CFAAR Scholars

The CFAAR Scholars Program is a six-week paid internship opportunity that affords undergraduate, graduate and medical students an opportunity to strengthen their skills in epidemiological, clinical and community-based research topics. Students will attend weekly didactic sessions to learn from and be in conversation with CFAAR faculty, staff and research collaborators.

Depending on project placement, students will gain hands-on experience including:

• Conducting literature reviews
• Data entry/ cleaning/ interpretation 
• Recruiting study participants via phone and in-person
• Medical scribing 
• Developing public speaking skills

The CFAAR Scholars Program provides a supportive environment to critically engage in conversations about the systemic, underlying causes of historic and contemporary public health injustices while simultaneously exploring how to create policies, practices and a culture that supports and sustains health. Students will leave the program with a holistic definition of health to guide them as they move through their educational and career journeys as students, advocates, clinicians and investigators.

Note: CFAAR is not a wet lab. We do not conduct basic, bench, translational research in a laboratory. During the scholars program, you will gain experience in public health research.

Overview

• When: Six-week program (June 17 - July 26, 2024 - based on scholar performance and project needs at the end of the program, there may be opportunities for scholars to continue working with CFAAR beyond the six-week period)
• Time: 24 hours per week
• Pay: Undergraduate students: $15.80/hour. Graduate students: $17/hour

Application Timeline

• Application opens: Oct. 13, 2023
• We will be doing rolling interviews for qualified applicants.
• Early decision & first round acceptance: Dec. 15, 2023 (students not accepted in first round will be deferred or rejected by this date)
• Applications closed: March 4, 2024
• Final decision & second round acceptance: March 15, 2024 (all students will be contacted by this date)

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate/graduate program
• Students must have completed their first year of an undergraduate program by June 2024
• Students from all majors and graduate concentrations are encouraged to apply!
• Enthusiasm for research and intellectual curiosity
• Ability to participate fully in-person for all 6 weeks of the program
• Capacity for part-time work each week  

Preferred but not required: 

• Experience recruiting participants for a study
• Experience with data analysis and/or biostatistical coursework
• Familiarity with Excel   

If you have any questions, please email samantha.sansweet@northwestern.edu.

Testimonials