Teens Health Research Internship: A Comprehensive Guide
For ambitious teens eager to explore the world of health research, internships offer invaluable opportunities to gain hands-on experience, develop essential skills, and make meaningful contributions to scientific discovery. These programs provide a bridge between academic learning and real-world application, preparing students for future careers in medicine, biomedical research, and related fields.
Exploring Career Opportunities in Healthcare
Many organizations are committed to student learning and offer various opportunities for high school and college students to explore career options in healthcare. Corewell Health, as the state's largest employer, provides job shadowing and internship experiences, which are posted on their careers page under the keyword "internship". These opportunities are identified by individual business units based on organizational needs. Paid internships typically occur in the summer, with postings appearing between October and March, and are open to undergraduate or graduate students as part of their coursework. Unpaid internships for nonclinical and clinical rotations are pre-established through educational institutions or community organizations.
Job shadowing at Corewell Health allows students to observe professionals and ask questions in a "hands-off" environment for up to 40 hours per calendar year. Interested students can express their interest and seek assistance in finding a host. Volunteers also play a vital role at Corewell Health, enhancing the patient experience and assisting staff in providing care.
Pilot Research Fellowship: Teens in Health Research
The Teens in Health Research Fellowship, currently a pilot program, aims to break barriers and provide ambitious teens with the opportunity to step into a lab without needing connections. The curriculum is taught and refined based on participant feedback. By 2026, partnerships with university labs across the US are anticipated to facilitate lab placements for excelling fellows.
Selected students will complete modules in scientific concepts, data analysis, statistics, laboratory techniques, and other relevant topics. The fellowship is completely free of charge and is divided into two semesters, running from September to December and January to April, with weekly meetings on Sundays. Graduates will receive a digital portfolio and preparedness for research internships, lab assistant roles, and independent research projects. Only former Teens in Health students who have completed a program and a project will be considered for the pilot group.
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Diverse Internship Programs: A Glimpse into the Medical World
Numerous programs cater to high school students interested in healthcare and medicine, offering a structured path to gain practical exposure. International Medical Aid’s IMA Internships for High School Students, for example, provide opportunities to shadow medical teams in hospitals and community clinics abroad, participate in public health outreach, and learn from licensed professionals.
Other notable programs include:
- Stanford Anesthesia Summer Institute (SASI): A two-day intensive program offering an immersive introduction to surgical technique and clinical skills, driven by core principles of educational excellence, diverse leadership, mentorship, community empowerment, innovation, and curiosity. This program is open to all students interested in the fields of Hematology and Pediatrics.
- Lumiere Research Scholar Program: A rigorous 12-week research program tailored for high school students, pairing them with PhD mentors to work on independent research projects.
- University of Pennsylvania’s Summer Academies: Three-week-long, subject-intensive programs that combine advanced scientific or social theory with relevant applications.
- Medical Immersion Summer Academy (MISA): A program offering hands-on clinical training in crucial skills and mentorship opportunities.
- AIM-High: A program providing hands-on medical experiences alongside NSU medical students and staff.
- Georgetown University Medical Center Program: A program where participants gain hands-on experience in suturing, casting, and dissection.
- Cincinnati-Area Program: An eight-week program where participants engage in group activities, including an afternoon hands-on training session with computerized simulated pediatric patients in the SIM Center, lunch seminars, networking sessions, and community service opportunities.
- MWRI and Magee-Womens Hospital Internship: A six-week, 240-hour internship where participants conduct scientific research under the supervision of an investigator and their staff.
- KP Launch Program: A seven-week internship program at Kaiser Permanente medical offices throughout Northern California, offering opportunities in various departments.
- Project Success: A program providing paid summer research positions at Harvard Medical School and its affiliated institutions to rising juniors and seniors from Boston and Cambridge.
- INSPIRE summer program at Cedars-Sinai: Introduces students to research in a healthcare setting.
- Summer Academic Research Experience (SARE) Program: Provides a summer internship at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine for students from low-income or educationally under-resourced backgrounds.
- Cleveland Clinic Internships: Hosts three unique, paid internships for high schoolers covering clinical, non-clinical, and advanced technology fields.
