Program Overview

The Cardiovascular Institute (CVI) Summer Research Program offers high‑school, undergraduate, and medical students a fully funded, eight‑week research experience in cardiovascular science. Participants receive mentorship from UC San Diego clinician‑scientists, attend a core lecture series, and gain clinical‑shadowing opportunities.

What Participants Experience

• Mentorship by UCSD cardiovascular clinician-scientists
• Summer seminar curriculum covering cardiovascular disease, statistical analysis, and foundations of clinical and population health research
• Shadowing
  • Cath Lab Procedure Shadowing
  • ICR
    • Cooking classes
    • Nutritionist appointments
    • Exercise appointments
  • Clinic Rotations
  • In-patient rotations with Joycelle
  • In-Patient rounds with PI's
• Conference attendances
• Have your own research project - introductions to clinical research

• Bonus experiences
  • Mentoring within the program (undergrad + med students + high school students)
  • Involvement  in research with an opportunity to publish

Stipends

• College and medical students – $5,000
• High‑school students – $2,500

Key Dates

The whole program will run for 8 weeks during summer 2026 (June 1 - August), with the core program running 4 weeks from June 15 - July 15. There is also the opportunity to continue your work through the end of summer depending on flexibility

• Application deadline: March 31^st, 2026
• Award notification: April 30^th, 2026
• Core lecture period: June 15^th – July 15^th, 2026
• Optional research extension: through the end of summer, schedule permitting