Summer Internship Program
The 2024 SIP program will take place Sunday, May 26th – Saturday, August 3th.
Applications for 2024 SIP will open on November 1, 2023 and close 11:59pm on February 1, 2024.
Program Overview
The Summer Internship Program (SIP) provides experience in biomedical and/or public health research to current undergraduate students from all backgrounds - including students from racial/ethnic groups underrepresented in science and medicine, students from low-income/underserved backgrounds, and students with disabilities. The program provides research exposure for those interested in potential careers in science, medicine, and public health.
Benefits
Participants gain both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in research, scientific experimentation, and other scholarly investigations under the close guidance of faculty or research mentors. SIP students take part in a range of professional and career development activities, networking events, and research discussions. Students also can present their work in oral or poster format at the conclusion of the program. In addition, SIP students often go on to present their summer research at national conferences throughout the year.
The program runs approximately ten weeks and student stipends range from $3,000 - $5,500. Housing is provided at no cost to participants.
Overall, SIP interns can expect an experience similar to that of a first-year graduate student who does a three-month rotation in a laboratory. SIP interns become acquainted with their lab’s scope exploration and investigative techniques. Before arrival, each SIP intern receives several papers related to their specific research project. Interns are assigned their own lab project, and the goal of the project and its relationship to other work in the area will be discussed. Participants also receive training in the techniques necessary to conduct their research activity. The projects that SIP students take on provide students a sense of ownership of their work. Besides daily interactions with others at the lab or project site, most teams have a more formal meeting once or twice a week to discuss research problems, work progress and developments reported in the scientific literature. While the focus of each research site varies, all are composed of highly dedicated mentors who are fully devoted to the professional development, advancement, and success of our SIP scholars.
This summer internship program requires a full-time commitment. It is not permissible to take academic classes or hold other employment during the internship. Students are required to participate for the full period of the program.
The Complete Application
There are multiple divisions of SIP, each providing a unique experience. Applying is free, there is no cost to the applicant. To apply to a SIP division, you will need:
- Two letters of recommendation (faculty and/or research mentors preferred)
- Transcripts for each undergraduate institution attended (transcripts can be unofficial)
- Current CV or resume
- Personal Statement*
- (CSM-SIP applicants only) Proof of family income
*The personal statement should be no longer than 1.5 pages, single-spaced using at least an 11-point font. There is no particular prompt for personal statements, but we encourage you to tell us more about yourself. For example: why you want or need to do summer research; the career goal(s) you have in mind; why you're motivated or interested in this type of career; what traits make you a good fit for a potential career in research; any past research experience (hypothesis? what you did/did it work? what you learned about this topic or yourself); and what kind of mentoring you would most benefit from during this experience at Hopkins.
The deadline to apply is 11:59pm on February 1, 2024. SIP divisions will inform applicants of admissions decisions by March 15th of the year that they are applying, though some divisions release decisions earlier than that date. For more information, contact us at [email protected].
Summer Internship Program Opportunities
There are 15 distinct research opportunities available under the SIP umbrella. Each branch of the Summer Internship Program is administered separately and supports different stipend levels, with some additional tailoring of program content to fit each division’s focus. You may apply to up to three divisions.
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BSIP-SIP in the Dean-funded “umbrella program” of the Summer Internship Program divisions, incorporating opportunities research in all our basic science departments: Biological Chemistry; Biomedical Engineering; Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry; Chemistry/Biology interface; Cell Biology; Molecular Biology and Genetics; Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology; Neuroscience; Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences; and Physiology.
Past BSI-SIP Scholars have participated in a broad array of projects from molecular and cellular analysis of the aquaporin water channels, molecular genetic basis of Down syndrome, genomics, neurobiology of disease, applications of polymeric biomaterials to drug delivery, gene therapy, and tissue engineering.
On top of an experience filled with substantive hands-on research, program activities include one-on-one mentorship from current graduate student mentors, journal club participation, and a range of professional development workshops and seminars on topics that include preparation for graduate studies and navigation of scientific careers. The program concludes with presentations by BSI-SIP scholars at a closing research symposium.
