Stanford Population Health Summer 2023 Research Program: Advancing Health Equity and Diversity (AHEaD)
The goal of this 7-week summer program is to provide training and experience in population health research for college students who are from underrepresented and historically excluded groups in the health sciences.
This program is sponsored by the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, the Center for Population Health Sciences, the Office of Community Engagement, Stanford Health Policy, and Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
Participant Eligibility
- U.S.-based college students (US citizens or permanent residents) from underrepresented and historically excluded populations (First generation; low-income or underserved rural community backgrounds; Black or African American; Hispanic or Latinx; Indigenous, Native American, or Alaska Native; Pacific Islander; Filipino, Hmong, or Vietnamese; LGBTQIA+; Individuals with disabilities; Veterans; experienced homelessness; formerly incarcerated/justice involved; and additional groups).
- Completed at least one year of college by 1/13/2023
- Interest in quantitative methods for population health-related research.
- Students accepted to the program will need to provide proof of college student status (documentation will be requested after decision letters are sent, anticipated by March 2023).
*See FAQs section for more details on eligibility
Application Components
Statement of Purpose (maximum 500 words). Please discuss what drives your interest in the program, what you hope to learn, and your near-term career goals (e.g., type of job after graduating from college, graduate school, etc).
Applications for our summer 2023 program are due Friday, January 13, 2023 5:00 PM Pacific Time.
Note: If you have any problems submitting your application, please email stanfordahead@stanford.edu
Program Outline
7-week on campus summer research experience from Friday, June 23 - Friday, August 11, 2023
Compensation: $7,000
On campus housing and meal plan provided
Course modules
- Introduction to population and public health, epidemiology, statistics and health policy research
- Principles of study design and data analysis
- Introduction to statistical programming in R
- Approaches to community engagement in research
Research activities
- Approximately 20 hours/week of research experience with a faculty mentor
- Contributions to lab group research while also developing independent research interests and skills
- Projects include literature reviews, data preparation, data analysis, writing research reports
Professional development opportunities
- Near-peer mentoring from Stanford graduate students and postdoctoral fellows
- Weekly professional development meetings (e.g., resume writing, networking, mentor relationships, how to give a research talk)
- Graduate school application preparation (optional)
FAQs
Will this program be virtual or in-person? Is it a full-time experience?
- For 2023, our program will be an in-person experience at the Stanford University campus. The programming (i.e., training and professional development sessions) and research activities will be scheduled during business hours in Pacific Time, coordinated and arranged with your faculty mentor. We aim to provide a competitive stipend in order to allow interns to participate in this program as a full-time experience (training plus research).
What is “proof of college status”?
- We will notify students who are accepted to the program in March 2023. At that time, to confirm your participation in AHEaD, we will ask for documentation of your enrollment at a community college or university (e.g., letter from department or registrar, unofficial transcripts).
I am graduating (or graduated) before summer 2023, am I eligible?
- Current students (U.S. citizens or permanent residents) who have completed at least one year at a U.S.-based community college or undergraduate institution by 1/13/2023 and are graduating spring 2023 or later are welcome to apply. Graduate and medical school students are not eligible at this time.
I am an international student, am I eligible?
- US citizenship, permanent residency, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA with active employment authorization card [EAD]) is required to be employed by Stanford for the summer.
I’m having problems uploading my statement or submitting my application. What should I do?
- We have learned that some browsers work better than others for the application submission. If you are having trouble, please try again with Chrome or Safari. If you are still having problems, please e-mail stanfordahead@stanford.edu.
What research projects are available this year?
- AHEaD is in the process of identifying ongoing research projects that are appropriate for research trainees. Please do not contact faculty directly at this time.
When will I hear back about my application?
- Applications are due on January 13, 2023. We aim to notify students who are accepted to the program by March 2023.
Is there a waitlist?
- Yes, we will have a short waitlist. Waitlisted candidates will be notified that they have been placed on the waitlist at the same time as those who are admitted and not admitted.
Can I receive feedback about my application?
- We receive a high volume of applications, and, thus, are unable to give individualized feedback to each applicant. Every single submission is read carefully. The main component in assessing applications is the submitted statement of purpose. We look for demonstrated interest in attending AHEaD as well as how our program will help meet your learning goals and contribute to the next stage of your career. Please apply! Your unique perspective and background is important and valued.