Each summer, the IU School of Medicine hosts students at the high school and university levels for research programs that provide learners with hands-on experiences and the opportunity to interact with faculty.
Here is a sampling of some of these programs:
SEED/STEM Summer Program
The Indiana CTSI’s SEED/STEM summer program is an eight-week experience pairing students of all backgrounds with faculty members at multiple institutions, including the IU School of Medicine. Participants work alongside these faculty members in the lab setting on a research project throughout the summer.
This year, 79 students from 34 different high schools immersed themselves in real-world research experiences in subjects ranging from drug discovery to population health. Over eight weeks, students learned new techniques, built new relationships with peers and gained professional development skills by interacting with medical/professional students, touring Eli Lilly research laboratories, working across multiple academic institutions and engaging in friendly, team-building competitions.
The capstone of the summer was the annual SEED/STEM Poster Symposium, where students presented their work to more than 300 fellow researchers, family members and friends of the program.
IMPRS Summer Program
The Indiana University Medical Student Program for Research and Scholarship (IMPRS) summer research program, supported in part by the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI), pairs medical students with IU School of Medicine faculty mentors as participants engage in research projects under their watch.
The program lasts anywhere from 8-12 weeks and offers students access to hands-on experiences, professional development seminars and networking opportunities in addition to faculty mentorship.
The 2025 IMPRS cohort featured 225 IU School of Medicine students from all nine campuses. The program concluded with a poster symposium on the IU Indianapolis campus, where students had the opportunity to share their findings with peers, faculty and others.
“It was really good to just make connections with mentors,” said Tytus Ragle, a student from the Terre Haute campus. “It was nice to have people on your side who are trying to put you in a better position for your future.”
Pediatric Research Summer Internship Program
The Herman B Wells Center’s Pediatric Research Summer Internship Program offers undergraduate students the opportunity to engage with IU School of Medicine faculty while participating in lab work. Participants attend organized events, design and execute a research project, and showcase this project at an end-of-summer oral presentation.
The program, which has inspired learners to pursue pediatric health research for over 25 years, hosted six interns in 2025. One intern, Vianney Gonzalez-Gonzalez, is an IU Indianapolis student who worked alongside Brian DeBosch, MD, PhD.
“My advice to a future intern would be to use your resources! Every person, paper, textbook, protocol, etc. that you can get your hands on provides you with a great learning opportunity,” Gonzalez-Gonzalez said. “They all bring different angles and backgrounds to the big picture of research.”
IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center summer programs
The IU Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center is home to a variety of summer research programs including the Cancer Research Internship Summer Program (CRISP), Educational Pathways for Cancer Research (EPCR), The Summer Program for Academic Research in Cancer (SPARC) and the Future Scientist Program (FSP).
These programs featured 76 participants in 2025, the largest cohort ever. Crucial to the programs’ successes were the 49 mentors who hosted these students in their labs and research spaces.
Of 292 summer program participants, 97% have gone on to earn an undergraduate degree, 29% are pursuing a master’s degree, 15% are pursuing a PhD, another 15% are pursuing an MD and 25% hold a science-related job. Notable alumni include:
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Saba-Na'imah Berhane, Director of Curriculum Development at the Girls STEM Institute
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Julie Loza, MD, Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois
Additionally, the IU Simon Cancer Center was selected as one of five cancer centers nationwide to serve as a site for the Future Deaf Scientists Program, which expands access to research and career pathways for students traditionally underrepresented in healthcare fields.
“This is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience and opportunity,” said Emani Dowd, a student at Indiana School for the Deaf. "This program already aligned with my interest in a career in trauma surgery.”
Indiana Medical Scientist/Engineer Training Program’s Undergraduate Summer Research Program
This summer, seven undergraduate students were selected from a competitive pool of over 200 applicants to participate in the Indiana Medical Scientist/Engineer Training Program (MSTP) Summer Research Program. Designed for students strongly considering a dual-degree MD/PhD pathway, the program supports aspiring physician-scientists and physician-engineers committed to integrating clinical practice with substantial research efforts in basic science, biomedical engineering, social and behavioral sciences, and human translational discovery.
Participants explored research topics aligned with their interests — including cancer, neurophysiology and endometriosis — and shadowed IU Health clinicians to experience the full bench-to-bedside model of translational medicine. The program offers a dynamic and immersive glimpse into the impactful career of an MD/PhD.
Of the program’s 20 participants in the past three years, nearly all are currently in or applying for MD or PhD programs, with some applying for MD/PhD programs. Two program alumni are currently in the Medical Scientist Training Program at IU School of Medicine.
Indiana CTSI Undergraduate Summer Internships
The Indiana CTSI’s Undergraduate Summer Internships pair students with faculty mentors on clinical and translational research projects with an emphasis on taking medicine from the “bench to bedside.”
This opportunity is available to undergraduate students at Indiana University (any campus), Purdue University (West Lafayette or Indianapolis) or the University of Notre Dame. In summer 2025, 11 students were hosted on campus. Since 2009, a total of 133 students have engaged in the program.
Ivy Tech Research Scholars Program
The Ivy Tech Research Scholars Program, made possible through a partnership with the Indiana CTSI and Ivy Tech Community College, is a 10-week program introducing community college students to biomedical and health sciences.
Students are matched with research teams at Indiana University, Purdue University or the University of Notre Dame, depending on where the student lives. This summer’s cohort, the second ever, included 11 students who gained hands-on research skills, professional development and communication training. Participants presented their findings at program-end symposia and a virtual presentation connecting participants across campuses. Several students have continued working with mentors into the academic year.
Medical Neuroscience Undergraduate Summer Research Program
The Medical Neuroscience Summer Undergraduate Research Program at the Stark Neurosciences Research Institute provides students with an intensive, eight-week experience in neuroscience research.
Participants receive mentorship from graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty while working on research projects in labs across Stark covering topics such as addiction, neurodegenerative diseases, neuroimmunology, ocular neurobiology and psychiatric disorders. The program culminates with students presenting a scientific poster based on their summer research at the Stark Summer Symposium.
In 2025, a record-breaking 450-plus applications were submitted, yielding 17 participants. Of those 17, seven were local, eight came from across the U.S., and two were international students.
Since 2013, 127 students have participated in the program. Of those, 26 have gone on to pursue science in graduate school or the workforce after earning their undergraduate degrees, 14 have gone to medical school, and 29 are still in the process of completing their studies.
William A. Truitt, PhD, who oversees the program, and Donna M. Wilcock, PhD were awarded an Education Projects (R25) grant from the National Institutes of Health, which will provide funding for 10 additional positions next year for freshman and sophomore undergraduate trainees interested in studying Alzheimer's disease and related dementias research.
IU Health Crispus Attucks Fellowship Program
The IU Health Crispus Attucks Fellowship Program, supported by the Indiana CTSI, focuses on education, exposure and immersive experiences in health careers.
During the summer, the IU Indianapolis campus hosted 27 rising high school juniors who engaged in three different weeklong experiences in clinical, research and health-supporting careers. An additional 20 rising high school seniors were on campus engaged in five-week immersive experiences. Twenty-four different internship environments across IU Health, Eskenazi Health, IU Indianapolis and the IU School of Medicine supported these student experiences.
A total of 177 students have been selected to be part of the program since its inception in 2022; 37 have now graduated and either transitioned to full-time employment or are pursuing degrees in biology, criminology, medicine, nursing or healthcare management and policies.