In addition to the opportunities mentioned above, BSI-SIP has affiliated sub-programs focused on neuroscience and/or translational research. Students participating in these programs will be invited to BSI-SIP programming and housed with BSI-SIP students, while also enjoying some additional field-specific programming:
NeuroSIP and KavliSIP
Summer interns in the NeuroSIP program are hosted in laboratories of the primary faculty of the Department of Neuroscience. Please see the departmental website for brief descriptions of the projects of previous NeuroSIP interns. KavliSIP summer interns are hosted in the laboratories of the Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute at Johns Hopkins (Kavli NDI). Kavli NDI bridges neuroscience, physics, data science, computational neuroscience and engineering to solve the mysteries of the brain. KavliSIP supports summer internships for undergraduate students considering graduate studies in neuroscience, engineering, data science and related areas. In addition to general SIP programming, KavliSIP and NeuroSIP students enjoy neuroscience-focused programming and other content designed to help them delve deeper into this exciting field of study.
Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE)
Summer interns in the SURE program will join labs at the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins to perform research in prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and kidney cancer. As basic research labs within a clinical department, students will be involved in research that can directly impact how patients are treated, known as “translational research.” In addition to their research experience and SIP programming, interns will also have the option to interact with clinicians, including opportunities to shadow Urologists in the operating room, Medical Oncologists in clinic, and explore other basic, translational, and clinical research careers and observe how clinical observations can influence research being done at the bench. The SURE program was founded to provide research opportunities to undergraduate researchers in an academic environment that would not typically be available to them with the hope to provide an avenue to achieve their goals or dreams. The program strongly encourages applications from students who are first-generation college students, come from disadvantaged economical statuses, and students from racial and ethnic groups historically underrepresented in science.
BSI-SIP, SURE, NeuroSIP and KavliSIP eligibility
All BSI-SIP applicants must have a demonstrated interest in the pursuit of graduate study toward a PhD or MD-PhD degree. BSI-SIP applicants must have completed at least two years of college by the start of the summer program. BSI-SIP is open to US citizens, permanent residents, and international students currently enrolled in college in the United States.
SURE scholars should have an interest in cancer and/or urology-related research, and have some curiosity about in the intersection of clinical care and benchwork (commonly referred to as translational research). SURE applicants must have completed at least two years of college by the start of the summer program and must be US citizens or permanent residents to apply.
The NeuroSIP and KavliSIP programs prefer candidates on the PhD track, without an interest in pursuing clinical medicine. Students applying to NeuroSIP or KavliSIP must have completed at least one year of college by the start of the program and must be US citizens or permanent residents to apply.
Students interested in being considered for SURE, NeuroSIP or KavliSIP must choose BSI-SIP on their application and then select the SURE, NeuroSIP and/or KavliSIP options when they appear. You will still be considered for the BSI-SIP parent program as well.
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The Careers in Science and Medicine Summer Internship Program is the undergraduate component of the Johns Hopkins Initiative for Careers in Science and Medicine. The CSM Initiative seeks to partner with scholars from low-income and educationally under-resourced backgrounds to help them build the accomplishments, skills, network, and support necessary to achieve advanced careers in biomedical research, clinical medicine, public health, nursing, and/or STEM professions. Scholars spend 10 weeks conducting high level research with a faculty mentor, and receiving guidance on financial planning, graduate school applications, and career exploration while enjoying lunches and other events with faculty specializing in a wide variety of science and health related areas of study.
In addition to the opportunities described above in the parent program, CSM-SIP has an affiliated sub-program that allows students to do research in labs affiliated with the Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (MMI) department in the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Summer Interns in CSM-SIP-MMI can expect to work on projects ranging from characterizing mechanisms of host-pathogen responses, to examining malarial life-stages for therapeutic development, including analysis of viral evolution leading to epidemics and pandemics, and therapeutic development exploiting antibodies and conjugate vaccines. Centering around immunology, immunological responses to pathogens, and the basic characterization of microbes, research in the MMI department bridges many disciplines and aims to prepare students for futures as physicians, clinical researchers, and other STEM public health and research professions. CSM-SIP-MMI interns work with MMI faculty, post-docs, and graduate students and receive additional mentoring from MMI faculty.
