Mentored Summer Research Program in Health Services Research for High School, College, and Medical School Students

UH Research & Education Update | September 2024

This summer, the UH Health Services Research Center (HSRC) launched a 6-week mentored research program for high school, college, and medical school students to strengthen the pathway for the next generation of health services researchers. The HSRC awarded the students who completed the program with a certificate of participation and a stipend of $1,500 for high school and $2,500 for college and medical school students.

The inaugural cohort, which included four high school, four college, and two medical school students, was a testament to our commitment to diversity. We strongly encouraged students from underrepresented groups in science and medicine, first-generation college students, and those with limited access to medical research at their current institutions to apply. Special efforts were made to reach out to these groups, ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to participate in this program.

Samudragupta Bora, PhD, founding director of the UH Health Services Research Center, proudly states, "This is a competitive program, with only 20% of applicants accepted this year. Although this was our first year, we received a record number of applications, demonstrating the program's unique characteristics in comparison to other summer research programs. We received constructive feedback from our cohort, which will allow us to deliver an even better program next year, giving us hope for an even more successful future."

The program consisted of lectures, group discussions, guided learning, and expert Q&As. One of the highlights was meeting with a leader from the World Health Organization's headquarters in Geneva. During the last three weeks, the cohort completed individual research projects, acquiring new skills in spatial epidemiology and creating a scientific poster to disseminate their findings. The students researched topics such as asthma prevalence, poverty status and overdose mortality, female breast cancer among various ethnic groups, diabetic prevalence and food deserts, HPV vaccine coverage by state political affiliation, and SNAP benefits and obesity outcomes.