Chicago Academic Medicine Program (CAMP) is an eight-week research, education, and mentoring experience for students who have completed their sophomore or junior year in college. Students participate in either basic science or clinical research projects during the program, which concludes with a research presentation forum. The program seeks students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and/or who represent groups that are known to be underrepresented in health related sciences and medicine.

For more information, click here.

Chicago EYES on Cancer is a cancer research training program for high school and college students interested in careers in biomedicine. The program also welcomes secondary science educators. For two consecutive summers, participants work full-time in the laboratories of established cancer researchers at the University. Rigorous research training is complemented with a cancer-based lecture series, skill-building workshops, and a network of faculty and peer mentors dedicated to participants’ success. The program culminates in a research symposium to showcase participants’ work across basic, translational, clinical, and population-based areas of cancer research.

Contact Person:
Megan Mekinda, PhD
773-702-4678
mmekinda@bsd.uchicago.edu

For more information, click here.

CHARISMA is a program that prepares undergraduate students from populations underrepresented in medicine and the sciences to become clinical research leaders to address the health needs of an aging America. A diverse medical and scientific workforce is critical to ensuring that the knowledge available to future health care providers, researchers, and policymakers is informed by diverse individuals who are most familiar with the needs of an equally diverse older population.

To increase diversity in medicine, science, and the aging-related clinical research workforce, CHARISMA offers eligible students a variety of research training and clinical shadowing opportunities, including:

• A didactic curriculum focused on aging-related conditions and diseases across the lifespan, and the methodological approaches to studying these conditions and diseases,
• A clinical research experience where students learn to recruit, consent, and interview patients to collect data as a part of a team studying issues relevant to hospitalized older adults,
• A faculty mentored, aging-related research project, and
• A clinical mentorship and shadowing program.

For more information, click here.

The “UChicago-UPR Diversity Access to Research in Neuroscience” (DARN) Program is specifically for undergraduates enrolled at the University of Puerto Rico campuses. DARN takes advantage of the breadth and depth of neurobiology research across various departments (Organismal Biology and Anatomy, Human Genetics, Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and others) in order to facilitate rigorous undergraduate involvement in research, foster interactions between students, expose students to research outside their immediate interests, develop professional skills, and build personal networks with colleagues within and outside the University. The DARN program will encompass labs working with flies, zebrafish, octopus, mice, and other model organisms and using cutting edge techniques including connectomics, calcium imaging, optogenetics, CRISPR, and high-throughput behavioral analyses. A unique part of DARN is that Fellows will also be near-peer mentored by current UChicago graduate students (some of whom are from Puerto Rico) to gain insight into graduate school and beyond. The research activities will take place in host laboratories across the UChicago campus. The DARN program works closely with the UChicago Leadership Alliance (LA) and will engage in all LA activities as well.

How to apply: To apply for DARN, students will submit an application through the Leadership Alliance portal (information can be found at https://leadershipalliance.uchicago.edu/). In the ‘Statement of Purpose’, please state that you are specifically interested in the UChicago-UPR Diversity Access to Research in Neuroscience (DARN) Program, and the application will be flagged.

Questions? If you have any questions about the program, how to apply, logistics, etc, please do not hesitate to reach out to Robert Carrillo robertcarrillo[at]uchicago.edu.

The Leadership Alliance is a consortium of 33 colleges and universities, the Leadership Alliance was established in 1992 to increase the participation of underrepresented minority groups in higher levels of education and research. The Leadership Alliance’s Summer Research Early Identification Program (SR-EIP) offers undergraduates interested in pursuing a PhD or MD/PhD the opportunity to work for eight to ten weeks under the guidance of a faculty or research mentor.  The University of Chicago is among the 22 Alliance participants that offer summer research opportunities. Through this program, students work with a faculty or research adviser to develop and conduct an independent research project while learning about preparing for an advanced academic career. Students have the opportunity to present their results at the Leadership Alliance Symposium, an annual national conference bringing together SR-EIP participants, faculty/research mentors, and Alliance members and directors. The main purpose of this program is to provide theoretical and practical training in research and introduce students to future avenues of graduate training.

For more information, click here.

