If you’re a high school student in NYC interested in pursuing medicine as a career, the city offers several accessible opportunities that can help you grow. There are pre-college programs that dive into specialized topics, internships that provide practical work experience, and even research immersions that allow you to work on advanced research projects in medicine. Whether you want to become a doctor, nurse, healthcare innovator, or if you simply want to explore the many career pathways in the field, these medical summer programs can get you closer to your goals.
Through these programs, you will get access to advanced curricula that go beyond high school textbooks. You will also get the chance to engage in hands-on work, often spending time in laboratories or medical institutions, and learning skills like suturing and dissecting. Additionally, medical summer programs are a great way to meet and learn from a diverse group of healthcare professionals and establish long-term connections.
To help you get started, here are the top 15 medical summer programs for high school students in NYC. You can also check out our blog on summer research programs for high school students in NYC.
1. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Remote , you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on program type; full financial aid available
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year.
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12 with a strong academic standing
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore. The program pairs you with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper. There are a number of research areas to choose from, and if you’re interested in healthcare, you can opt for biology, neuroscience, or medicine as your focus. Previous students have conducted research on topics like breast cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, brain tumors, HIV, and more. You can find more details about the application here.
2. Veritas AI + Medicine Deep Dive
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type; full financial aid available
Program Dates: 12-week sessions offered in summer, fall, winter, and spring
Application Deadline: Rolling based on cohort
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12 with a strong academic standing
Veritas AI is an AI program for ambitious high school students, founded and run by Harvard graduate students. In the AI + Medicine Deep Dive, you learn how AI is used in the healthcare and medical industry. You get a chance to work on real-world projects using AI & ML models to diagnose diseases, sharpen medical scans, and explain their outcomes to aid doctors and patients. Here is the program brochure!
3. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Summer Student Program
Location: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Stipend: $2,100
Program dates: June 30-August 22
Application deadline: February 7
Eligibility: High school juniors who are at least 14 years old, have a minimum GPA of 3.5, and live in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s Summer Student Program is a highly competitive medical summer program that accepts 20 high school students to take part in a biomedical or computational internship. As an intern, you will work on a self-directed project that contributes to your mentor’s overall research, engaging in lab work and learning technical skills in the process. Cancer biology, molecular biology, chemical biology, immunology, and pharmacology are a few of the research areas available. Alongside this, you will also receive personal and professional development through the program.
4. Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center’s BEYOND ALBERT
Location: Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
Stipend: $2,500
Program dates: June 30 – August 22. The after-school program runs from September to May, taking place on every Thursday
Application deadline: January 12
Eligibility: High school students in the Bronx who are entering the 11th or 12th grade and are at least 16 years of age
BEYOND ALBERT is a research program that provides high school students with a hands-on research experience in the biomedical sciences. The eight-week summer program focuses on practical lab research, which is supplemented by seminars, workshops, and career development sessions. Towards the end of the program, you will develop a research presentation and present your work to faculty members. Additionally, you can also opt for the after-school program, which offers workshops to improve scientific thinking during the school year.
5. Brain Research Apprenticeship in New York at Columbia (BRAINYAC)
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost: Free. A stipend is provided but the amount is not specified. Previous cohorts have received $1,000 stipends
Program dates: 7 weeks during the summer
Application deadline: Applications open in October
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors who live in New York City and are enrolled in one of the Zuckerman Institute’s New York City-based partner programs.
The Brain Research Apprenticeships in New York at Columbia program is an intensive summer lab internship for high school students interested in neuroscience. As a participant, you will be matched with a neuroscientist mentor and learn from them as you work on a research project. You will work in a Columbia laboratory, learn techniques like pipetting, coding, and dissecting, and culminate the program with a research poster and presentation. Previous students have studied the effect of stress on the brain and analysed cuttlefish camouflage behaviour for their projects.
6. Columbia University’s State Pre-College Enrichment Program (S-PREP)
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost: Free
Program dates: The summer program generally takes place in the month of July. The summer session is followed by Saturday classes from October to May
Application deadline: April 15
Eligibility: Students in grades 7-12 with an 80% grade average, particularly in math and science
Columbia University’s State Pre-College Enrichment Program is a summer program that dives into medicine and STEM topics that are related to the field. As a participant, you will attend courses on topics like anatomy, cognitive science, biochemistry, organic chemistry, physics, calculus, and more. The wide range of topics makes this a suitable option for you if you want to explore medicine alongside other STEM fields. Alongside these courses, you will also attend career workshops, college counselling sessions, field trips, and campus tours.
7. Stony Brook University’s Simons Summer Research Program
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Cost: Free, however, if you choose the residential track, you will need to pay $2,360.25 as residential fees
Program dates: June 30 – August 8
Application deadline: February 7
Eligibility: High school juniors who are US citizens/permanent residents and at least 16 years of age
Stony Brook University’s Simons Summer Research Program is a prestigious research program through which high school students join a professional research team and work on a research project. During the program, you will engage in hands-on lab work, learn research techniques, attend workshops, develop a research abstract and poster, which you will present at a symposium. For students interested in medicine, the program has mentors in areas like biology, biomedical engineering, medicine, neurobiology, orthopaedics, and pharmacological sciences.
