Research Education and Training Programs
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center offers undergraduates the chance to explore clinical, translational, and basic science research in laboratories in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The primary goal is to provide students with a foundation for making career choices in the biomedical sciences. Students have the opportunity to work with one of more than 700 faculty members at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, many of whom have active research programs that cover all areas of pediatric medicine, including the study of developmental biology, congenital disorders, genetic diseases, cancer, cardiology, neurology and immunology.

The program is nine or 10 weeks long, depending on the start date. Students work 40 hours per week and are paid a salary of $13 per hour. Students start the program on either May 25th or May 30th, depending on their availability and the approval of their mentor. In addition to hands-on laboratory experience, students participate in various academic and social activities with students from other summer programs at the University of Cincinnati. The SURF Program includes a mentoring workshop, two scientific writing classes, an ethics in research seminar, an introduction to surgery and a career day. At the end of the summer, students have an opportunity to present their research in a poster session, and a lecture is presented by a distinguished keynote speaker.

Currently, the 2023 SURF program is being planned as an onsite program according to schedule. Due to the ongoing circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic the ability to have an onsite program may change at any time. Thus, please be aware that depending on the circumstances, it may be necessary to shift the 2023 SURF program from onsite to voluntary online programming.

The Online Application is planned to be open November 15, 2022. There are revisions being made to the application process and this date may be delayed due to an evolving timeline. We will continue to post updates here.

Program Director
Sherry Thornton, PhD

Research Mentors

More than 700 faculty members conduct research in the Department of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s. Learn More About Research Conducted at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

Living in Cincinnati

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A student presents a research poster to interested onlookers.

How to Apply

The online application is planned to be open November 16, 2022. There are revisions being made to the application process and this date may be delayed due to an evolving timeline. We will continue to post updates here. Learn How To Apply