Program Description

The Summer Scholars Program is a mentored research internship offered by Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters (CHKD) and Macon and Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at ODU in Norfolk, Virginia. This competitive summer program is open to college seniors (rising or graduating) and first- or second-year graduate or medical students who are exploring potential careers in medical, biomedical, public health or behavioral research.

Program dates are:

 Monday, June 2, 2025 - Thursday, July 31, 2025.

The Summer Scholars Program Student Application Form must be completed by January 31, 2025.

Five basic research areas

Laboratory

These projects are offered by the school's faculty and typically require prior laboratory experience and knowledge of basic laboratory procedures. Topic areas may include obesity/diabetes, reproductive health, cancer, cardiovascular health, neuroscience, and inflammatory disease.

Clinical Medicine/Quality Improvement

These projects are offered by CHKD physicians and may involve chart review or patient/parent interviews in topics such as obesity, diabetes, maternal and infant health, oncology, autism, allergies, psychiatry, and other health-related fields impacting children and adults.

Behavioral Health

Projects in this category are offered by faculty in partnership with physicians. These projects may involve chart review, patient interviews, or behavior observation in topics such as substance abuse, mental health or wellness promotion.

Educational Research

These projects offered by the school's faculty members may involve systematic literature review, student or faculty surveys and interviews, curriculum development or change, or educational program evaluation.

Community and Public Health

These projects are offered by the CHKD faculty focused on regional/international communities and may involve community member interviews, population level data collection and surveys. Topics include health disparities, environmental exposures, population health, disease prevention, and health policy and wellness promotion.

Eligibility

Students eligible for this program:

• Undergraduates: Students entering their senior undergraduate year for the Fall 2025 term, or students graduating before June 1, 2025.
• Graduate or Medical Students: Students entering their first or second year of graduate or medical school for the Fall 2025 term.
• Students who have completed their senior undergraduate year (or post-baccalaureate courses) and are preparing to apply to graduate or medical school in the near future. Former Summer Scholars are welcome to apply but will not be given priority acceptance.

Time commitment

Students are expected to be available full-time (approximately 40 hours per week) for the duration of the program. While there are typically no program commitments during weekends or EVMS holidays, we understand that personal matters may arise. If a student anticipates needing more than two (2) consecutive days off during the Summer Scholars Program, we kindly ask that they discuss and submit a written request (via email) to their mentor prior to accepting the program offer. This request should outline what days will be missed and how any missed responsibilities will be made up during the program period.

Once an agreement is reached, we ask that a copy be sent to the Summer Scholars team at vhssummerscholars@odu.edu.      

Students are responsible for their own housing in the Norfolk area. Summer Scholars will provide rental leads from students who are willing to lease or share their apartments. Most of these rentals are within walking distance of our campus.

Stipend

Students receive a $2,800 stipend.

Additional requirements

In addition to a research project, students will be required to:

• Participate in a lecture series on various aspects of conducting and presenting research
• Give an oral research presentation under the mentor’s guidance
• Write a scientific abstract describing their research
• Present a poster of project outcomes at the closing reception