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 15 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

The 2017 Summer Internship Program runs from Wednesday, June 14 through Tuesday, August 8, 2017. Interns work part-time (20 hours per week), and are paid a maximum of $1,296 ($8.10/hr). Attendance at Orientation Day on June 14^th is mandatory. Please note that applicants must be graduating from a Cincinnati metropolitan area high school this school year (2017).

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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 an emergency scenario (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 4 offer a combination of clinical research and shadowing. The last 5 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 Oncology - Mariko DeWire-Schottmiller, MD
Neurology/Epilepsy - Jeffrey Tenney, MD, PhD
Sleep Medicine Research / Bioengineering/ Pulmonary Medicine - Raouf Amin, MD
International Adoption/ Infectious Diseases - Mary Allen Staat, MD, MPH

Primarily Research With Some Shadowing

Child and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatry - Drew Barzman, MD
Rheumatology / Lupus, Juvenile Arthritis - Hermine Brunner, MD, MSc, MBA, FAAP, FACR
Neurology / ADHD, Tourette's Clinical Research - Don Gilbert, MD
Cystic Fibrosis Research - Anjaparavanda Naren, PhD
Clinical and Genetic Asthma Research - Melinda Butsch Kovacic, PhD, MPH

Application Process

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Students interested in applying for this program must submit a completed application and provide the requested support information. 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. Please note that completed applications must be received no later than 5pm, Friday, March 17, 2017. No faxes will be accepted and only complete application packets will be considered.

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).

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.

Garrett Johnson working in the lab. Garrett graduated from Beechwood High School and is attending the University of Chicago. He worked in Dr AP Naren’s lab on cystic fibrosis research.

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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.

Patrick McHenry did Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation research with Dr Gilbert in Neurology. He graduated 3rd in his class from Milford HS in 2013, and is currently a Biochemistry major at Miami University.

2017 Summer Internship

We are no longer accepting applications for the 2017 High School Senior Summer Internship Program. Please check back in December for the 2018 application.

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

2016 Summer Interns

2015 Summer Interns

2014 Summer interns

2013 Summer interns

Summer Internship group photo from 2012.

2012 Summer interns

High School Programs