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 are paid a salary of approximately $4,000 (before taxes). Students start the program on either May 26th 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.

Application opens mid November and close on February 1st.