VA-PAVIR Summer Research Program
For Undergraduate Students

The 2025 application period is now closed

Internship dates: 6/23/25 - 8/15/25

The VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS) and the Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research (PAVIR) are pleased to announce the third year of the VA-PAVIR Summer Research Program for Undergraduate Students. This eight-week summer research program is designed to stimulate and expand research interests in undergraduate students considering a career in research. The program offers students unique opportunities to gain hands-on experience under the guidance of a faculty mentor and to learn practical vocational skills through weekly didactic sessions. At the end of the training program, each student is expected to be well-versed on their research topic, to be able to present their research findings succinctly to their peers, and to feel more technically prepared for their next stage of research training or career. A stipend will be provided to each student to defray the cost of travel, housing, or meals. All US citizens or permanent residents who are currently enrolled in a US college or university (rising sophomore, junior, or senior) are eligible to apply. 

*Application Requirements:

• Curriculum Vitae or Resume (PDF format, limit to 3 pages)
• Transcript (unofficial or official)
• Letters of reference, two letters from science professors or research advisors (written on institutional letterhead)
• Please describe your research experiences and interests. 
• What are your career goals? How can the summer research program help you achieve them?
• What would you like to change about our world, and how might you do it through science?

(Optional) Review the profiles for this year's program mentors. You will have the ability to optionally indicate which mentor you would like to work with in the application.

Laren Becker, MD, PhD	Dylan Jester, PhD	Manali I. Patel, MD, MPH, MS
Ka Bian, MD, PhD	Jennifer Lee, MD, PhD	VJ Periyakoil, MD
Steven Chao, MD, PhD	Jonathan Lin, MD, PhD	Rona Relova, MD
Stephanie Chang, MD	Irene L. Llorente, PhD	Allyson C. Rosen, PhD, ABPP-CN
Ian Y. Chen, MD, PhD	Maggie Mackintosh, PhD	Ray Sobel, MD
Qiliang Chen, MD, PhD	Michelle Madore, PhD	Yang Sun, MD, PhD
Joyce S. Chung, PhD, MPH	Jonathan S. Maltzman, MD, PhD	Philip S. Tsao, PhD
Clara Dismuke-Greer, PhD	Windy M. McNerney, PhD	Minal S. Vasanawala, MD
Bao Do, MD	Colleen Mills-Finnerty, PhD	Celina Yong, MD
J. Kaci Fairchild, PhD, ABPP	Donna E Murray, PHD	Jason Yoon, MD, PhD
Karleen Giannitrapani, PhD	Jonathan Myers, PhD	Brian Zabel, PhD
Ngan F. Huang, PhD	Shriram Nallamshetty, MD	Jamie Zeitzer, PhD
	Patricia Nguyen, MD

Mentored research programs: VA Palo Alto health care offers mentored research experiences for early career staff through college students. See HERE for a list of the programs.

At VA Palo Alto, two internship programs are shaping the future of health care research and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. Read VA Palo Alto's full story here: Empowering the next generation through VA Palo Alto’s internship initiative

Front (L-R) Xiaorong (Aileen) Guo (Tufts), Vasuda Dokiparthi (Penn State), Sarah Bates (UC Berkeley)Back (L-R) Kobe Ly (UC Santa Cruz), Samantha Hamilton (UC Los Angeles), Ashwini Chandrakanth (U of Portland)

Questions? Contact srp@pavir.org