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Summer Internships

Summer interns from the Laboratory of Dr. Prokunina-Olsson. 

Thank you for your interest in our summer program. The application process for summer 2024 is now closed. Please check this page in mid-November to obtain information on coming programs.

The Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG) offers a summer research internship for students interested in exploring careers in cancer epidemiology, biostatistics, and genetics. The program is open to high school, college, postbaccalaureate masters-level students, and graduate students, including medical and dental students. Successful applicants join the Division for at least eight weeks between May and September and work under the supervision of a Division researcher. This program is part of the NIH Summer Internship Program (SIP) in Biomedical Research.

Internship Benefits

Interns are encouraged to attend lectures offered under the NIH Summer Seminar Series, participate in DCEG meetings and seminars, attend formal NIH lectures and symposia, and participate in the DCEG and NIH Summer Research Program Poster Days.

DCEG Summer Internship is a paid internship; summer interns receive a monthly stipend based on academic level.

DCEG Summer Interns

DCEG summer interns describe what they learned and valued most about their time in the Division.

Gain Experience in Epidemiology, Biostatistics, or Laboratory Research

DCEG researchers work on a variety of population studies and develop novel analytic techniques. Our investigators serve as invaluable mentors to interns on a wide range of research topics. Read more on our Principal Investigators page.

DCEG offers a limited number of summer laboratory research opportunities. Candidates can explore additional laboratory research opportunities at the NIH Research and Training website.

Explore DCEG Research Areas

Interns are offered the flexibility to study topics that cross research areas, requiring diverse sets of skills. The DCEG portfolio includes the below research areas, along with a range of cross-cutting scientific studies, including health disparities, gender differences, and others:

  • Biostatistics: Descriptive studies to characterize cancer trends, analysis of large-scale data sets, statistical models for predicting cancer risk
  • Clinical Genetics: Cancer predisposition syndromes, genetic modifiers of cancer risk, telomere biology disorders
  • Integrative Tumor Epidemiology: Advance understanding of cancer etiology and progression, perform integrative analyses of environmental and germline risk factors with comprehensive data on histological and molecular profiling of tumors and their precursors
  • Infections and Immunoepidemiology: Prospective cohorts at high risk of AIDS, oncogenic viruses, immunosuppression, and cancer
  • Metabolic Epidemiology: Hormones, tobacco, and other exposures, energy balance /obesity, dietary intake, and micronutrients
  • Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology: Pesticides and agricultural exposures, industrial chemicals, environmental exposures, exposure assessment
  • Radiation Epidemiology: Medical radiation exposures, occupational radiation exposures, environmental radiation exposures, radiation dosimetry
  • Translational Genomics: Relationship of germline genetic variation to cancer, detection, and mapping of cancer susceptibility alleles, bioinformatic analyses of genetic variants

What You Need to Know Before Applying

Summer Club in the Laboratory of Dr. Prokunina-Olsson.

A typical summer internship lasts 8 to 10 weeks with a minimum requirement of 8 weeks. The internship begins in late May or early June and ends in August or September, but exact dates depend on the student's and the mentor's schedules.

COVID-19 UPDATE: Our priority is the safety of our staff, trainees, and communities. Updates and additional information regarding the NIH Summer Internship Program 2023 can be found on the NIH SIP website, and questions about internships in DCEG may be directed to our Summer Internship Coordinator, Ms. Diane Wigfield.

Eligibility

Eligibility varies by program.

*U.S. permanent residents must be attending or accepted into institutions in the U.S.

Selection Process

After submitting your application, you should identify and contact investigators and/or postdoctoral fellows whose work interests you. Find a list of DCEG investigators and their research interests. Once you have identified someone of interest and learned enough about what they are working on, you can send a direct email to them describing why you want to work with them and how you would be a good addition to their group. For more advice watch the NIH SIP video on applying to the summer program.

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in our NIH summer program. The application process for summer 2024 is now closed. Applications for the NIH summer internship program are typically accepted starting in mid-November each year.

NCI values diversity and particularly encourages applications from individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the cancer research workforce, for example those from the groups listed in the Notice of NIH’s Interest in Diversity (NOT-OD-20-031). We want your unique voice to contribute to the depth and breadth of scientific research in DCEG.

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