CSM-SIP and CSM-SIP-MMI Eligibility
To be considered low-income for our program, your household or family income must be under 200% of the federal poverty limit, which is defined in part by the number of members in the household. We require applicants upload the first 2 pages of their family’s 2021 or 2022 tax return in order to verify you meet income guidelines (feel free to remove social security numbers when you upload) or two consecutive pay stubs. If providing tax returns or pay stubs is prohibitive, please contact us at [email protected].Eligible scholars must also be educationally under-resourced, and can meet this eligibility requirement by fitting any ONE of the following criteria: (a) first-generation college student, or (b) from a single-parent household, or (c) attended (or would have attended, based on where you lived) a high school where the majority of students are from low-income households, or (d) have a diagnosed physical, mental, or learning-related disability. There are additional ways to meet this eligibility; to discuss, please contact the SIP team at [email protected].
Students also must have completed at least one year of college by the start of the summer program and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to qualify.
Students interested in being considered for the CM-SIP-MMI sub-program must choose CSM-SIP on their application and then select the MMI option when it appears.
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This program, through the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a leading international authority on public health, is dedicated to protecting health and saving lives. Every day, the School works to keep millions around the world safe from illness and injury by pioneering new research, deploying its knowledge and expertise in the field, and educating tomorrow’s scientists and practitioners in the global defense of human life. At the Bloomberg School of Public Health, you will be mentored by some of the world’s leading authorities on public health issues. Some of our major research initiatives are in these areas: improving the health of women and children; identifying determinants of behavior and developing communication programs to promote healthy lifestyles; protecting our nation from bioterrorism; preventing and controlling AIDS; reducing the incidence and severity of injuries; elucidating the causes and treatment for mental disorders; preventing chronic diseases (heart diseases, stroke, cancer, diabetes); improving the health of adolescents; preventing and treating substance abuse; assessing the effect of environmental toxins on human health; making water safe and available for the world’s population; assessing the health needs of disadvantaged populations (rural, urban, refugees, US ethnic groups); and developing methods to better understand, manage and finance health care. Your research opportunity may take place in a laboratory, health department, clinic, office, or in a community setting.
DSIP Eligibility
Students must have completed two years of college by the start of the summer program and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to apply. Preference is given to students who have one or two years of undergraduate study remaining and seniors who have applied to a graduate program in the Bloomberg School of Public Health.
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Generation Tomorrow and the Johns Hopkins Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) are pleased to host Generation Tomorrow: Summer Health Disparity Scholars. The program is intended for undergraduate students interested in HIV and/or hepatitis C virus (HCV) health disparities and their intersection with substance use (addiction and overdose), violence, mental health, and the social determinants of health. The program will offer mentorship and training in HIV/HCV education, testing, and counseling; health disparities, cultural competence, and harm reduction. Through a lecture series, the program will also explore the intersection of HIV and/or HCV health disparities with the areas defined above. This program will have a special focus on undergraduate students interested in nursing, public health, science, and medicine. The program will consist of the following components:
- Intensive HIV and HCV testing and counseling training
- Biweekly lecture series
- Health disparities related research (clinical, health services, biomedical) with a designated faculty mentor
- Community-based outreach
GT-SIP Eligibility
The Generation Tomorrow division has a special focus on undergraduate students interested in nursing, public health, science, and medicine. Students must have completed at least one year of college by the start of the summer program and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to apply.
