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Undergraduate Summer Research Program

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine’s Center of Excellence (COE) program, funded by HRSA COE, United States Department of Health and Human Services, will offer an eight-week summer research program for undergraduate sophomore or junior students from underrepresented backgrounds who are interested in attending medical school. Participants will gain experience in clinical, biomedical or community research projects, along with valuable information in planning for medical school, academic strategies, MCAT test preparation strategies, medical lectures, mentoring from medical students, poster presentations, the opportunity for publication and shadowing.

Dates: June 3 – July 26, 2019

Eligibility: Federal COE guidelines have identified several underrepresented groups in medicine as recipients of this type of program. Eligible students include those from any African-American or Hispanic-Latino background who are currently sophomore or junior students interested in pursuing a medical education and hold at least a 2.5 GPA.

Location: Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM), 525 Pine Street, Scranton, PA 18509

Schedule: The first week of program will include a variety of workshops to prepare students for the experience. After the first week, students can expect to be involved in research for an 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. schedule. Some variations in scheduling may occur to accommodate the needs of the research project. Participants will not have program participation required on July 4 or 5.

Housing: Residential housing will be available at the University of Scranton. Participants will commute from the University of Scranton to GCSOM daily with their own transportation. Meals are not provided in the program. Participants earn a weekly stipend of $300 which will be processed on a monthly basis.

Application requirements:

  • Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements.
  • Online applications can be completed here.
  • One letter of recommendation, along with a recent official transcript from your college, must be emailed to mmurtha@som.geisinger.edu with your first and last name and "UG research applicant" in the email heading.
  • A personal interview will be scheduled with those students who meet the qualifications for the program.
  • Application deadline is March 20, 2019.

Program participant expectations:

  • Attend and participate in all scheduled activities.
  • Meet regularly with research principal investigator and mentors to review assigned research activities. Schedules are determined by research teams.
  • Work with research team to develop a poster presentation and then present research findings for the final event.
  • Serve as a mentor for participants in the high school COE summer program. Discuss career and college planning.

Contact us: For more information, contact Maureen Murtha, program administrator, at mmurtha@som.geisinger.edu.