Summer Opportunities for Medical Students

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Summer opportunities for students at the College of Medicine are always a work in progress
--and that’s the way they should be. The Office of Student Affairs continually updates this listing, so we encourage you to check it often. Another tip: Allow yourself plenty of time to complete the applications, especially since many require letters of recommendation, personal essays, transcripts, and the like.

And, if you come across a summer opportunity that you would like to share with others, please send it to susan.leonhart@osumc.edu.

The OSU Department of Family Medicine offers summer externships designed to promote interest in and understanding of family practice, especially in underserved areas. Students are matched with a rural or urban preceptor. Experiences vary with preceptor and student interest and may include hospital visits, physical and occupational therapy, med flights, inpatient rounds and procedures, and activities in departments of health. The program provides a $1,000 stipend and runs from mid-June to mid-July. The deadline for applications is the first of March. For more information, contact julie.baker@osumc.edu or call her at (614)293-5384. You’ll also want to visit: http://www.fammed.ohio-state.edu/1801.cfm.
The OSU Health System’s Quality and Operations Improvement Department hires students between their first and second years of medical school to work in an eight- to ten-week internship from mid-June to mid-August. The internship is 40 hours per week and pays $12 per hour. The department interfaces with nearly all aspects of the Health System's clinical operations. Projects that summer interns have worked on in the past include studying the use of peri-operative antibiotics to reduce wound infection, helping the Emergency Department implement and study various projects to improve patient communication, working with faculty members to research and write clinical practice guidelines used at OSU, and completing chart reviews with our primary care network group related to diabetes treatment. You should drop a cover letter stating your interest in the position and a copy of your resume/CV off to Anne VanBuren in 142 Doan Hall by the first of April. If you have any questions, she can be reached at (614) 293-3096.
The OSU Office of Global Health Education (021 Meiling Hall) is a global health resource for preclinical and clinical medical students (www.medicine.osu.edu/globalhealth). There are two sites for preclinical students during the summer before Med 2 at affiliated universities in India: the Amala Institute of Medical Sciences and the PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research. Interested students should contact Jessica Small at jessica.small@osumc.edu or call (614) 247-8968. Another possibility for traveling abroad during summer break is to participate in a program that caters to international service learning. We recommend Child Family Health International (http://www.cfhi.org/) and Cross-Cultural Solutions (http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org/), which are both nonprofit, reputable organizations that place students abroad. (Note: OSU College of Medicine students are not enrolled during this time period and cannot receive academic credit or financial aid for these experiences). Another resource to check for international health experiences is an online guidebook available on the Global Health Education Consortium Web site: http://www.globalhealth-ec.org/GHEC/Resources/IHMECguidebk_resources.htm.
The OSU Colleges of Medicine and of Public Health also offer a summer research experience for preclinical students that can sometimes be accomplished overseas. Contact Dr. Philip Binkley at philip.binkley@osumc.edu or call (614) 293-9222 for more information.
The Department of Medical Education at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus offers a summer externship program for medical students who have completed their first year of medical school. Recent research projects have dealt with endometrial carcinoma, psychosocial issues in medicine, and evaluation of acute respiratory failure critical pathways. The program is designed to be a two-month experience. Students are expected to work 40 hours a week fulfilling project activities. More information is available by calling (614) 566-5426 or visiting: http://www.ohiohealth.com/bodyriverside.cfm?id=716.
The Betty Ford Center’s Summer Institute for Medical Students in Rancho Mirage, California, is a unique learning experience for students to gain understanding and insight in addictive disease and the recovery process. Students have the opportunity to spend five days experiencing what it is like to be a patient or a family member at the Betty Ford Center. Placements are available through the Inpatient Treatment, in Residential Day Treatment, and in Family Treatment. Lectures and treatment planning sessions are also provided during this program. All medical students are eligible to apply. Tuition, travel (limited), lodging, materials, and on campus meals are included in the scholarship. To download an application, which is due by early March, go to: http://www.bettyfordcenter.org/training/summerinst.
If you are interested in doing summer research in the area of ophthalmology, consider submitting an application to Fight for Sight at http://www.fightforsight.com/. The $2,100 award can be used for research at any medical center or university in the U.S. The application requires a brief description of the research proposal and a letter of support from your scientific sponsor. The deadline is the end of January.
The Department of Otolaryngology at Oregon Health and Science University offers summer research opportunities to first-year medical students. A $5,193 stipend for a three-month fellowship will be paid. Two NIH training grants are also available as well as additional department-funded fellowships for exceptional candidates. The closing date for applications is mid-March. For more details, visit: http://www.ohsu.edu/ent/gen/sum.html.
The Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) is offering summer oncology fellowships for students who have completed their first year of medical school. Approximately 20 students will be selected and then matched with a faculty mentor from CHLA or the USC Keck School of Medicine. For full details, go to: http://www.chla-sof.nant.org/. The application deadline is mid-February.
The New York Academy of Medicine will award up to 20 David E. Rogers Fellowships of $3,500 each to support summer projects for first-year medical students. Rogers Fellowships focus on coupling medicine with the needs of underserved or disadvantaged patients or populations. They require the active participation of a mentor genuinely expert in the student’s field of interest. Half of the fellowships awarded are dedicated to projects focused on HIV/AIDS prevention or care. You can download an application by logging on to http://www.nyam.org/grants/rogers.shtml and clicking on the “Request for Application.” The deadline for submission is mid-March.
