A variety of research opportunities exist around the country. IU School of Medicine students may look through the following suggested programs to further their learning and dive deeper into a specialty they are interested in.
Programs
Leah Menshouse Springer Summer Opportunities Program
Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St. Louis
This Program is designed to provide students with hands-on cancer research experience for 10 weeks over the summer. Opportunities range from basic science research to clinical research to prevention/control and population research. In addition to completing a research project with a faculty mentor, participants also engage in a variety of other activities as part of the program, including tours of state-of-the-art cancer treatment and research facilities and weekly seminars on current areas of research and career building tools.
Deadline: Expected to open Nov. 16, 2026
Visiting Research Internship Program
Harvard Medical School
Established in 2009, the Visiting Research Immersion Program (VRIP) is an eight-week mentored, summer research program designed to enrich medical and dental students' interest in research and health-related careers, particularly clinical/translational research careers.
Deadline: Dec. 14, 2026
Galen V. Henderson, MD Medical Student Summer Program
New England Donor Services, Waltham, Massachusetts
The Galen V. Henderson, MD Medical Student Summer Program is an eight-week, stipend-supported, OPO-led immersive experience that introduces medical students to the full continuum of organ and tissue donation and transplantation.
Deadline: Dec. 15, 2026
Medical Student Anesthesia Research Fellowship (MSARF) Summer Program
Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research
The summer fellowship provides medical students with an eight-week research experience within an academic anesthesiology department. During the fellowship, students participate in research, training and clinical anesthesia activities. In addition, medical student summer fellows have the opportunity to make a scientific presentation at the ASA's ANESTHESIOLOGY® annual meeting.
Deadline: Opens Dec. 15 2026; Closes Jan. 31, 2027
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Summer Externship
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
This program offers unique and early clinical exposure related to the care of those with acute and chronic disabilities for comprehensive rehabilitation. Primarily, students will assist in the clinical management of patients admitted to the AbilityLab. In addition, students will participate in a research project in a rehabilitation related field.
Deadline: Jan. 8, 2027
Robert A. Winn Clinical Investigator Pathway Program (Winn CIPP)
Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation
Clinical Investigator Pathway Program (Winn CIPP) is a seven-week summer experience for medical students, particularly those individuals whose backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives have shaped their commitment to healthcare, community engagement, and clinical research. Winn CIPP introduces students early in their training to clinical research and community engagement, preparing future physicians — whether researchers or clinicians — to strengthen clinical trial participation and improve care for all communities.
Deadline: Jan. 8, 2027
Medical Students Training in Aging Research (MSTAR)
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
he UNC MSTAR Program provides early-stage medical and osteopathic students with enriching experiences in aging-related research and geriatrics.
Deadline: Jan. 18, 2027
Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
This summer program provides students with the opportunity to engage in the distinctive scientific environment of Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK). Medical students, typically between their first and second years of study, participate in research projects under the guidance and mentorship of MSK faculty members.
Deadline: Jan 29, 2027
Medical Student Summer Research Program
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
The College of Medicine sponsors the Medical Student Summer Research Program allowing medical students from any U.S. medical school to experience laboratory research firsthand.
Deadline: Jan. 31, 2027
Rising Stars in Science and Medicine
Mass General Brigham
The program recruits students from around the nation into an eight-week mentored summer program. Students participate in intensive hands-on training in research methods and practice directly in the labs of Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School’s leading researchers.
Deadline: February 1, 2027
Four Directions Summer Research
Mass General Brigham
The Four Directions Summer Research Program (FDSRP) is a unique summer research opportunity at Mass General Brigham for undergraduate rising sophomores, juniors and seniors and 1st year medical students, with a commitment to the health of Native American communities. Students engage in a basic science research project under the direction of a Faculty Mentor.
Deadline: February 1, 2027
Pediatric Oncology Education (POE) Program
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
The Pediatric Oncology Education (POE) program is a summer internship in either laboratory or clinical research that offers a unique opportunity for students preparing for careers in the biomedical sciences, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, psychology, or public health to gain biomedical and oncology research experience.
Deadline: Feb. 2, 2027
Harvard Orthopedic Trauma Undergraduate & Medical Student Summer Internship
Mass General Brigham
The main aim of the internship is to provide interns with a basic understanding about clinical research, primarily through providing practical experience. The secondary aim is to provide opportunities for interns to shadow in the clinical environments to see what life is like in the hospital setting.
Application expected to open in Jan. 2027 and due at end of Feb. 2027
Mass General Brigham for Children Digestive Disease Summer Research Program
Mass General Brigham
This program provides short-term support for 10 students at the undergraduate or medical school level. Each student is matched with a research mentor to perform an independent research project focused on digestive diseases over a 10-week period during the summer months within a laboratory or collaborating laboratory of Mass General Brigham for Children.
Deadline: Application expected to open in January 2027 and due end of February 2027
The Vanderbilt Medical Student Research Training Program
Vanderbilt Diabetes Research and Training Center
Deadline: TBA
Medical Student Research Program in Diabetes
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
The Medical Student Research Program in Diabetes and Obesity, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health through the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases is a summer program that offers opportunities for medical students to conduct mentored research at one of 13 diabetes centers across the US.
Deadline: TBA
Research Experiences for Graduate and Medical Students
Endocrine Society
The Endocrine Society's Research Experiences for Graduate and Medical Students (REGMS) program offers promising students a comprehensive experience in endocrine research. Participants engage in collaborative lab work, receive expert mentorship, build professional networks, and enhance their professional skills through year-round activities.
Deadline: TBA
Gap Year Program
Medical Research Scholars Program
Clinical Center
Deadline: Dec. 1, 2026
For questions or concerns, please reach out to annnguye@iu.edu.