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College of
Health Sciences

 Research internships

Geisinger Research offers paid and unpaid (for-credit) internships to qualified students pursuing biomedical, behavioral or social science health-related disciplines.

In preparation for either a professional career or further academic studies, Geisinger's research internships provide opportunities to contribute to specific clinical, translational or basic science investigations, hone critical thinking skills, network and explore career choices and specialties. Internships are offered in areas such as obesity, biobanking, biostatistics, epidemiology, genomics and many others.

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Looking to work in a specific research department? Contact us to find out if they are hiring interns at this time.

Geisinger Clinic Summer Undergraduate Research Program
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The Geisinger Clinic Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) provides an exceptional opportunity for undergraduate students to conduct research under the mentorship of our nationally and internationally recognized scientists. This program is designed for undergraduates with a strong background in the sciences who are considering a career in biomedical research. Participants experience the joy of scientific discovery as well as the challenges inherent in scientific research while developing skills in scientific reasoning, research methods and scientific communication through interaction with our research staff.

Internships are available in the following areas:

Autism & Developmental Medicine Institute

Students will participate in ongoing and novel research projects that align with ADMI’s innovative approach to investigating the causes and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders. Research is conducted across a variety of disciplines including genetics, neuroscience, psychology, developmental medicine, and high-performance computing. Opportunities to shadow our clinicians, including psychologists, behavior analysts, genetic counselors, developmental pediatricians, and speech-language pathologists are also provided.

Center for Community Environment and Health (CCEH)

The mission of the CCEH is to understand how the natural, built, and social environments impact health across a range of health outcomes, including diabetes, respiratory disease, and COVID-19. Students will work with CCEH researchers to develop a summer project related to one of the ongoing research projects. They will have the opportunity to participate in multiple aspects of CCEH studies, including participant recruitment, collection of biological samples, medical chart review, and data management.

Center for Pharmacy Innovation and Outcomes (CPIO)

Center for Pharmacy Innovation and Outcomes (CPIO) Students will gain insight into the sciences of implementation, dissemination, health services, and outcomes research. Focus will be on population health pharmacy, medication optimization, adherence, and pharmacy services. Recent past projects included the development of a natural language process to extract marijuana data from the electronic health record, the policy impact of methadone-involved overdoses after opioid treatment program changes, characteristics of prescribed educational resources, and the evaluation of a mail order pricing tool. The expectations are that students will actively participate in the conduct of investigation, bring a positive attitude to the team, and present materials in a summer-end symposium. Outstanding students will have the opportunity to publish research conducted. Those students with interest in data analysis, health services evaluation, qualitative and/or quantitative evaluations are encouraged to apply.

Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen)

A research program funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute that supports central resources to define the clinical relevance of genes and variants for use in precision medicine and research (clinicalgenome.org). Students will have the opportunity to interact with clinicians, clinical genetic testing laboratory staff, researchers, and genetic counselors from around the world as they support efforts to evaluate gene-disease validity, dosage sensitivity, and/or variant pathogenicity.  This opportunity may be either hybrid (with an in-person component at Geisinger Autism & Developmental Institute) or fully remote. Since ClinGen is a project within the ADMI, interns are able to take part in other learning opportunities including lectures from ADMI team, observations, and case conferences.

Department of Genomic Health

Students will work with the genomics team, including MDs, PhDs, Pharmacists and Genetic Counselors, to develop a summer project in genomics with the option to choose from a variety of research opportunities. Students will have the option to complete some job shadowing of genetic counselors as part of the internship experience.

Department of Genomic Health; Mirshahi Lab

Students will be assigned to work with scientists using a combination of lab-based experiments and computational approaches to investigate the role of gene expression, cell signaling and genetic variation in health and disease. This work will use state of the art ‘wet lab’ techniques as well as advanced bioinformatic methods that leverage detailed genetic data on >175,000 clinic patients and their extensive clinical traits captured from electronic health records. A major goal of these groups is to identify genes and genetic variants associated with specific disease areas and identify therapeutic targets. Students will be assigned a specific project and will provide a summary report at the end of the summer.

The Geisinger Clinic SURP is competitive, with acceptance based on grades, test scores, recommendations, and stated career goals. You may apply if you are currently enrolled in a four-year college or university, completed your first year prior to start of the program, and will not graduate prior to internship.  No previous research experience is required; however, applicants should have taken appropriate course work prior to application.

Program eligibility and features:

Students entering their undergraduate Sophomore, Junior and Senior years are eligible to apply.

  • Pharmacy students in their first two professional years are encouraged to apply.
  • Paid program $11.50/hr., 40 hours per week, Tuesday, May 28, 2024 – Friday, August 2, 2024
  • To the degree possible, students are matched with research programs according to their stated interest and work on projects under the direct supervision of our staff and faculty.
  • Students are selected from diverse academic backgrounds.
  • Students are responsible for their housing accommodations and transportation for any in-person internships.
  • Geisinger does not sponsor OPT for this short-duration summer internship.
  • Geisinger does not participate in e-verify

Interested students should send the application form and all required materials in one complete packet to surp@geisinger.edu. Letters of reference are an exception to application packet and can be emailed directly to surp@geisinger.edu from references.

Applications will be accepted through January 15, 2024. 

(Note: Late submissions/materials will not be accepted.)

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