15 Medical Programs for High School Students in Los Angeles, California
If you are a high school student interested in medicine or healthcare, participating in a medical program is a good way to explore the field. Medical programs place you in research environments or health facilities, where you get to work with professionals, contribute to projects and tasks, and explore career paths in medicine. Whether you are looking for college-level coursework, an internship, or a volunteer program, these programs can help you build skills and gain experience as you prepare for future work or academic opportunities.
Why should you attend a program in Los Angeles?
Los Angeles is home to many institutions and colleges, including UCLA, The Lundquist Institute, and Children's Hospital Los Angeles, which offer medical programs for high school students. These programs offer you the opportunity to learn from leading researchers and scientists while building valuable professional connections. Whether you are interested in exploring biomedical research, volunteering at a hospital, or learning about allied healthcare careers, Los Angeles offers a wide range of opportunities.
To help you get started, here are 15 medical programs for high school students in Los Angeles, California.
If you are looking for engineering internships in Los Angeles, check out our blog here.
1. UCLA Health Volunteen Summer Program
Location: UCLA Health, Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Flexible engagement in the summer; participants must complete 50 volunteer hours by August 31
Application deadline: First-come, first-served enrollment
Eligibility: High school students, ages 16 and up, with up-to-date vaccinations
The UCLA Health Volunteen Summer Program allows you to contribute to a hospital’s operations by volunteering in three main areas: Patient Transport, Wayfinding, and Floater. During the patient transport process, you will help discharge patients, assist with transfers, and support the patient transport team. This can be an opportunity to learn about different parts and specialties of the hospital. For wayfinding duties, you will serve as a student ambassador and be stationed at the hospital entrance, greeting patients and providing wheelchair assistance. As a floater, you will help with delivering patient mail and newspapers.
2. Veritas AI: AI + Medicine Deep Dive
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by program; Financial aid offered
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts in a year
Application deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students who have completed AI Scholars or have coding experience
Veritas AI, founded and managed by graduate students from Harvard University, offers AI-focused learning experiences designed for high school students. Its AI + Medicine Deep Dive allows you to explore the applications of artificial intelligence within the healthcare and medical sectors. As a participant, you will have the opportunity to work on real-world projects and utilize AI and machine learning models to diagnose diseases, boost medical imaging, and interpret results to support healthcare professionals and patients. You can learn more about the program by checking out its brochure and application form.
3. Lundquist Institute’s High School Summer Fellows Program
Location: The Lundquist Institute, Torrance, CA
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: Eight weeks in the summer; dates vary
Application deadline: March 31 (tentative)
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors from Los Angeles and Orange Counties
The High School Summer Fellows Program allows you to collaborate with and receive mentorship from experienced physicians and scientists at the Lundquist Institute. You will engage in hands-on training within a real-world laboratory environment and undertake an intensive, individual health-based research project. Your designated mentor will be selected based on the area of interest you choose; available fields include neurotherapeutics, women’s and children’s health, infection and immunity, and cancer biology and immunotherapeutics, among other options. By the conclusion of the program, you will present your research findings to the broader scientific community. You will also receive a Certificate of Completion.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program: Medicine Track
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by program; financial aid offered
Acceptance rate: Highly selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts in a year
Application deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a mentored research program designed for high school students. It provides virtual one-on-one research opportunities across a wide range of subject areas, including healthcare, medicine, health tech, and psychology. During the program, you will be paired with a Ph.D. mentor, who will help you develop a research project. At the end of the online program, you will have a standalone research paper. You can find more details about the application here, and check out past participants’ reviews of the program here and here.
5. INSPIRE at Cedars-Sinai
Location: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Stipend: Paid
Cohort size: 25 research interns
Dates: 6 – 10 weeks in the summer
Application deadline: April 28
Eligibility: High school students, ages 16 and up
The INSPIRE at Cedars-Sinai, open to both high school and college students, offers opportunities to gain exposure to research in a healthcare setting and participate in hands-on training and virtual workshops. You will work with a variety of leading technologies and explore projects within basic, translational, or clinical research. Over the course of 6 to 10 weeks, you will learn about the safety procedures required to work in a laboratory, explore the fundamentals of the research process, study and review scientific literature, and gain insights into lab safety. You will gain experience in collecting and analysing data, developing a hypothesis, and writing an abstract. Additionally, the program offers access to workshops and seminars focused on networking and career exploration.
6. Turner-UCLA Allied Health Internship
Location: UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA
Stipend: Paid
Cohort size: Varies by year
Dates: One week in the summer
Application deadline: TBA in January
Eligibility: High school seniors in Los Angeles
The Turner-UCLA Allied Health Internship is a week-long opportunity to learn about various entry-level allied health professions. As a participant, you will get to observe healthcare professionals in clinical, administrative, and entry-level roles. You will also gain exposure to departments such as rehabilitation services, child life services, and respiratory care. Additionally, the program offers access to professional development and career-readiness workshops.
7. NeuroCamp Summer High School Program
Location: UCLA Brain Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: None
Cohort size: 15 – 20 students
Dates: Typically, seven days in June/July; dates vary by year
Application deadline: April 27 (tentative)
Eligibility: High school students from the Los Angeles area
The NeuroCamp Summer High School Program is a two-week experience that provides an in-depth exploration of neuroscience that goes beyond typical high school coursework. Here, you will explore fundamental concepts in neuroscience and gain insights into research in the field. As a participant, you will learn essential laboratory techniques used in neuroanatomy, molecular neurobiology, and neurophysiology, and work alongside UCLA faculty and students. Additionally, the program offers an opportunity to learn about the college admissions process and explore potential career pathways in neuroscience.
