8 Medical Summer Programs for High School Students in Massachusetts
Massachusetts is home to some of the best medical institutions in the world, making it an ideal location for high school students interested in exploring careers in healthcare and medicine. Whether you're passionate about becoming a doctor, researcher, or healthcare professional, there are many summer programs that offer hands-on experiences, exposure to real-world medical settings, and the opportunity to learn from experts in the field.
In this blog, we'll highlight 8 medical summer programs in Massachusetts that can help you take the first steps toward a future in medicine.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,990: Individual Research Program (12 weeks), $5,900: Premium Research & Publication Program (16–20 weeks), $8,900: Research Fellowship (6–12 months), $8,900: Professor Premium Publication Program (16–20 weeks). All programs come with need-based financial aid
Application Deadlines: Vary according to cohort. November 24, 2024 for the upcoming Winter cohort. Apply here!
Program Dates: Multiple, year-round cohorts
Eligibility: High school students
Established by researchers with backgrounds from Harvard and Oxford, Lumiere Research Scholar Programs offer high school students a range of program durations. From 12-week to 12-month research opportunities, students can immerse themselves in various subjects for individualized research. If you’re interested in medicine, you can choose from their tracks in medicine, neuroscience, and biology.
Collaborating one-on-one with accomplished Ph.D. mentors, each student has the opportunity to produce university-level research papers. These programs are conducted entirely online, providing flexibility in research depth to accommodate individual preferences.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,290. Financial aid available
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort. October 20, 2024 for the upcoming Winter cohort
Program Dates: Multiple, year-round cohorts (10 weeks)
Eligibility: Open to any student from grades 8-12 who has either completed the AI Scholars program or has experience in coding
The Veritas AI Deep Dive is a 10-week online course designed for ambitious students like you who are interested in the intersection of AI and medicine. In this program, you will learn how AI transforms healthcare, work on projects diagnosing diseases, and sharpen medical scans using AI models.
Over the first two weeks, you’ll be introduced to AI and its applications in medicine. Weeks 3 to 5 cover key topics such as medical data preparation, exploratory data analysis (EDA), and Convolutional Neural Networks. In the final weeks, you’ll delve into more complex subjects like image segmentation, regularization, transfer learning, and the fundamentals of clinical evaluation. Do note that to participate, you need to have completed the AI Scholars program or have prior experience with Python.
Location: Virtual
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort. November 10, 2024 for the upcoming Winter cohort
Program Dates:
December 2, 2024 onwards for the Winter cohort
Lab dates are flexible, but you must apply 4 weeks in advance
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders! Only a few tracks require formal prerequisites, more details of which can be found here
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students across subject areas such as data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, and more! It is one of the very few research programs for high school students that offers a choice between quantitative and qualitative research. For students interested in medicine, the program offers courses in Neurodegenerative Diseases, Neuroscience, and Medical Sociology.
Once you select a particular subject track and type of research you’ll be paired with a professor or Ph.D. scholar (from a top university) who will mentor you throughout your research journey. You’ll work to create a 20-page, university-level research paper that you can send to prestigious journals for publication as a high school student.
This program is a solid opportunity for you to pursue a research program in highly specialized fields under the guidance of a top scholar. The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student, as well as detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects and on college applications. Apply here!
Location: University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA
Cost: No cost, stipend provided
Application Deadline: March 3, 2025
Program Dates: June 29 – July 25, 2025
Eligibility: Current high school students above 16 years of age (as of June 15, 2025), reside in Massachusetts and attend a Massachusetts high school
The High School Health Careers Program (HSHCP) at UMass Chan Medical School is a four-week residential summer program for Massachusetts high school sophomores and juniors interested in biomedical research, biotechnology, and healthcare careers. HSHCP offers a comprehensive curriculum covering science, mathematics, language arts, and health disparities, along with hands-on internships and mentorships with healthcare professionals.
You will complete a research project and receive a Certificate of Achievement and a stipend. The program aims to foster academic improvement, leadership, and a deeper understanding of the healthcare professions, particularly for students from economically or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds.