The Annenberg Physician Training Program places medical students at addiction treatment centers around the country for four to eight weeks during the summer between their first and second year of medical school. The goal is to increase student knowledge of and interest in an addictive disease. You’ll also be asked to participate on a research project. The program will pay your travel and living expenses and provide a modest stipend. To request an application, send an e-mail to AnnenbergProgram@aol.com or call (212) 731-0755.
The Vanderbilt Student Research Training Program in Diabetes and Endocrinology allows medical students to conduct independent research under the direction of an established scientist during the summer between their first and second year or second and third year of medical school. The possible areas of diabetes-related investigation range from basic laboratory studies on gene regulation to clinical studies in humans. Prior research experience is not required. The application deadline is early February. For more information, go to: http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/diabetestraining.
The American Society of Hematology’s Minority Medical Student Award Program is an eight- to twelve-week research experience for students in their early medical school years. Further, those who complete the initial research experience will have the option of applying for an additional hematology research experience in a subsequent year of medical school. Applications are available September 1, and the deadline for submissions is early March. Details are available at http://www.hematology.org/education/awards/mmsap.cfm.
The National Rural Institute on Alcohol and Drug Abuse offers a summer conference that provides participants the opportunity to personally interact with other rural alcohol and drug abuse professionals, federal agency representatives, and nationally known institute faculty and resource persons. Scholarships will provide funding to cover registration, transportation, stipend, housing, and food. Sessions are held in June and July at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Application and registration forms are available at http://www.uwstout.edu/outreach/conf/nri.
Here’s an opportunity to conduct research related to pediatrics at nearly 300 laboratories throughout the U.S. during the summer. Sponsored by the American Pediatric Society and Society for Pediatric Research, this eight-to-ten-week research program provides a maximum stipend of $4,270. The deadline for submitting all materials is mid-January. More information is available at http://www.aps-spr.org/; click on “Student Research Program.”
The Department of Pediatrics at the State University of New York at Buffalo offers a ten-week summer research program for outstanding minority preclinical medical students. The focus is on basic science and clinical research issues related to the transition from intrauterine to extrauterine life, with special emphasis on the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and hematopoietic/immune system. The deadline for submissions is the end of February. Additional details can be found at: http://www.amsny.org/documents/nhlbi_application_ub.pdf.
The University of Utah awards a limited number of scholarships on a first-come, first-serve basis to qualified medical students to attend its annual session of the School of Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies in Salt Lake City in June. The scholarship includes full tuition, dormitory housing, and up to $350 in travel allowance. To apply, visit www.uuhsc.utah.edu/uas. Applications for tuition assistance must be received by early April.
Students who are in the first two years of medical school are eligible to apply for the Summer Student Fellowship Program in Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Approximately 30 $5,000 fellowships will be awarded. Summer projects are listed at www.mskcc.org/summerfellowships as well as the on-line application and instructions. Completed materials must be received by the first of February.
The Roswell Park Summer Oncology Research Program provides medical students with a research experience in either the clinical or basic scientific area. The program runs from early June to the latter part of July; however, dates may be changed to accommodate your schedule. The weekly stipend is $280, and some funding is available to defray room expenses. For more information, contact arthur.michalek@roswellpark.org or call (716)845-2339 or visit: http://www.roswellpark.org/files/1_2_1/GradEducation/medapp07.pdf. Applications are due in early February.
The David E Rogers Fellowship Program provides first-year medical students an opportunity to spend their summer exploring the social responsibilities of the medical profession. Ten fellowships of $3,500 each will be awarded to students who have completed their first year of medical school. Rogers Fellowships are intended to focus on coupling medicine with the needs of the underserved or disadvantaged patients or populations. The content might range from clinical investigation through community activities or health policy analysis to activities linking biomedicine, the social infrastructure, and human need. For more information and application materials, go to: http://www.nyam.org/grants/rogers.shtml. The deadline is mid-March.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital offers a summer pediatric oncology education program. Trainees participate in basic oncology and/or clinical research, hospital conferences, and a core lecture series. For medical students, the time requirement is nine to twelve weeks. Most start the program in May or June and finish in August. The salary is $8 per hour, and prepaid furnished housing is provided for students coming from outside the metropolitan area. Go to: www.stjude.org/poe and click on POE Online Application. The deadline is the end of January.
The MSTAR Program provides students who have completed their first year of medical school with summer experience in aging-related research and geriatrics, under the mentorship of top experts in the field. Stipends for the eight- and twelve-week programs are, respectively, $3,462 and $5,193. Students may train at a national training center supported by the National Institute on Aging or, for a limited number of medical schools, at their own institution. The deadline for applications is the first of February. Visit: http://www.afar.org/medstu.html for more details.

Note to Med 1 students who are non-Ohio residents: If you will be applying for in-state residency for next year, be sure to have your out-of-state summer educational experience approved. If you do not, it might lessen your chances of becoming an in-state student for your Med 2 year and possibly result in an additional tuition charge of $5,000 per quarter.

Once you receive notification that you have been accepted by an out-of-state program, go to Student Financial Services (SFS) in B-043 Graves Hall and pick up an out-of-state travel residency form. This form will need to be signed by an Associate Dean and then returned to SFS. You will then receive notification regarding whether or not your summer research will impact your chances for in-state residency for the 2007-08 academic year.