You can go through the previous students’ projects here to get a better idea of the outcome of the program.

3. Horizon Academic Research Program (HARP)

Application deadline: Varies according to cohort. November 10, 2024 for the upcoming Winter cohort, and February 9, 2025 for the Spring cohort

Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders! Only a few tracks require formal prerequisites, more details of which can be found here

Program dates:

• Winter seminar: December 2, 2024 onwards

• Spring seminar: March 3, 2025 onwards

• Lab dates are flexible, but you must apply 4 weeks in advance

Location: Virtual

The Horizon Academic Research Program (HARP) is another program that offers the opportunity to work on an independent research paper. In this case, you will work alongside a PhD scholar or university professor and end the program with a 20-25 page research paper. The paper will be in the form of a polished manuscript that can be submitted for publication or competitions. 

The Horizon program has several subject offerings in the field of medicine, including neuroscience, gene editing, neurogenerative diseases, and more. Additionally, it has the option of choosing either a quantitative or qualitative method of research. You can go through previous students’ projects here.

4. ResearcHStart at the University of Chicago

Application deadline: January 22, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)  

Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are at least 16 years of age from the Chicago and Urbana-Champaign areas

Program dates: The program generally runs from the second week of June to the first week of August

Location: University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Rush University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL

Stipend: $3,000

The ResearcHStart program is an ideal choice for students who are interested in the field of cancer research. As an intern, you will get hands-on experience in laboratories and learn about subjects like cancer immunology, bioengineering, experimental cancer therapeutics, cancer disparities, and more. 

At the end of the program, you will attend a research symposium. The program supplements research with additional sessions for career development and skill-building as well as the opportunity to receive mentorship from university faculty. This is a highly competitive program that doesn’t accept more than 30 interns per cohort.

5. Short-Term Research Experience Program to Unlock Potential (STEP-UP)

Application deadline: February 15, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program) 

Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who: 

• Are at least 16 years old

• Are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents

• Have health insurance

• Have a minimum 3.0 GPA

Program dates: Varies according to research institution, but must begin by June 6 and total at least 8 weeks

Location: Students can choose their own locations—universities, research institutes, hospitals, etc. 

Stipend: Up to $2,500

STEP-UP is organized by the National Institutes of Health, making it a federally funded program. As an internship that allows you to choose a location, this is an ideal choice for those who can’t commute long distances. During the program, you will work alongside professional researchers and get hands-on experience in research laboratories. 

While you can express your area of interest, the program prioritizes subjects like endocrinology and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases and nutrition; or kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases. Before starting your research, you will take an online training course. At the end of the program, you will present your work at the annual research symposium. Students from underrepresented communities or disadvantaged backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

6. Summer Science Internship at the University of Illinois

Application deadline: April 1, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)

Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years old  

Program dates: June 10 – August 2, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)

Location: University of Illinois College of Medicine, Rockford, IL

Stipend: A stipend is provided but the amount is not specified

This 35-year-old program is organized by the university’s College of Medicine Rockford and Thermo Fisher Scientific. The program’s focus is on medical research and how new discoveries and innovation, including industrial science, can make an impact in healthcare. 

During the internship, you will work alongside leading scientists in the university’s cutting-edge laboratories and build a mentor relationship with them. You will also be part of a research team, potentially working to develop drugs, create new vaccines, or identify a cure for cancer. However, there are only 5 internship spots available, and with an acceptance rate of about 11%, this is a highly competitive program.

7. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Young Scholars Summer STEMM Research Programs

Application deadline: TBA for 2025

Eligibility: Rising 10th – 12th graders who reside in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Iowa, or Wisconsin

Program dates: June 17 – August 2, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)

Location: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL

Stipend: The program provides housing, meals, and a fellowship payment (amount unspecified). Students are responsible for their own transportation

The Young Scholars Summer STEMM program is meant for high school students to get exposure to hands-on STEM experiences. As a participant, you will be assigned to one of three research groups: POETS Young Scholars, SpHERES Young Scholars, and Grainger Engineering Young Scholars. The SpHERES group is healthcare-related, focusing on medicine, bioengineering, and neuroscience. While you can express your interest, the ultimate decision lies with the program.

During the program, you will participate in research activities, develop professional skills, and present your research at a symposium. This program has only 30 spots and receives about 600 applications each year, giving it a 5% acceptance rate. Having a competitive program like this one on your profile would give your college applications a boost.

8. Northwestern University’s Kimberly Querrey Summer Research Program

Application deadline: Applications for 2025 will open in January  

Eligibility: Rising high school seniors who are at least 16 years old  

Program dates: Early June to the end of July (6-8 weeks)

Location: Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL

Stipend: A stipend is provided but the amount is not specified. Students are responsible for their own housing and transportation

The Department of Medicine at Northwestern University offers this research program that combines an intensive research experience and college preparatory activities. The program focuses on lung disease and will pair you with a faculty member alongside whom you will work on a specific (hypothesis-driven or hypothesis-generating) research project. Previous students have learned about data analysis, wet bench techniques, the process of scientific inquiry, and more, so you can expect plenty of lab work. 

9. Rosalind Franklin University’s INSPIRE

Application deadline: March 15, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)  

Eligibility: High school students residing in North Chicago, Waukegan, Zion, and Round Lake

Program dates: June 10 – August 1, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)  

Location: Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL

Fee: Not specified

INSPIRE is a mentoring and research program that aims to increase the number of students from underrepresented backgrounds in healthcare fields. As a participant, you will work under a graduate student mentor and faculty advisor to conduct original research in the field of biomedicine. Additionally, the program includes sessions on career pathways, language arts, mathematics, workplace etiquette, and more.  

10. National Student Leadership Conference on Medicine & Healthcare

Application deadline: Rolling

Eligibility: Students between the ages of 14-18 who have completed at least one year of high school

Program dates: Multiple one-week sessions in June and July

Location: Northwestern University, Chicago, IL

Fee: $3,895. Scholarships are available   

The NSLC’s Medicine & Health Care program is a residential pre-college program that will give you a comprehensive introduction to the field of healthcare. You will go on immersive tours through medical institutions and take part in hands-on simulations with activities such as suturing, surgical knot tying, dissecting organs, testing and diagnosing patients, and learning how to handle emergencies. The curriculum also includes lectures from professional speakers and sessions to improve your leadership skills and introduce you to medical career pathways.  

Bonus

Looking for an immersive internship experience in medicine and healthcare?

Check out Ladder Internships!

Ladder Internships is a selective, virtual internship program where students work with startups and nonprofits from around the world! The startups range across a variety of industries, and students interested in medicine can choose Healthcare & Medicine. As part of their internship, each student will work on a real-world project that is of genuine need to the startup they are working with, and present their work at the end of their internship. In addition to working closely with their manager from the startup, each intern will also work with a Ladder Coach throughout their internship. Apply now!

Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.