The Dynamic Experiences in Neuroscience to Diversify Research Internship Training Exposures for Students (DENDRITES) program aims at encouraging and supporting the research and career development of students interested in basic, clinical, and translational neuroscience. The program will host visiting undergraduate students to participate in an intensive nine-week research program under the direction of faculty mentors, introducing them to cutting-edge research methods and solidifying their commitment to pursuing research careers. DENDRITES will be part of Leadership Alliance Summer Research – Early Identification Program (SR-EIP) at UChicago to offer students professional development workshops and social activities across Chicago.

To apply to Leadership Alliance (generally) or Dendrites submit an application to the LANS Summer Research Early Identification Program (SR-EIP) The direct application link is here.

PREP is designed to provide mentoring, research skills, coursework and a positive learning environment to recent post-baccalaureate students, who intend to pursue a PhD degree in biomedical science.  This program is a unique opportunity in particular for students belonging to groups underrepresented in the biomedical or behavioral sciences as defined by NIH to strengthen their applications to PhD Programs nation-wide by conducting research as laboratory technicians for one year at the University of Chicago and by participating in diverse academic activities that will prepare them to be successful graduate students.

Contact Person:
Laurie E. Risner, PhD
773-702-4722
lrisner1@peds.bsd.uchicago.edu

For more information, click here.

Prtizker’s School of Medicine Experience in Research (PSOMER) is an eight-week residential research,education and mentoring experience at the University of Chicago. Participants in the program are rising college seniors or students rising into a post baccalaureate program, including students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds or underrepresented groups in health related sciences and medicine. Students will participate in either basic science laboratories or clinical research projects throughout the duration of the program.  The program concludes with a mandatory research presentation forum at the end of the summer.  Weekly cluster groups will support the laboratory research work of each participant. These groups will explore medical and research ethics, health care disparities, statistics and research tools. Students will also receive mentorship and guidance from Pritzker Medical School students and staff. This includes advising sessions with Pritzker admissions officers and social events with Pritzker and University of Chicago summer research program students.

For more information, click here.

This program is a 10 week immersion program that is designed for students who are interested in attending graduate school and pursuing a career in science. The program is particularly aimed at undergrads from non-R1 institutions, focusing on underrepresented minorities and economically disadvantaged applicants. It allows students to devote themselves to research projects, working in collaboration with graduate students or postdoctoral fellows, to address important problems in biology. Interns will be hosted by research laboratories in the department, most of which are housed in the Cummings Life Sciences Center, with several laboratories in a nearby building. Interns will have full access to the advanced instrumentation available in the host laboratories as well as in a large set of superb core facilities, including advanced light and electron microscopy, next generation DNA sequencing, and a wide range of biophysical approaches.

For more Information, contact:
Professor Aaron Turkewitz
Email: apturkew@uchicago.edu

Up on EHS is an environmental health research training program for college students interested in careers in the environmental health sciences (EHS). For two consecutive summers, trainees work full time in the laboratories of established EHS researchers, including Chicago Center for Health and the Environment (CACHET) members, at the University of Chicago or the University of Illinois at Chicago. Rigorous research training is complemented with an EHS-based summer lecture series, year-round career development and skill-building workshops, CACHET seminars and workshops, and a network of faculty mentors dedicated to trainees’ success. The program culminates in a research symposium to showcase trainees’ work across air, soil and water pollution, climate change, biomarkers of exposure, molecular processes of toxicity, environmental justice, community environmental health, community engagement, and other human health aspects of environmental exposure.

For more information, click here.

The Developmental Neurobiology Undergraduate Fellowship Opportunity (DNUFO) is a summer research opportunity designed to facilitate cross-departmental collaboration. This fellowship will offer undergraduates the opportunity to take advantage of the breadth and depth of developmental neurobiology, while exposing them to research outside of their immediate interests. Fellows will also have the opportunity to foster personal networks within and outside the university.

Students will be required to perform 10 weeks of full-time research in their host labs, as well as various other responsibilities. Fellows will receive a $5,000 stipend. In addition, the host laboratory will receive funds to cover expenses related to travel, room and board related to conference attendance.