- Ladder Internships: A selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students, working with high-growth start-ups on an internship.
National Organizations and Programs
Several national organizations and programs support aspiring healthcare professionals, offering resources, networking opportunities, and skill-building experiences.
- HOSA-Future Health Professionals: A national student organization that promotes leadership and career development in healthcare through local chapters, competitions, and conferences.
- National Student Leadership Conference on Medicine and Healthcare: A nationwide series of summer programs combining clinical simulations and healthcare policy workshops for aspiring medical professionals.
- CDC Disease Detective Camp: A hands-on program by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where students study public health, epidemiology, and outbreak investigation.
- American Diabetes Association Internship: An internship where you will engage in the daily activities of staff and gain real-world experience while making a difference in the lives of people who are affected by diabetes.
- American Medical Student Association-AMSA International Health Opportunities Directory: AMSA has partnered with AMOpportunities (AMO) to offer clinical experiences, including observerships for eligible premedical students.
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Internship Programs: Internship programs for graduates and undergraduates, current internship & co-op opportunities available.
- Camp Cardiac and Camp Neuro: Serves as an ideal introduction for any high school student interested in exploring a career in medicine. Eligibility: Ages 15-18 years of age; Cost: $675 (Scholarships available)
- Cardinal Health Internship & EMERGE Programs: For undergrads; leadership development-EMERGE; MBA internships; recent grads
- Columbia University - College of Physicians and Surgeons Summer Public Health Scholars Program: The Summer Public Health Scholars Program is designed for undergraduate students to increase in and knowledge of public health and biomedical science careers.
- CVS Health Internships: Pharmacy, healthcare operations, dietetics and nutrition, nursing, optometry and nursing.
- GlaxoSmithKline Undergraduate Internship Program: GSK offers intern and co-op opportunities across most divisions to undergraduates and graduates from a variety of academic backgrounds.
- Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Public Health Student Intern Program: This public health program offers unpaid experience for current graduate and undergraduate students in good standing at schools of public health and public health programs in the United States.
- Howard University Health Sciences High School Summer Academy: The HSSESA is a six-week highly competitive residential summer enrichment science academy for rising 11th and 12th grade high school students.
- Indian Health Service - Medical Student and Residency Elective Opportunities: The Indian Health Programs have many incredible medical school and residency electives available all over the country.
- Johnson & Johnson Internship: When you intern at Johnson & Johnson, you’ll have a chance to work on vital assignments and initiatives, gaining hands-on experience that will help you grow both personally and professionally.
- Mayo Clinic Internships: Mayo Clinic offers internships in the fields of: Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Center for Innovation, Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Dan Abraham healthy Living Center, Engineering, Information Security, Information Technology, Public Affairs, Student Nurse Extern Summer Program, Summer III Nursing Externship, Summer Lab Science Program, and Video Post-Production.
- NACCHO Health Policy and Practice Scholars Program: This program was designed as a guided, academic, practice-based opportunity for graduate level students in public health, pharmacy, environmental studies, or law to work on policy and practice issues impacting public health at the local level.
- NACCHO Internship Program: NACCHO has a year-round internship program for interested individuals with a minimum of one year of college-level courses and a minimum of one year working in an office setting.
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Intramural Training & Education: This is an opportunity to work at NIH side-by-side with some of the leading scientists in the world, in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research.
- National Institute of Health - Summer Internship: This internship is offered to students who are at least 16 years of age or older at the time they begin the program.
- Nursing Internships for High School Students: With a nursing internship, you’ll get invaluable exposure, experience, and guidance on how to pursue a health care job from professionals already working in the field.
- National Student Leadership Conference on Medicine & Health Care: This 9-day residential summer program will give you a glimpse of all aspects of the medical field. Eligibility: Ages 14-18; Must have completed at least one year of high school.
- Outset Summer Program for 9th-12th Grade: Outset is a leading pre-college career exploration program for 9th-12th grade students interested in medicine.
- Pharmacy for Me Internship Opportunities: When it comes to the pharmacy industry, there are endless career specialties!
- Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) Internships: Join the global team of innovators working to accelerate health equity so all people and communities can thrive.