8. NYU’s Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE)
Location: New York University, New York, NY
Cost: Free. A $1,000 stipend is provided
Program dates: June 2 – August 8
Application deadline: February 21
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who are residents of New York
NYU’s Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering program is a 10-week summer program that provides high school students with lab-based, hands-on experiences in STEM fields. The program assigns you to one of its labs, where you will assist your mentors on practical projects. The available list includes a few labs that focus on topics related to medicine, like biomolecular engineering, genomics, skeletal morphology, and cellular biology. You will end the program with a presentation of your findings during a poster symposium.
9. Columbia University’s YES in the HEIGHTS
Location: Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC), New York, NY
Cost: Free
Program dates: June 30 – August 22 for the first year, dates for the second year are TBD
Application deadline: December 13
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 14 years of age with a demonstrated high aptitude in science. Local participants will be given higher preference
Formerly known as the CURE program, Columbia University’s YES in the HEIGHTS is a biomedical research internship that takes place over two summers. High school and undergraduate interns are accepted to the program, during which you will learn about and engage in cancer research under the guidance of a professional researcher or physician. The first summer will end with the submission of a scientific abstract, while the second will end with an oral presentation. You can expect plenty of hands-on work as well as a weekly journal club to discuss research papers with other interns.
10. CUNY’s Sophie Davis Health Professions Mentorship Program (HPMP)
Location: The City University of New York’s School of Medicine, New York, NY
Cost: Free
Program dates: This is a two-year program that includes four-week sessions in the summer
Application deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors
CUNY’s Sophie Davis Health Professions Mentorship Program is a two-year program for high school students interested in healthcare careers such as medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, public health, and more. You will attend Saturday sessions during the academic year and four weeks of programming during the summer. The highlight of the program is a community-based project, for which you will develop a solution to a healthcare problem in NYC. Aside from this, you will attend group seminars, receive mentorship from medical faculty, and take part in problem-solving experiences.
11. NYU High School Bioethics Project Internship
Location: Remote
Cost: Free. A stipend is offered but the amount has not been specified
Program dates: July 7-18
Application deadline: May 2
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
NYU’s High School Bioethics Project Internship introduces high schoolers to the concept of bioethics and how it can be applied to fields like medicine, biotech development, public health, climate science, social science, and STEM. During the program, you will attend interactive lessons, read and discuss articles, and network with professionals from the field. The curriculum explores topics like genetic testing, stem cells, AI, assisted reproduction technologies, organ donation, physician-assisted death, and more. At the end of the program, you will submit a short paper on a topic covered during the internship.
12. Mount Sinai’s Medical and Scientific Exploration Program (MSEP)
Location: A combination of virtual learning and in-person events at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
Cost: Free
Program dates: July 7 – August 9
Application deadline: February 16
Eligibility: High school students attending an NYC public school or charter school with a demonstrated interest in biomedical sciences. Students must also be an underrepresented minority and/or economically disadvantaged
A largely virtual program, Mount Sinai’s Medical and Scientific Exploration Program allows high school students to learn the basics of medicine while getting an introduction to all the various sub-fields and career pathways in the field. As a participant, you will explore a different laboratory or clinical department each week through live video sessions, case studies, discussions, and interaction with faculty members. This is a solid way to understand all the different roles available under the umbrella of medicine while also learning basic concepts like cellular and molecular biology.
13. RIT’s Health Care Careers Exploration Program
Location: Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
Cost: $850
Program dates: July 26-31
Application deadline: April 30
Eligibility: Deaf and hard-of-hearing students who are entering 10th, 11th or 12th grade in the fall
RIT’s Health Care Careers Exploration Program is a medical summer program for students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. This is a residential program that dives into a different area of healthcare each day, including fields like biology, exercise science, microbiology, nursing, nutrition, and more. You will learn through a combination of medical demonstrations, hands-on lab work, group discussions, and field trips. You will also get CPR/First Aid certified. The program also offers the option to receive a $1,000 scholarship and an application fee waiver when enrolling at RIT.
14. Health Scholars Program at Maimonides Medical Center
Location: Maimonides Medical Center, New York, NY
Cost: Unpaid
Program dates: Various rotation dates available from April to June
Application deadline: Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years of age
The Maimonides Medical Center gives high school and college students the chance to work in the hospital’s Emergency Department. As an intern, you will spend 3 months working with a team of healthcare providers, observing their work, assisting with patient care, and learning the fundamentals of clinical medicine. You will also rotate through various sectors of the ED, such as the adult ED and pediatric ED. Sometimes, interns even get to participate in the department’s ongoing research projects.
15. SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University’s Brooklyn Scholar Athletes with Academic Goals Program
Location: SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY
Cost: Free. Stipends are provided but the amount has not been specified
Program dates: June 25 – July 25
Application deadline: February 2
Eligibility: High school students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Preference is given to sophomores, juniors, and seniors
The Brooklyn Scholar Athlete with Academic Goals (BK-SWAG) Program is aimed at high school students who are interested in the intersection between healthcare and sports. The program explores various healthcare professions and how they align with sports, using a combination of lessons, workshops, field trips, clinical shadowing, and college tours. You will also meet with leaders in healthcare and have the opportunity to get a CPR certificate. You can find more information here.
Image source – SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University