High School Programs

High School Senior Summer Internship Program

The High School Senior Summer Internship Program at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is an 8-week program in which graduating high school seniors work 20 hours per week with a mentor in one of 10 pediatric clinical specialties. This internship is a paid, part-time position for graduating high school seniors only. The program is very competitive, offering an exciting opportunity for highly motivated students interested in pursuing higher education (MD, PhD, or MD/PhD) to learn more about careers in Medicine and Clinical Research. A letter inviting Cincinnati area graduating seniors to apply is attached here.

Important Details

Interns work part-time (20 hours per week), and are paid a maximum of $1,328 ($8.30/hr). Attendance at Orientation Day is mandatory. Please note that applicants must be a resident in the Cincinnati metropolitan area graduating from high school in 2019.

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The Experience

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All Summer Interns will shadow their primary mentor on rounds and can participate in clinical or research projects (see photos from past summers below). Follow the links to mentor faculty webpages in the box below to help you decide which specialty and faculty mentor you would like to work with. You will be asked to rank the top 4 specialties you are interested in and discuss your reasoning for your ranking in an essay. Faculty are organized under categories of primarily clinical shadowing, a combination of shadowing and research and primarily research. Each summer intern will have a unique experience. Interns also have the option of observing in other specialties (ER, OR, NICU, etc) upon request. All interns attend a weekly group luncheon every Thursday to network with their peers and interact with other specialists. There are also scheduled group activities including an afternoon hands-on training session with computerized simulated pediatric patients in the SIM Center (see photos), a tour of the Radiology Department, and a presentation by the assistant dean for admission at UC College of Medicine on tips for preparing for Medical School admission. At the end of the internship, students present a summary of their unique experiences to the group at the graduation party.

Mentors and Specialties

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Follow the links below to the mentor faculty webpages to help you rank the specialties and faculty mentor you would like to work with. The first 6 specialties offer primarily clinical shadowing. The next 2 offer a combination of clinical research and shadowing. The last 2 are primarily research with some shadowing.

Primarily Clinical Shadowing

General Pediatrics - Thomas DeWitt, MD, FAAP
Neurology / Tuberous Sclerosis - David Franz, MD
Autism Spectrum Disorders - Patty Manning-Courtney, MD
Pediatric Surgery / Trauma - Rebeccah Brown, MD
Pediatric Surgery / General - Jason Frischer, MD
Pediatric Surgery / Trauma - Richard Falcone Jr., MD

Combination of Clinical Research and Shadowing

Pediatric Cancer Treatment and Survival - Adam Nelson, MBBS, FRACP
International Adoption/ Infectious Diseases - Mary Allen Staat, MD, MPH

Primarily Research With Some Shadowing

Cystic Fibrosis Research - Anjaparavanda Naren, PhD
Sleep Medicine Research / Bioengineering/ Pulmonary Medicine - Raouf Amin, MD

Application Process

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Access the online application and upload the following files:

Academic record (official transcript, GPA, and class rank through fall semester, 2018
All standard test scores (SAT and ACT preferred, PSAT scores not necessary).
Resume featuring leadership in extracurricular activities, community service, and employment. Evidence of leadership is an important part of the selection criteria.
Student essay: Please upload a one page or less essay on why you want to participate in the program, including how you decided on your ranking of clinical specialty areas of interest. (We make every effort to match interns with their specialty of greatest interest.)

Please have two references send their support letters evaluating student’s scientific potential, maturity, and responsibility directly to:

Lisa Higgins
Children’s Hospital Medical Center, MLC 4000
3333 Burnet Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45229
lisa.higgins@cchmc.org

This is a highly competitive program. We had over 90 applications last year and the average ACT score of the students accepted into the program was 33. In addition to excellence in academics we look for evidence of leadership potential.

How to Reach Us

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Interested students with questions about the application process should call Lisa Higgins at 513-803-0781 (Lisa.Higgins@cchmc.org). For questions about summer programs contact the program director, Cindy Bachurski, PhD 513-636-8918 (Cindy.Bachurski@cchmc.org).

Nisha Giridharan receiving her certificate from Dr. Straus at the final graduation party. Nisha graduated at the top of her class from William Mason HS and shadowed Dr. Marc Levitt in Colorectal Surgery in 2010. She earned a BS in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology and a BA in Journalism from Emory University. Nisha is now a medical student at UC College of Medicine.

