Program Information

The Summer Student Research Program has two components:

(1) An individual research project

Explore your interest in research in the areas of biomedical, clinical, population and health science by undertaking an individual research project for a research team on the Oak Street Campus.

It is up to the supervisor and student to determine the details of the individual research project. Some research teams will have an established project for summer students, while other research teams will provide support for a student-led project.

(2) The research education program

Along with the elements inherent to each student's individual research project, the Summer Student Research Program has been designed to include a curriculum that exposes students to the breadth and depth of research on the Oak Street Campus. Students can expect high quality training, dedicated mentorship, an introduction to a wide variety of research topics and associated skills training.

The program is held in June-July and is based at the BC Children's Hospital Research Institute in Vancouver, BC.

Students are expected to work with their supervisor to establish a work schedule that allows for attendance in the June-July research education program. The start dates and end dates for individual research projects are up to students and their supervisors. Students may start as early as May and continue working onsite until as late as September 1.

The research education curriculum includes:

Orientation: learn more about the services and resources available to students working on the Oak Street Campus
Student Presentations: summer students do short presentations on their individual summer research projects to facilitate the sharing of data and research results (this is an excellent opportunity to practice public speaking!)
Faculty Presentations: hear from our researchers and learn about opportunities available in the medical research field, both during the student years and beyond
Workshops: a variety of training workshops to help you build the skills and confidence to design scientifically, statistically and ethically sound research. Previous topics have included: Introduction to Statistical Terms & Concepts, Abstract Writing, Preparing a Scientific Poster, SPSS and Literature Searching Tips & Tricks
Special events: opportunities to network and maximize your exposure to peers and mentors
Poster Day: a moderated poster session to showcase the outstanding work undertaken by summer students and to recognize the significant contributions to research endeavours at BC Children's Hospital. Help us celebrate our previous Summer Students by reading their Poster Day Abstract Booklets: 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020

Interested in applying? Follow our step-by-step guide for program applications.

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