Location: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Cost: $2,650. Scholarships available for Greater Boston Area residents
Application Deadline: March 25, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Program Dates: You can choose from nine available sessions between mid-June and mid-August
Eligibility: All high school students, including international students
HMS MEDscience offers a biology course tailored for high school students with real-world medical experiences. The program leverages simulated medical emergencies to create an immersive environment that fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and effective communication.
At the core of the experience is the MEDscience ‘Emergency Room,’ where you will evaluate, diagnose, and treat life-like patients in state-of-the-art simulation labs. You will practice essential clinical skills, such as suturing, intubation, and IV insertion, while also exploring diverse healthcare careers through MEDchats with Harvard-affiliated professionals. At the end of the program, you will receive a certificate of completion.
Harvard Medical School also offers three other science programs—MEDscienceLAB for hands-on lab and research experiences, MEDscience Moonshot for those interested in developing AI surgical robots, and MEDscienceLAB Forensics for studying crime scene investigation.
Location: Tufts University, Medford, MA
Cost: In addition to a $100 materials fee:
Commuter: $5,000
Residential: $6,500
Application Deadline: May 1, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Program Dates: TBA for 2025
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors or recent graduates who have completed at least 1 year of biology and are 16 years old by the start of the program
The Tufts University Summer Mini Med School is designed for high school juniors and seniors passionate about exploring careers in medicine. Over the course of the program, you will dive deep into topics like infectious diseases and immunology. Through a combination of lectures, hands-on clinical training, medical case studies, and field trips to the Tufts Medical Campus and other medical institutions, you will get a firsthand look at what it takes to pursue a career in healthcare.
With opportunities to engage in simulations, visit anatomy labs, and participate in Q&A sessions with medical professionals, this program provides a well-rounded introduction to medicine. Additionally, you will collaborate on a capstone project, such as a video explaining a health topic. See previous capstone projects here.
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA or virtual
Cost: In addition to a $75 application fee:
4-week Residential: $7,700
7-week Residential: $14,250
7-week Commuter and Online: $3,900 (4-credits) and $7,600 (8-credits)
Financial aid is available for U.S. citizens and permanent residents
Application Deadline: February 12, 2025
Program Dates:
4-week: July 13 – August 8, 2025
7-week: June 21 – August 9, 2025
Eligibility: Students who will graduate high school and enter college in 2025, 2026, or 2027, and are at least 16 years of age by June 21, 2025 but will not turn 19 before July 31, 2025
The Secondary School Program (SSP) at Harvard Summer School offers high school students the opportunity to immerse themselves in college-level academics while earning college credit. This program allows you to take part in rigorous coursework across a variety of subjects, including health and medical sciences. You can choose between a four-week or a seven-week session, with formats ranging from residential to online and commuter options.
For those interested in the health and medical fields, SSP offers several specialized courses, such as:
Neurodiversity
Social Medicine and Social Change in Boston
Introduction to Research in Psychopathology
Race, Gender, and Medicine
While the course offerings change every year, courses like this are likely to be offered again. These courses help students explore careers in health sciences while developing essential academic and life skills like time management, career planning, and critical thinking.
Location: Massachusetts General Hospital lab in Boston, Cambridge, or Somerville, MA
Cost: No cost, stipend provided
Application Deadline: March 1, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Program Dates: July 1 – August 9, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors or recent graduates living or studying in Massachusetts
The Youth Neurology Education and Research Program offers educational and research opportunities for high school and college students underrepresented in neurology. The program allows you to meet neurologists and neuroscientists from diverse backgrounds. You will first complete a ‘boot camp’ that will train you in the essential skills you need to succeed in a research lab. You will then be matched with an MGH Neurology faculty member to work on an ongoing research project. The program ends with a research presentation, with support to help you publish your work and submit it for awards.
Bonus
Looking for an immersive internship experience in medicine and healthcare?
Check out Ladder Internships!
Ladder Internships is a selective, virtual internship program where students work with startups and nonprofits from around the world! The startups range across a variety of industries. As part of their internship, each student will work on a real-world project that is of genuine need to the startup they are working with, and present their work at the end of their internship. You can explore their offerings in healthcare and medicine. In addition to working closely with their manager from the startup, each intern will also work with a Ladder Coach throughout their internship. Apply now!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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