8. Samuels Family LA-HIP High School Internship Program @ CHLA
Location: Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: Year-round; learn about the timeline here
Application deadline: February 1; applications open on November 3.
Eligibility: Current high school juniors in Los Angeles County with good academic standing
The Samuels Family LA-HIP High School Internship Program aims to encourage interest in medicine and science by offering high schoolers the opportunity to participate in hands-on laboratory-based research. The program spans a year and integrates biomedical research with comprehensive college advising. As a participant, you will have access to college-level classes in biology, SAT preparation sessions, and college application workshops. Then, in the summer before your senior year, you will conduct advanced biomedical research projects in areas like pediatric health and disease under the mentorship of faculty from the Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. At the end of the summer, you will complete your project and present your work at the program Science Symposium.
9. Project STRIDE
Location: Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: 10 weeks
Application deadline: February 15
Eligibility: South Los Angeles current 11th graders to rising 12th graders with a GPA of 3.0+ overall and in math and science courses, especially
Project STRIDE (Students Training in Research Involving Disparity Elimination) is designed for students interested in careers in research and the health sciences. It offers high school students the chance to spend 10 weeks gaining exposure to clinical research. As an intern, you will work with an assigned mentor on a research project of your interest and will have the opportunity to explore the methodologies and principles of biomedical and clinical research. Aside from research work, you will prepare for the SAT, work on your writing and interview skills, and learn about the college application process. By the end of the program, you will submit an abstract on your project, create a poster, and present your findings on Research Day.
10. UCLA Health BrainSPORT Summer High School Research Internship
Location: UCLA Health, Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 9 – August 1 (tentative)
Application deadline: April 4 (tentative)
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors
This program allows you to work with and learn from scientists, clinicians, and researchers in the BrainSPORT program, which engages in sports-related brain injury and health research. Your tasks as an intern will include interacting with patients, entering research data, and conducting study protocols. You will work alongside other high school students, UCLA undergraduates, and graduate medical students. Additionally, you will get to be a part of weekly Traumatic Brain Injury lab meetings, where you will learn about the daily operations of clinical research teams. By the end of the program, you will complete a research project and present it to peers and instructors.
11. Eve and Gene Black Summer Medical Career Program
Location: Online or in person at various health facilities in Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Only one $500 scholarship will be awarded
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 100 – 180 participants/year
Dates: Multiple one - to two-week sessions in the summer
Application deadline: February 14
Eligibility: Current 11th and 12th graders
This program is a medical mentorship experience that is designed to encourage high school students to pursue a career in healthcare. As a participant, you will attend daily virtual sessions or in-person programs featuring presentations led by general pediatricians or specialists. In the process, you will learn about various careers in fields like nursing, pharmaceuticals, infectious disease, radiology, and more. At the end of the program, you will receive a certificate of completion.
12. Camp CHLA
Location: Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not mentioned
Dates: June 16 – 20 | July 28 – August 1
Application deadline: January 10; applications open on December 13
Eligibility: Current high school freshmen, sophomores, or juniors in Los Angeles County
Camp CHLA offers high school students the chance to spend five days exploring careers in healthcare. During the program, you will attend presentations by healthcare professionals who will share details about their career journeys and insights into their daily responsibilities. You will also participate in hands-on activities like CPR, first aid, body ergonomics, and learn about disease or injury prevention. Additionally, the program allows you to network with other students with similar interests to yours, as well as current healthcare professionals.
13. Pre-Med Summer Scholar Program
Location: UCLA + other locations in Los Angeles, CA
Cost: $1,450; Scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 23 – 27 | July 7 – 11 (tentative)
Application deadline: March 15; applications typically open in February
Eligibility: U.S. high school students who are 16 or older
The Pre-Med Summer Scholar Program at UCLA is a week-long opportunity to learn about medical fields. Here, you will hear from medical guest speakers and engage in hands-on activities that provide insight into the field of medicine. During the program, you will explore robotic and laparoscopic surgical skills, imaging, suturing, and pathology through labs and instruction. You may also undergo CPR Training and earn Stop the Bleed certification. Additionally, you will engage in science research lab tours and attend Q&A panels from healthcare providers.
14. UCLA Neuroscience High School Summer Program
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate: Not specified
Dates: June 15 – July 23
Application deadline: February 9; applications open on December 8
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
The UCLA Neuroscience High School Summer Program is designed for students who want to explore science, medicine, or psychology beyond the school curriculum. The program offers an introduction to the brain and nervous system through a variety of interactive and practical experiences. Over the course of six weeks, you will explore topics such as Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The program also includes live seminars on other neuroscience topics, presentations by guest speakers with backgrounds in medicine and research, and virtual laboratory activities that introduce research tools and methodologies. You will have access to “Neurology Grand Rounds” sessions, during which clinicians and researchers will present on current topics in neurology. By the conclusion of the program, you will complete a research project on a topic of interest and present your findings.
15. UCLA Summer Sessions: Summer Online
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by program type and number of course units; scholarships available for California students
Acceptance rate: Not specified
Dates: Multiple sessions in the summer; lengths vary from three to 10 weeks
Application deadline: Varies by session; registration opens on February 15.
Eligibility: High school students
UCLA offers online summer courses to high school students looking to take up college-level coursework in the summer. As a participant, you will learn from UCLA faculty members, earn college credit, and connect with students from around the world. You can choose classes from several subject areas, including medicine and healthcare. You can enroll in courses like Integrative East-West Medicine for Health and Wellness to learn about integrative health care and wellness and traditional Chinese medicine, or Biomedical Ethics, to explore the importance of ethics in research. You can also take neuroscience courses like Introduction to Neuroscience Methods: Art and Science of Studying the Brain, which will provide you with a general overview of neuroscience.
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