About

A paid, 8-week summer biomedical research internship program for high school students taking place at the University of Michigan, Michigan Medicine. BioMed Focus is a commuter program; Scholars live at home and commute to campus. BioMed Focus Scholars receive $4,000 for participating in the program. BioMed Focus 2026 will take place between mid-June and early August, 2026.

BioMed Focus contains 3 components: research, science communication, and college prep.

1) You will work with University of Michigan scientists to complete your own hands-on biomedical research project in the laboratory. You will be working full-time (~9am-5pm) with a research mentor who will help you complete this project. Typically, your research mentor is a current PhD student or postdoctoral researcher.

2) You'll write a research paper about your project and prepare a 10-minute research talk in the Science Communication Course. The Science Communication Course is taught by current PhD students and postdoctoral researchers.

3) You will prepare to apply to college in the College Prep Course: learning about careers in the sciences, preparing essays, and learning about scholarship opportunities. The College Prep Course is taught by current undergraduates (and BioMed Focus alumni) at UM-Ann Arbor, Wayne State, MSU, and EMU.

Many things! Notably, you will:

• Gain real-life laboratory skills

• Learn to read and understand scientific papers

• Improve scientific writing and presentation skills

• Present your research in a symposium

• Prepare for college applications

• Hear from current undergraduate and graduate students about their career paths

• Work collaboratively with professional scientists

To be eligible to participate in BioMed Focus, you must:

• Currently live and attend high school in the state of Michigan

• Be motivated, curious, and interested in biology

• Be present on-campus for a minimum of 35 of the 40 days of the program

• Live within a commutable distance of Ann Arbor, MI

Ideal participants have one or more of these qualities:

• Rising junior or senior (current sophomore or junior)

• Student at one of our partner schools (Ypsilanti Community High School, Lincoln High School, or Belleville High School)

• Planning to apply to college/university

• Have taken some biology, chemistry, and math courses

We have no GPA requirement. One letter of recommendation is required.