Alissa Wuorinen worked with Dr Mary Staat in International Adoption/Infectious Diseases. She graduated Valedictorian from Finneytown HS in 2017, and is now a Biomedical Sciences major (Music and Neuroscience minors) at Marquette University.

Lily Rodgers receiving her certificate from Dr. Strauss. Lily graduated from Covington Latin HS in 2010, and was mentored by Dr. Sue Rose in the Division of Endocrinology. She earned a BS in Biology from Notre Dame in 2014, and is now finishing Medical School at the UK College of Medicine and will be a MedPeds resident in 2018.

Alexandra (Alex) Stevens’ action photo in the operating room. Alex graduated as Valedictorian from Mother of Mercy High School and shadowed Dr. Becky Brown in 2017. She is now studying Biomedical Engineering at the University of South Carolina.

Stuart Nicholas worked with Dr. Melinda Butsch-Kovacic in the Division of Asthma Research. He graduated in the top of his class from Scott High School in 2017, and is now an Engineering/preMed major at UK.

Erin Roberts graduated from the Biomedical Sciences Academy of Kenton County and participated in several clinical research and outreach projects with Dr. Melinda Butsch Kovacic. She is now a pre-Veterinary Medicine major at Purdue University and plans to pursue a DVM/PhD.

Samantha Gilbert graduated from St Ursula Academy and worked with Dr Falcone in Surgery. She is now a Biochemistry major at the Ohio State University in the Honors Program with the career goal of being a pediatric surgeon.

Arjun Sheth learning about the MEG scanner. Arjun graduated from Indian Hill High School and is attending Stanford University. He worked with Dr Douglas Rose in Acute Care Neurology.

Dan Magas graduated as Valedictorian from Turpin HS and is currently attending the Ohio State University. He worked with Dr DeWitt in General Pediatrics shadowing in the PPC and several area clinics and working on a clinical research project.

Group luncheon series offers a chance to hear about other medical specialties. One of the luncheons includes tips on how to prepare for the medical school application process.

One of the Summer Internship group activities is hands-on training with the computerized pediatric simulators.

Ayrenne intubating a pediatric simulator.

Ayrenne Adams intubating the pediatric simulator in the summer of 2006. This was the first year that this activity was added to the program. Ayrenne graduated Salutatorian from Summit Country Day HS and interned in General and Community Pediatrics. Ayrenne is currently an MD/MPH student a Emory University School of Medicine.

Working with the simulators is a great team building activity. Everyone gets a chance to participate.

Rohan Soman modeling a vest used in the pulmonary clinic. Rohan graduated from Lakota West HS in 2008 and attended Johns Hopkins University. He worked on a sleep medicine research project during his internship with Dr Amin. Rohan is currently an MD/PhD student at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Rebecca Kim working on the fluorescent microscope. Rebecca graduated from Indian Hill HS and worked in Dr Bissler’s lab in 2008. She earned a BA in Biochemistry at Northwestern and is currently a PhD student in Genetics at UCSF.

Dr Strauss presenting a certificate to Gabriel De Vela at the graduation party. Dr. Strauss, former chair of Pediatrics, is supportive of all of the Cincinnati Children’s outreach programs. Gabe graduated from Sycamore HS in 2009, obtained a BS from Notre Dame and is currently a medical student at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

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Dr. Patty Manning-Courtney with her intern, Kelly Kraemer. Kelly graduated in the top 5% of her class from Seton HS in 2014 and is now a Psychology major at the College of Holy Cross.

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Dr. Nathan Timm being “treated” by his intern, Derek Shu. Derek was Valedictorian of his class from Mason HS in 2014 and is currently attending Duke University.

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Troy Sterling graduated as Valedictorian from Simon Kenton HS and interned in Dr Jason Frischer’s OR in the summer of 2014. He is currently a Biology/ pre-Med major at the Univ of Louisville.

Dr Rebeccah Brown in action with her intern, Claire Albertz. Claire graduated from Princeton HS in 2013 and is now an Engineering student at Purdue. We offer 3 different surgical specialty internships. You must be 18 years old to enter the operating room.

2019 Summer Internship

The application for the 2019 Summer Internship program will open in December 2018.

Contact Us

Interested students with questions about the application process should contact:
Lisa Higgins
513-803-0781
lisa.higgins@cchmc.org

For questions about summer programs contact:
Cindy Bachurski, PhD
Program Director
513-636-8918
cindy.bachurski@cchmc.org

2017 Summer interns

2016 Summer Interns

2015 Summer Interns

2014 Summer interns

2013 Summer interns

High School Programs