9 Medical Summer Programs for High School Students in Illinois

Applying for summer programs, internships, or research immersions is a great opportunity for high school students. These programs provide early exposure to professional settings, hands-on experiences, and valuable mentors who can guide you in the right direction. College admission committees look for candidates who show a demonstrated interest in their field and a dedication to going above and beyond. Having a summer program like this on your profile can give you a leg up.

For students interested in medicine and healthcare, such exposure gives you a first-hand look at medical institutions and research labs. You will develop practical skills by doing lab work and shadowing doctors and explore medical specialties not included in high school curriculums. 

For residents of Illinois, here are the top 9 medical summer programs for high schoolers! Note that the following information is based on the most recent program, with dates subject to change but generally similar from year to year.

1. Lumiere Research Scholar Program—Medicine track

Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.

Duration: Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.

Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!

Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.

Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring.

Cost: Full financial aid is available!

If you’re looking to develop your own research paper in the field of medicine, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a good way to do so. The program will match you with an expert PhD mentor, who will guide you through the entire research process. You can choose from a variety of program formats, from a 12-week program to a 12-month research fellowship. Medicine, Neuroscience, and Biology are offered subjects, and previous students have worked on projects like ‘Exploring the role of humanin as a potential preventative in Alzheimer’s disease’ and ‘How the CRIDPER-Cas9 gene editing complex can treat human immunodeficiency virus 1’.

2. ResearcHStart at the University of Chicago

Application deadline: January 22

Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are at least 16 years of age from the Chicago and Urbana-Champaign areas

Program dates: The program generally runs from the second week of June to the first week of August

Location: University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Rush University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL

Stipend: $3,000

The ResearcHStart program is an ideal choice for students interested in cancer research. As an intern, you will get laboratory experience and learn about cancer immunology, bioengineering, experimental cancer therapeutics, cancer disparities, and more. 

At the end of the program, you will attend a research symposium. The program supplements research with additional sessions for career development and skill-building and the opportunity to receive mentorship from university faculty. This highly competitive program accepts only 30 interns per cohort.

3. Veritas AI + Medicine

Location: Virtual

Cost: $2,290 for the 10-week AI Scholars program | $5,400 for the 15-week AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase | $6,900 for both. Need-based financial aid is available for AI Scholars. You can apply here. 

Application deadline: On a rolling basis. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November).

Program dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter.

Eligibility: Ambitious high school students located anywhere in the world. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python.

This Veritas AI program is a great way to explore the intersection between AI and medicine while also engaging in hands-on research. This 10-week program will introduce you to the fundamentals of both fields and look at how AI is transforming genomics, neuroscience, hospital admissions, and more. You will attend lectures and group sessions, and work on developing a real-world project with 2-4 other students—such as using AI and ML models to diagnose diseases or sharpen medical scans. You can go through the previous students’ projects here to get a better idea of the outcome of the program.

4. Short-Term Research Experience Program to Unlock Potential (STEP-UP)

Application deadline: February 15

Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are at least 16 years old, are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, have health insurance, have a minimum 3.0 GPA

Program dates: Varies according to research institution, but must begin by June 6 and total at least 8 weeks

Location: Students can choose their own locations—universities, research institutes, hospitals, etc. 

Stipend: Up to $2,500

STEP-UP is organized by the National Institutes of Health, making it a federally funded program. During the program, you will work alongside professional researchers and get experience in research laboratories. While you can express your area of interest, the program prioritizes endocrinology and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases and nutrition; or kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases. Before starting your research, you will take an online training course. At the end of the program, you will present your work at the annual research symposium. Students from underrepresented communities or disadvantaged backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

5. Summer Science Internship at the University of Illinois

Application deadline: April 1

Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years old  

Program dates: June 10 – August 2

Location: University of Illinois College of Medicine, Rockford, IL

Stipend: A stipend is provided, but the amount is not specified

This 35-year-old program is organized by the university’s College of Medicine Rockford and Thermo Fisher Scientific. The program focuses on medical research and how new discoveries and innovation, including industrial science, can impact healthcare. During the internship, you will work alongside scientists in the university’s laboratories. You will be part of a research team, potentially working to develop drugs, create new vaccines, or identify a cure for cancer. However, only 5 internship spots are available, and with an acceptance rate of about 11%, this program is highly competitive.

6. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Young Scholars Summer STEMM Research Programs

Application deadline: TBA

Eligibility: Rising 10th – 12th graders who reside in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Iowa, or Wisconsin

Program dates: June 17 – August 2

Location: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL

Stipend: The program provides housing, meals, and a fellowship payment (amount unspecified). Students are responsible for their own transportation

As a participant, you will be assigned to one of three research groups: POETS Young Scholars, SpHERES Young Scholars, and Grainger Engineering Young Scholars. The SpHERES group is healthcare-related, focusing on medicine, bioengineering, and neuroscience. While you can express your interest, the ultimate decision lies with the program. During the program, you will participate in research activities, develop professional skills, and present your research at a symposium. This program has only 30 spots and receives about 600 applications each year, giving it a 5% acceptance rate. Having a competitive program like this on your profile would boost your college applications.

7. Northwestern University’s Kimberly Querrey Summer Research Program

Application deadline: Applications will open in January  

Eligibility: Rising high school seniors who are at least 16 years old  

Program dates: Early June to the end of July (6-8 weeks)

Location: Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL

Stipend: A stipend is provided, but the amount is not specified. Students are responsible for their own housing and transportation.

The Department of Medicine at Northwestern University offers this program that combines an intensive research experience and college preparatory activities. The program focuses on lung disease and will pair you with a faculty member alongside whom you will work on a specific (hypothesis-driven or hypothesis-generating) research project. Previous students have learned about data analysis, wet bench techniques, the process of scientific inquiry, and more, so you can expect plenty of lab work. 

8. Rosalind Franklin University’s INSPIRE

Application deadline: March 15

Eligibility: High school students residing in North Chicago, Waukegan, Zion, and Round Lake

Program dates: June 10 – August 1

Location: Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL

Fee: Not specified

INSPIRE is a mentoring and research program that aims to increase the number of students from underrepresented backgrounds in healthcare fields. As a participant, you will work under a graduate student mentor and faculty advisor to conduct original research in the field of biomedicine. Additionally, the program includes sessions on career pathways, language arts, mathematics, workplace etiquette, and more.  

9. National Student Leadership Conference on Medicine & Healthcare

Application deadline: Rolling

Eligibility: Students between the ages of 14-18 who have completed at least one year of high school

Program dates: Multiple one-week sessions in June and July

Location: Northwestern University, Chicago, IL

Fee: $3,895. Scholarships are available   

The NSLC’s Medicine & Health Care program is a residential pre-college program that will give you an introduction to healthcare. You will go on tours through medical institutions and take part in simulations with activities such as suturing, surgical knot tying, dissecting organs, testing and diagnosing patients, and learning how to handle emergencies. The curriculum also includes lectures from professional speakers and sessions to improve your leadership skills and introduce you to medical career pathways.  

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.