YCCI Exposures Program

The Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI), in collaboration with our Yale Cultural Ambassadors, is offering a voluntary summer research internship, that provides the opportunity for highly motivated high school, undergraduate, and professional students to work with and learn from a multidisciplinary team of scientists, including internationally renowned investigators. Interns in the Exposures program work and learn remotely. The primary aim of our internship program is to train and prepare youth with diverse backgrounds and interests to become future leaders in the realm of clinical and translational research.

In the summer of 2021, the Yale Cultural Ambassadors asked YCCI to consider the development of a summer internship program for high school students age 15 and older and undergraduate students that would spur an interest in healthcare, medicine, and clinical and translational research at a young age. The center received Yale approval for the YCCI Clinical and Translational Research Exposures Summer Pilot Internship Program, a four-week virtual educational experience focused on the areas of technology, mobile apps, patient engagement, disparities, and data science in health care.

During the first two years there were 58 motivated interns selected from a pool of over 1200+ applicants. These young scholars were from 17 different states, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico and for many of the students this was their first internship experience. YCCI leadership continues to work with its community partners to engage young scholars, age 15-21 to be a part of this program.

The internship has provided the opportunity for this group of highly motivated students to work with and learn from a multidisciplinary team of scientists, including internationally renowned investigators and leaders. The program included course work, lectures, journal club, a group project, and virtual lunches with clinical and research leaders.

• Gain knowledge of and exposure to current topics in clinical and translational science, including the basis for common and complex traits and diseases in humans, as well as the integration of mobile technologies to monitor and improve health care.
• Learn more about technology, mobile apps, patient engagement, disparities, and data science within health care.
• Observe the various steps of proposing, designing, undertaking, and analyzing clinical trials, particularly those evaluating telehealth and mobile monitoring of patients with disease.

Based on the intern’s individual interests, he or she will be assigned a primary mentor. It is the mentor’s responsibility to advise and guide the intern with respect to achieving the aims and requirements of the program. The mentor will also provide information and insights regarding career options in health care and clinical research. Although each intern will work primarily with his/her individual mentor, they will meet and interact with other leaders and interns within YCCI. At the end of the internship, each participant will present their final project to a group of institutional and community leaders.

1. Seminar Attendance: Interns will attend weekly seminars and prepare for these seminars accordingly (e.g., read assigned journal articles). They will participate in Clinical Research Brown Bag Roundtable Lunch with Faculty, Clinical Research Journal Club, and Clinical Research Meeting.
2. Research Proposal: Interns, together with their mentors, will each develop an independent research project or participate in a group project to be completed by the end of the internship.
3. Presentation of Research Project: Present results of the independent/group research project during the second half of the internship period at a virtual YCCI Research Meeting, which may include Yale and community leaders and intern’s family/guest. If appropriate, interns may submit abstracts for presentation at a scientific meeting mutually agreed upon by the intern, his/her mentor, and a senior faculty member.

Highly motivated students in high school or college may apply. The primary criterion for admission is an interest to learn more about careers in clinical research or health care.

Please note that high school students must be at least 15 years of age before the start of their internship.

• Candidates will be selected based on enthusiasm and desire to learn more about health care and clinical research.
• After all applications are reviewed, elected applicants will be notified of program acceptance.
• Interns will receive a certificate of completion. Interns may also receive school credit or transcript notation for participation in our summer research internship. Please check with your guidance counselor or department dean about whether this will be possible.

Internship Dates
July 10 - August 3, 2023

Hours
The internship hours will be 10AM – 2PM, Monday – Thursday

Application Deadline
June 1, 2023

Please note: During the summer of 2023 program, all interns will be trained and will work and learn remotely.