10 Medicine Research Opportunities for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 8 hours ago
- 6 min read
Careers in medicine can take various shapes in addition to being a doctor or nurse. Many opt for medical research as well. If this field sparks your curiosity, you can consider participating in a medicine research program. Such programs help you explore medicine and develop practical research skills.
Learning from scientists and faculty, you can build a network early on. Participating in a research program while in middle school helps you establish an early foundation while providing the flexibility of choice. Here are some medicine research opportunities for you to consider.
10 Medicine Research Opportunities for Middle School Students
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies, financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: 8 weeks, varies by cohort
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8
Middle schoolers passionate about research can opt for Lumiere’s Junior Explorer Program. This is a mentored program where you receive support from PhD mentors from prestigious universities, such as Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and Princeton, based on your chosen topic. You can conduct research in a field of your choice, including medicine. During the program, you learn to read and interpret academic literature, build research questions, and create outputs such as a high school-level research paper or case study. Through feedback and writing coaching sessions, you develop critical thinking and scientific communication skills. Lumiere also offers a Junior Research and Publication Program for students who wish to publish their research in academic journals in 16 weeks.
Location: Online
Cost: $1,895. Scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Various sessions with different lengths
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Students ages 13 and older
Any disease treatment and medication involves a lot of research. This program introduces you to how researchers formulate and conduct experiments and analyze data. You then apply these methods to design your own study and research. You learn clinical research and the process of evidence-based medicine. The program also considers the ethical dimension of research. You can determine whether you wish to pursue a career in medicine and research.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies, financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: 25 hours over 10 weeks on weekends during the spring cohort. 25 hours over 2 weeks on weekdays during the summer cohort
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8
Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers program is a program that blends your interest in medicine with technology. You will learn the basics of AI and machine learning. The curriculum includes a range of topics such as Python, data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. What you learn from the classes must then be applied to a practical project that responds to a real-world challenge in any field. In the past, students have built a machine-learning model to classify music genres and a machine-learning algorithm to provide a custom list of educational resources based on selected specifications.
Location: Various campuses
Cost: Varies by campus
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: 3 weeks in the summer. Exact dates vary by campus
Application Deadline: January 27
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8 who meet gifted student criteria
This program is at the intersection of microbiology and medicine. It explores how microorganisms affect human health. In the program, you study bacteria and viruses to understand diseases, how they spread, and how they are treated. Hands-on lab activities and case studies are embedded into the curriculum to help you develop critical thinking skills. You will encounter the scientific process, including the historical evolution of the field and its latest developments.
Location: UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Cost: $1,550. Financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 22 to 26, session 2. July 6 to 10, session 3. July 20 to 24, session 5. July 27 to 31, session 6
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Students entering grades 7 to 9
Similar to the previous program, Body Systems and Biomedical Innovations introduces you to how doctors diagnose and treat patients. You will learn about the body and why it breaks down as well as how scientists work to treat it. You also learn diagnostic techniques to diagnose fictional cases. The program includes dissecting a sheep’s heart and experimenting with DNA extraction. Additional programming includes a tour of lab facilities and interacting with doctors.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $50 for materials
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 13 to 17
Application Deadline: March 15
Eligibility: Middle and high school students ages 14 to 18
This week-long program by Wake Forest University introduces you to research in regenerative medicine. You learn about contemporary research and technological developments in the field. The program also allows you to explore career pathways in regenerative medicine. You can participate in the optional in-person component with workshops, demonstrations, and tours of the facilities. In the future, as a high schooler, you can apply for the 4-week research experience.
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Cost: $675
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 24 students per grade level
Dates: June 30 to July 10, tentative
Application Deadline: First come, first served
Eligibility: Students entering grades 7 to 9
The Science Exploration Program is a lab-based program that cultivates research skills. As part of the research process, you will read scientific literature, conduct research, write results, and work in groups. The specific subjects you study depend on your grade. Rising 8th and 9th graders will engage with biology and topics related to medicine. You get the opportunity to develop and test hypotheses, thereby building your critical thinking skills.
Location: Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA. Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI. Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA
Cost:
Dickinson College: $7,259 residential or $6,459 commuter, plus $180 in additional fees
Roger Williams University: $7,259 residential or $6,459 commuter, plus $180 in additional fees
Loyola Marymount University: $7,501 residential or $6,501 commuter, plus $180 in additional fees
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 18 to 20 students
Dates: June 28 to July 17, session 1. July 19 to August 7, session 2
Application Deadline: To be announced
Eligibility: Students in grades 7 and 8 with advanced CTY level math scores
This is an introductory course for you to discover biology and medicine. You will explore the anatomy and physiology that affects the way the human body functions. The course focuses on homeostatic imbalances that cause diseases, diabetes, the endocrine system, pancreas, metabolism of sugar, and biochemical effects of glucose. There is also a lab component that involves dissections and various techniques regarding histology, anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology. You will read and analyze scientific articles.
Location: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Cost: $3,000 tuition plus $2,405 residential fee and $135 lab fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 19 to August 7
Application Deadline: One week before the start date
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8 who meet Magenta tier eligibility criteria
Northwestern’s Center for Talent Development offers a range of courses for gifted middle schoolers. In the Brain and Behavior track, you will study the structure of the brain and nervous system. This connects to the psychological dimension. You understand how biology as well as environmental, social, and individual factors affect behavior. The program is conducted through lectures, hands-on projects, group activities, debates, and discussions, enabling you to understand scientific research in the field.
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: July for the summer session. October to May for the academic year session
Application Deadline: April 15 for summer. November 1 for academic year
Eligibility: Students in grades 7 to 12 who are New York State residents. Interest in medicine or related STEM fields. Minimum 80 percent grade average, especially in math and science
S-PREP is a preparatory course that helps you get ready for advanced high school and college-level academics. It is designed for students interested in STEM, especially medicine. The academic component covers topics such as Anatomy, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Brain & Cognitive Science, Ready for PreMed, Physics, Psychology, Algebra, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus and Statistics. You also receive college counseling and support to prepare for standardized tests. Participating in this program opens up opportunities to apply for other prestigious programs.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. 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.
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