Education and Training
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

Take Your Research Skills to the Next Level and Discover Biomedical Science Careers

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 10 weeks long. Students work 40 hours per week in person and are paid a salary of $13 per hour. Students start the program on either May 27 or May 29, 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, an introduction to pathology 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.

2024 SURF Program Fellows.

2023 SURF Program Fellows.

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.

*Please note, we ask that you reach out to no more than one to two faculty. If an applicant contacts more than two faculty members their application may not be considered. Please contact, Sherry Thornton, PhD at sherry.thornton@cchmc.org with questions.

Living in Cincinnati

Cincinnati offers fun and exciting things to do. Learn More About Living and Working in Cincinnati.

How to Apply

The online application is planned to open in early November. Learn more about our application process.

Program Details

Education and TrainingSummer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)