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Established in 1995, the mission of the Berman Institute of Bioethics is to “identify and address key ethical issues in science, clinical care, and public health, locally and globally.” The Berman Institute trains and mentors future leaders in bioethics through programs such as the undergraduate minor in bioethics, the Master of Bioethics Program, the Ph.D. concentration in bioethics and health policy, and the Johns Hopkins-Fogarty African Bioethics Training Program. The goal ofthe Genomics and Society Mentorship Program (GSMP)is to broaden the diversity of Ethical, Legal and Social Implication (ELSI) researchers in the interest of equity, ultimately enriching ELSI scholarship by giving trainees opportunities to learn skills, be exposed to the range of possible training and career options in ELSI research, and with the guidance of a faculty mentor, work on issues in genomics and society. Summer trainees will be offered two types of formal, didactic research education opportunities: the first is a workshop/seminar designed specifically for them and their cohort; and the second is the opportunity to take foundational courses in the Berman Institute’s existing Summer Institute. These are in addition to those activities available to all SIP students, such as weekly journal club and the bimonthly seminars and professional development sessions. By the end of summer, students will be expected to be able to identify morally relevant issues in science, medicine, research and public health, and to engage in sound reasoning about those issues. Participants will develop these core skills through exposure to foundational bioethics methodologies, the application of those skills and methodologies to important historical and contemporary cases, and to participants’ own interests. Following the summer internship, the program will continue, remotely, until the following summer, with quarterly cohort meetings and mentorship and career development opportunities.
GSMP Eligibility
Applicants must be full-time college students, who will have completed at least one full year of collegiate study by the start of the program. Recent college graduates are not eligible to apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
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Opportunities in the Institute for Cell Engineering (ICE) on one of our four program areas: Vascular Biology, Stem Cell Biology, Immunology or Neuroregeneration. Program participants may participate in a broad array of projects from computational biology, gene regulatory networks, immune system development, lymphoid malignancies, molecular and cellular mechanisms of oxygen regulation, molecular and cellular signals controlling neurodegeneration, neurogenesis, single cell biology, stem cell modeling, gene and stem cell therapies, MRI cell tracking techniques, or stem cell engineering. The rich environment and guidance by our faculty helps prepare students for successful careers as independent research scientists. Interns are expected to participate in all student related activities in ICE, conduct research and write a small progress report at the end of their internship or present their work in a poster session at the end of the program. This is a ten-week program that includes housing and a stipend.
FARMS Eligibility
Students must have completed two years of college by the start of the summer program and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to apply. The FARMS program is looking for at least a 3.8 GPA and focusing on students that do not have access to in-depth research at their current institution.
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Founded in 2005, the mission of the Institute for Computational Medicine is to develop mechanistic computational models of disease, personalize these models using data from individual patients, and apply them to improve disease diagnosis and treatment. ICM researchers work in four different application areas. Computational Molecular Medicine seeks to understand the function of highly interconnected molecular networks in health and disease. This knowledge is applied to enhance discovery of molecular disease networks, detection of disease, discrimination among disease subtypes, prediction of clinical outcomes, and characterization of disease progression. Computational Physiological Medicine seeks to develop highly integrative mechanistic models of biological systems in disease, spanning from the levels of cells to tissues and organs. These models are personalized using patient data and apply them to improve disease diagnosis and treatment. Computational Anatomy is an interdisciplinary area of research focused on quantitative analysis of variability in biological shapes in health and disease. It is applied to imaging data to develop anatomic biomarkers for disease diagnosis. Computational Healthcare analyzes large-scale data sets from the electronic health record to discover new ways of improving individualized patient care.
The twenty ICM core faculty are appointed in departments of the Whiting School of Engineering, School of Medicine, and the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Our interdisciplinary labs offer students the opportunity to work with faculty in these four different research areas. Opportunities exist to work on computational, as well as combined computational and experimental/clinical studies. At the end of the summer, the student will present their work at a university-wide poster session. This internship provides a unique opportunity to gain research experience in the emerging discipline of computational medicine and would be of great benefit to those interested in pursuing graduate research in this area or in attending medical school.
ICM Eligibility
The Institute for Computational Medicine is dedicated to providing opportunities to students that are underrepresented in STEM. This internship is in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative and will have a special focus on students currently attending an HBCU or MSI. Please click here to see the complete list of eligible universities and colleges.
Students must have completed at least one year of college by the start of the summer program and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to apply. Students majoring in computer science, engineering, mathematics, chemistry, biology and/or biophysics are eligible. While not required, we seek candidates with some combination of experiences in scientific or academic research (C++/Python/*nix/databases, software engineering, object-oriented programming, and/or collaborative development).
