Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern University volunteer internships are available year-round for motivated undergraduate students. This program provides students with an opportunity to explore the field of integrative medicine. It is primarily intended for students considering a medical degree or PhD following college. Students with a clinical interest can spend time in the outpatient clinic, shadowing physicians and complementary medicine providers, and learning through assigned scholarly work. Students interested in research can work with an experienced faculty to gain hands on experience in methodologies, theoretical approaches and scientific applications to integrative medicine studies. Students and their designated faculty mentor(s) will meet regularly to identify and set in motion a relevant course of scholarly activities, training goals and internship objectives.
Meet our interns for Summer 2018!
Siva Ho, University of Portland '19
Lucas Camillo, Brown University '21
Christa Fernando, Grand Valley State University '20
Students in the internship program are expected to:
Work on a minimum of one major research study or scholarly project over the course of their internship experience. The project will be co-developed by the supervising faculty and the student, taking into account the students’ skills and available opportunities. Examples of activities performed by prior interns include:
Conducting literature searches and participating in the writing of journal articles or book chapters; developing data collection systems/helping with data entry and analysis; developing PowerPoint presentations; participating in clinical observation/shadowing; and assisting in collection of quality improvement and patient research assessments.
Participate in regular meetings with faculty supervisors and attend necessary research trainings related to academic growth and institutional regulatory matters.
Complete and reflect upon regular readings related to their specific training goals and objectives
Internships are typically for one academic quarter (10 weeks in length). Hours are flexible and determined by arrangement with the faculty mentor. Students are expected to spend a minimum of 10-15 hours per week on internship related activities.
While internships are unpaid, interested students may apply for funding through the University. The links below provide additional information regarding applicable funding opportunities. (Please note: it is not necessary to apply for funding to participate in the internship program)
We are no longer accepting applications for the 2018 summer internship. Interested students should contact Director of the Osher Undergraduate Internship Program Dr. Elaine Cheung for more information and availability. Please include your CV (pdf), your interests (clinical, research, both/either) and any specific area of focus in the field of integrative medicine. If there are open internships, you will be asked to submit the following materials by email:
A description of your career goals and any steps you have already taken to achieve those goals, as well as any specific interests in summer projects (1 page max)
A current transcript
Two letters of recommendation from faculty mentors or undergraduate teachers who know you personally and can comment on your academic abilities and your skill set
Contact Us
For additional information about our undergraduate student internship, contact Elaine Cheung.
Areas of Scholarly Concentration
The mission of the Area of Scholarly Concentration (AOSC) is to train MD students to perform a highly mentored project which culminates with the writing of a thesis. AOSC projects related to integrative medicine AOSCs can be developed through the Medical Social Sciences & Outcomes Research area of investigation. For details on past projects, see our Areas of Research section.
