Neurology High School Scholars Program
The Neurology High School Scholars Program is resuming in 2024!
About the program
The Neurology High School Scholars Program offers the opportunity for high school students to complete a five-week paid internship ($1,000 stipend). The internship involves working closely with a neurologist or neuroscientist on a basic science or clinical research project, shadowing physicians in clinic, and attending a weekly educational session with the cohort. Work hours will be determined between the student and mentor based on project needs. At the end of the five weeks, students will prepare a poster presentation outlining their project results and present the poster at a conference.
The program will run for 5 weeks from July 7, 2024 to Aug 9, 2024 with a poster presentation showcasing the work set for Aug 15, 2024.
Application details
The application period for the 2024 season will open on February 2, 2024 and will close on March 1, 2024. THERE WILL BE NO EXTENSIONS. The application involves writing 2 short essays (500 words) and submitting information to obtain two letters of recommendation from mentors. Top candidates for the program will be invited for an in-person interview before final selection.
Anyone applying must be a current high school sophomore, junior, or senior and must be 16 years of age by the start of the program. Applicants are not required to live in Philadelphia, however, they must have the means to travel to and from CHOP up to 5 days per week. Selected students will be required to pass non-traditional personnel clearances (including, but not limited to: immunizations, FBI fingerprinting, child abuse clearances, and other background checks). There may be research and other training requirements, depending on the student project. Eligible students will be required to attend the program at CHOP's Main Campus during scheduled work hours. Students must be sophomores, juniors or seniors, and must be 16 years of age at the start of the internship.
Applications can be submitted here starting on Friday, February 2, 2024.
If you have any questions about the program, please feel free to contact the Administrative Director for Neuroscience Research, Samantha Ferrante, at ferrante@chop.edu.
Past high school scholars projects
- Owen Oliver, Alexandra J Borst, MD, Allison Britt MS LCGC, Elizabeth Goldmuntz MD, Shih-Shan Lang Chen MD, Stephanie Fuller MD, Arastoo Vossough MD PhD, Lauren Beslow MD MSCE: “Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia-like Phenotypes of Children with GDF2 Mutation.”
- Sarmarth Mannikeri, Shiva Ganesan, Ingo Helbig: “Decoding the Exome: Unveiling Genetic Insights through Computational Analysis.”
- Venkat Devabhakthuni, Brenda Banwell, Phil Kaplan, Eleonora Grasso: “Quantitative Assessment of Choroid Plexus Volume in Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Patients.”
- Aarohi Deshpande: “Telemedicine is a Preferred Patient Care Modality for Spanish-Only Speaking Families Seen in the Pediatric Neurology Outpatient Clinic.”
- Zoe Heifetz, John Brandsema, MD: “Efgartigimod Alfa-Fcab (Vyvgart™) and General Myasthenia Gravis.”
- Prima Rao, David R. Lynch MD, PhD: “Friedreich’s Ataxia Progression Between Siblings.”
- Emiola Enakhimion, Ashley Bach MD, Sonika Agarwal MD: “Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum: Outcomes, Associated Malformations & Trends in Diagnosis Over Time.”