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The INBT has a unique model for training researchers at the interface of nanoscience, engineering, biology, and medicine to uncover new knowledge and create innovative technologies. Our laboratories are interdisciplinary and offer students research opportunities in both the physical sciences/engineering and biological sciences/medicine. We recruit students from many undergraduate majors including biology, bioengineering, biomedical engineering, biophysics, cell biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, material science and engineering, and physics. Students in the program are co-advised by faculty and senior lab personnel, and work on current graduate level projects in various research areas such as nanotechnology, biomaterials, nanoparticles, microfabrication, tissue engineering, stem cells, drug delivery, particle synthesis, lab-on-chip devices, and cancer research.
During the program, students conduct research, attend educational and professional development seminars, and participate in social activities. At the end of the summer participants create a PowerPoint and poster of their research to present to the INBT community and at a university-wide symposium. The program’s goal is to give undergraduates a true perspective of graduate research with the hope that the experience will inspire pursuits of a PhD. The sponsor, National Science Foundation, provides housing, travel, and a stipend.
INBT-REU Eligibility
Students must have completed one year of college (i.e., freshman) and be a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident to apply.
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The Johns Hopkins NeuroHIV Comorbidities Scholars Program (JHNeurophytes) aims to recruit and train highly qualified first or second year undergraduate students in STEM degree programs from across the nation with special emphasis on those who reside in regions where the incidence/prevalence of HIV/AIDS infection is high or has newly appeared.
For 10 weeks during the summer, on a multi-year basis, trainees will have the opportunity at JHU to learn about and/or engage in leading edge hands-on basic, translational, clinical or computational research in a vast array of specialties including: HIV-neuropathogenesis; stress/inflammation and HIV cognition, neuroHIV and CNS reservoir, neuroHIV and drug abuse, neuroHIV and comorbidities of aging, analytical concepts in Big Data, bioinformatics, and computational neuroscience. By program completion, successful undergraduate trainees will have completed several oral podium and poster presentations at scientific conferences on and off of campus, and made contributions toward scientific publications. Combined with a program of professional development and mentorship sessions, our trainees will have gained, developed and strengthened their science: -skills, -identity, and -self-efficacy to succeed in an academic research or clinician-research career pathway. Our long-term goal is to strengthen pathways to the biomedical workforce focused on research and clinical care at the interface of HIV-neurologic dysfunction and associated comorbidities. Additionally, alumni will have developed competencies to address ongoing and emerging threats to human health and well-being.
JHNeurophytes Eligibility:
Students eligible for the program must be U.S. citizens or legal residents who will be accepted into or are enrolled in a nationally accredited college or university by the beginning of the program (graduating high school seniors, 1st or 2nd year undergraduates). To promote a diverse pool of applicants and selected scholars, we strongly encourage individuals from the following groups to apply: students who are underrepresented in STEM, female students, students who identify as LGBTQ+, first-generation college students, students with a disability, or students from an economically disadvantaged background, as described in Notice of NIH's Interest in Diversity. -
The Neuroscience Scholars Program focuses on providing mentorship along with a high quality research experience for undergraduates from underrepresented and/or deaf or hard-of-hearing (D/HH) backgrounds that are interested in pursuing research-based PhD or MD/PhD programs in the neurosciences. JHNSP will help students navigate two critical transition periods: from high school to college, and from college to graduate school. Participants also enjoy yearlong contact with our community of mentors and colleagues.
For 10 weeks during the summer, trainees will have the opportunity at JHU to learn about and/or engage in leading edge hands-on basic, translational, clinical or computational research in a vast array of specialties including: neuropathogenesis of disease; neuroinflammation, neurological basis of mental health, drug abuse and cognitive impairments, CNS biochemistry, analytical concepts in Big Data, bioinformatics, and computational neuroscience, and more. By program completion, successful undergraduate trainees will have completed several oral podium and poster presentations at scientific conferences on and off of campus, and made contributions toward scientific publications. Combined with a program of professional development and mentorship sessions, our trainees will have gained, developed and strengthened their science: -skills, -identity, and -self-efficacy to succeed in an academic research or clinician-research career pathway. Our long-term goal is to strengthen pathways to the biomedical workforce to increase diversity of thought and insight, as well as support our scholars’ long-term engagement in neuroscience research. Additionally, alumni will have developed competencies to address ongoing and emerging threats to human health and well-being.