- Public Health Service - Jr/Sr Co-Step Program: Students participating in JRCOSTEP work in the same exciting Federal agencies and programs as active duty Commissioned Corps officers.
- Stanford Medicine High School & Undergraduate Programs: Programs for those preparing for a future in medicine or science.
State-Specific Opportunities
Many states offer unique internship programs tailored to local healthcare needs and research institutions. Here are a few examples:
- Alabama: UAB Medicine Summer Health Internship (Birmingham) for lab experience; NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Internships (Huntsville) for engineering and space missions; Alabama Power Workforce Internship (Selma) for workplace skills.
- Alaska: Alaska Department of Fish & Game Internship (Statewide/Aniak River) for environmental science; Foundation Health Partners “SHIP” (Fairbanks) for hospital rotations; Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (Anchorage) for STEM development.
- Arizona: Mayo Clinic CARES Internship (Phoenix) for healthcare careers; UArizona KEYS Research Internship (Tucson) for bioscience and data science; Barrow Neurological Institute Summer Program (Phoenix) for neuroscience research.
- Arkansas: UAMS Summer Research Internship (Little Rock) for biomedical projects; Little Rock Career Climb (City of Little Rock Youth Program) for paid summer jobs; SAU Work Internship (Magnolia) for professional skills.
- California: L.A. Times High School Insider Internship (Los Angeles) for journalism; UCSF High School Intern Program (San Francisco) for biomedical research; NASA JPL & Aerospace Internships (Southern California) for space exploration; Medical Immersion Summer Academy (MISA) in Oakland for medical skills.
Gaining a Competitive Edge
Admissions officers notice when applicants have taken initiative in healthcare fields. Students who can describe specific medical experiences-such as observing clinical rounds, assisting in outreach campaigns, or learning about rural healthcare-stand out from those who only mention general interest. A well-rounded background is also valuable. Some of the most successful applicants balance medical exposure with broader internships in research, communication, technology, or social service.
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National Institutes of Health (NIH) Summer Internship Program
This program is for college, graduate and professional students interested in exploring careers in research and healthcare. These are full-time research positions within one of the NIH Institutes and Centers (IC) in the NIH Intramural Research Program. Research groups are located on all NIH campuses, including the main campus in Bethesda, MD.
Summer interns work in a research groups directed by a Principal Investigator (PI). NIH offers research opportunities in the biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences with opportunities to explore basic, translational, and clinical research. Students interested in biology, engineering, epidemiology, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, nursing, physics, computer science, bioinformatics, and other health-related fields are invited to apply.
To be eligible, you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, 18 years of age or older on June 1, 2025, and currently enrolled at least half-time as a senior in high school, or enrolled at least half-time in an accredited community college, college, or university as an undergraduate, graduate, or professional school student at the time of application, or accepted into an accredited graduate program for the fall semester with the expectation of attending at least half-time. Stipends for summer interns are adjusted annually and are based on educational level.
The decision to come to the NIH as a summer intern is an important one. These are full-time research positions, and it is not possible to take summer classes or tend to other responsibilities during work hours.
The application process involves completing an NIH Application Center profile, indicating interest in applying to ‘Summer internships,’ finding the program in the ‘Open Programs’ list, completing the Eligibility Screener, and submitting coursework, CV/Resume, a personal statement describing research experience, current research interests, and career goals, and references.
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Applications are reviewed by individual Principal Investigators (PIs) who select their own summer interns and provide the funding to support them. PIs begin interviewing candidates and offering positions in early January and the selection process is completed by April 1.
Additional Opportunities
- Summer Child Health Research Internship: Spend 9 weeks researching and learning all about child health at Children’s Hospital Colorado/University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (Aurora, CO).
- The Center of Excellence High School Summer Enrichment Science Academy (HSSESA): A 6-week residential program aimed at encouraging underrepresented minority students to pursue careers in pharmacy or other health professions.
- Unlock your potential as an environmental research scientist!: Training equips you with essential skills in data analysis, laboratory techniques, and scientific writing.
- Teen Internship Program at The Lawrence Hall of Science: Inspire young learners with curiosity, excitement, and passion for science.
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