Massachusetts is home to many medical institutions, providing many options for high school students interested in healthcare and medicine. Whether you aim to become a doctor, researcher, or healthcare professional, various summer programs offer hands-on experience, real-world exposure, and learning opportunities from industry experts.
Here are 14 medical summer programs for high school students in Massachusetts.
The Broad Institute, a non-profit biomedical research center in Cambridge, MA, collaborates with Harvard, MIT, and Boston hospitals to address challenges in human diseases like cancer, psychiatric disorders, infectious diseases, and therapeutics. The Broad Summer Scholars Program offers high school students a six-week opportunity to work with Broad researchers on biology research.
You will engage in original research, attend scientific talks and career sessions, and present your findings in a poster session. The program also provides a $3,600 stipend.
Subject Areas: Medicine
Location: Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA
Program Dates: June 30 - August 8, 2025
Cost: None
Eligibility: Open to rising high school seniors who are US citizens having a good academic standing in the Science and Math courses, and are within commute distance to the Broad Institute
Application Deadline: January 22, 2025
The Veritas AI Deep Dive is a 10-week online course for students interested in AI and medicine. You'll learn how AI is used in healthcare, work on disease diagnosis projects, and enhance medical scans using AI models. The first two weeks introduce AI in medicine, followed by topics like medical data preparation, EDA, and Convolutional Neural Networks in weeks 3 to 5. The final weeks cover image segmentation, regularization, transfer learning, and the basics of clinical evaluation. Prior experience with Python or completion of the AI Scholars program is required.
Subject Areas: Artificial Intelligence & healthcare
Location: Remote
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year. Upcoming Summer dates can be found here.
Cost:
- $2,290 for the AI Scholars program (10-week bootcamp)
- $5,400 for the AI Fellowship (12–15 weeks, 1;1 mentorship)
- $6,900 for both AI Scholars + Fellowship.
- Need-based financial aid is available.
Eligibility: Open to any student from grades 8-12 who has either completed the AI Scholars program or has experience in coding.
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort
Ladder Internships is a selective program for high school students to intern with high-growth startups across various industries, that include health tech, AI, and marketing. These startups have raised over a million dollars, with some founders being YCombinator alumni or former employees of companies like Microsoft and Google. During the 8-week virtual internship, you'll work closely with managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects, presenting your work to the company. The program also includes one-on-one communication and time management training and group sessions with other interns.
Subject Areas: Medical and healthcare
Location: Remote
Program Dates: 8-week programs with multiple cohorts throughout the year.
Cost: Starting at $2,490. Financial aid is available.
Eligibility: Open to all high school students, who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. These internships are also open to undergraduates and gap-year students.
Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year.
The High School Health Careers Program (HSHCP) at UMass Chan Medical School is a four-week summer residential program for Massachusetts high school sophomores and juniors interested in biomedical research, biotechnology, and healthcare. You'll complete a research project, earn a Certificate of Achievement, and receive a stipend on successfully completing the course. The program prioritizes academic growth, leadership, and understanding of healthcare careers, focusing on students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Subject Areas: Medicine and research
Location: University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA
Program Dates: June 29 – July 25, 2025
Cost: No cost, stipend provided
Eligibility: Current high school students above 16 years of age (as of June 15, 2025), reside in Massachusetts and attend a Massachusetts high school
Application Deadline: March 3, 2025
HMS MEDscience offers a biology course for high school students that uses simulated medical emergencies to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and communication skills. In the MEDscience "Emergency Room," you'll diagnose and treat life-like patients in advanced simulation labs while practising clinical skills like suturing, intubation, and IV insertion. You'll also explore healthcare careers through discussions with Harvard-affiliated professionals and receive a certificate of completion.
Subject Areas: Medicine
Location: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Program Dates: TBA
Cost: $2,650
Eligibility: High school students
Application Deadline: Application typically closes in March.
The Tufts University Summer Mini Med School is for high school juniors and seniors interested in medicine. You'll explore infectious diseases and immunology through lectures, hands-on clinical training, case studies, and field trips to the Tufts Medical Campus and other institutions. The program offers simulations, anatomy lab visits, and Q&A sessions with medical professionals for an introduction to healthcare. You'll also work on a capstone project, such as creating a health-related video.
Subject Areas: Immunology
Location: Tufts University, Medford, MA
Program Dates: TBA
Cost: In addition to a $100 materials fee:
- Commuter: $5,000
- Residential: $6,500
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors or recent graduates who have completed at least 1 year of biology and are 15 years old by the start of the program
Application Deadline: Application typically closes in May.
The Secondary School Program (SSP) at Harvard Summer School lets high school students experience college-level academics while earning college credit. For those interested in health and medical sciences, SSP offers specialized courses like Neurodiversity, Social Medicine and Social Change, Introduction to Research in Psychopathology, and Race, Gender, and Medicine.
Subject Areas: Medicine
Location: Virtual
Program Dates: June 21 - August 9, 2025
Cost: $3,900 (4-credits) and $7,600 (8-credits)
Eligibility: High School Students who are at least 16 years of age by June 21, 2025.
Application Deadline: February 12, 2025
The Youth Neurology Education and Research Program offers research opportunities for underrepresented high school and college students in neurology. You’ll start with a boot camp to learn essential lab skills, then work with an MGH Neurology faculty member on a research project. The program ends with a research presentation, with support for publishing your work and submitting it for awards.
Subject Areas: Medicine
Location: Massachusetts General Hospital lab in Boston, Cambridge, or Somerville, MA
Program Dates: June 30 – August 8, 2025
Cost: No cost, stipend provided
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors or recent graduates living or studying in Massachusetts
Application Deadline: January 31, 2025
The CURE program offers high school students the chance to conduct cancer research at institutions like Dana-Farber and Harvard Cancer Centers. You'll contribute to DF/HCC research projects under the guidance of cancer experts. This full-time, paid internship includes orientation, training, and participation in scientific seminars, professional development, and journal clubs. By the end of the program, you'll prepare and present an abstract, poster, or PowerPoint on your research project.
Subject Areas: Medicine, research
Location: Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Boston, MA
Program Dates: May 27, 2025 (college) | June 18, 2025 (high school
Cost: No cost, stipend provided
Eligibility: Massachusetts high school sophomore, junior, or senior at least 16 years old and from an underrepresented/financially disadvantaged background.
Application Deadline: February 03, 2025
Project Success is a paid summer research internship at Harvard Medical School for underrepresented or disadvantaged high school students in Boston and Cambridge. You'll conduct biomedical research, attend workshops and seminars, and receive career guidance. The program includes lab placements at Harvard or affiliated institutions with mentorship, visits to hospitals and biotech organizations, and computer training.
Subject Areas: Biotech
Location: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Program Dates: June 30 - August 15th, 2025.
Cost: No cost, stipend provided
Eligibility: High school students who reside in Boston and Cambridge
Application Deadline: February 3, 2025.
The Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging (AIMI) offers a selective two-week program for students interested in AI and healthcare. You work with peers and experienced scientists to learn AI fundamentals in medicine, guided by Stanford faculty. You’ll collaborate on a hands-on research project, attend guest lectures from industry professionals, and participate in social networking events. By the program's end, you’ll have contributed to AI research in healthcare and receive a certificate of achievement.
Subject Areas: AI and healthcare
Location: Virtual
Program Dates: June 16th-27th, 2024 | 9am-1pm PT (Online)
Cost: No cost
Eligibility: High school students above the age of 14 who are enrolled in high school
Application Deadline: February 28, 2025
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like medicien, neuroscience, healthcare, etc., consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
David Wilkinson is a freelance writer for Horizon and currently resides in the United States.