JHNSP Eligibility:
Students eligible for the program must be U.S. citizens or legal residents who will be accepted into or are enrolled in a nationally accredited college or university by the beginning of the program (graduating high school seniors, 1st or 2nd year undergraduates). To promote a diverse pool of applicants and selected scholars, we strongly encourage individuals from the following groups to apply: students who are underrepresented in STEM, female students, students who identify as LGBTQ+, first-generation college students, students who are deaf/hard of hearing or with another disability, or students from an economically disadvantaged background, as described in Notice of NIH's Interest in Diversity. -
Students in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (PCCM) division work on specific research projects under the supervision of an assigned mentor. Projects span a broad range of research, from the basic science of endothelial or epithelial cell biology to asthma epidemiology. In addition to the research experience, students participate in a weekly journal club during which they present primary research articles to their peers and members of the faculty. Students also attend a seminar series featuring faculty members from Johns Hopkins and the NIH. This forum provides students with the opportunity to interact with faculty members and hear different perspectives on issues related to career development. Students interested in clinical medicine are given the opportunity to “round” with the Johns Hopkins Medicine residents, providing a glimpse of life in clinical medicine as a resident at an academic institution. At the end of the summer, students present their work in a poster session. We hope that through these activities students will gain first-hand knowledge of research and academic medicine, and ultimately pursue careers in the biomedical sciences.
PCCM Eligibility
Students must have completed one year of college by the start of the summer program (i.e., freshman) and be a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident to apply.
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The Rosetta Commons REU program is a cyberlinked program in computational biomolecular structure and design. The Rosetta Commons software library includes algorithms for computational modeling and analysis of protein structures, which has enabled notable scientific advances in computational biology, including de novo protein design, enzyme design, ligand docking and structure prediction of biological macromolecules and macromolecular complexes. Participants in this program are placed in laboratories around the United States and even abroad. The program begins with students spending one week together at Rosetta Code School where they learn the inner details of the Rosetta code and community coding environment. Students spend the next eight weeks at their host laboratory conducting hands-on research in a molecular modeling and design project, developing new algorithms and discovering new science. In the final week students present their research in a poster and connect with Rosetta developers from around the world at the Rosetta Conference.
The sponsor, National Science Foundation, provides housing, travel, a sustenance allowance, and a stipend.
Rosetta REU Eligibility
Current sophomores or juniors majoring in computer science, engineering, mathematics, chemistry, biology and/or biophysics are eligible. While not required, we seek candidates with some combination of experiences in scientific or academic research, C++/Python/*nix/databases, software engineering, object-oriented programming, and/or collaborative development.
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As summer research programs are increasingly competitive, it is advisable to apply to several summer opportunities. We have partnerships with the following non-JHU summer programs that permit you to do your summer research at Johns Hopkins:
- The Leadership Alliance
Leadership Alliance is consortium of 20+ leading research institution around the country. Their Summer Research – Early Identification Program (SR-EIP) is geared towards students who want to pursue PhDs or MD-PhDs. - EntryPoint!
EntryPoint! identifies and recruits students with apparent and non-apparent disabilities studying in science, engineering, mathematics or computer science for outstanding internship and co-op opportunities. - NIDDK STEP-UP
This program funds students for summer research internships at the institution of their choice. - MCHC/RISE-UP
Though not directly under the SIP umbrella, the Maternal Child Health Careers/Research Initiatives for Student Enhancement - Undergraduate Program (MCHC/RISE-UP) allows students with an interest in public health and to do research at Johns Hopkins through the Kennedy Krieger Institute.
- The Leadership Alliance