Summer Externship
The six-week Summer Externship is sponsored by the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and held at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in downtown Chicago.
This program offers unique and early clinical exposure related to the care of those with acute and chronic disabilities for comprehensive rehabilitation. Primarily, students will assist in the clinical management of patients admitted to the AbilityLab. In addition, students will participate in a research project in a rehabilitation related field. There will be ongoing didactic and in-service efforts directed at the M1-M2 student level.
Each student will spend two three-week rotations on separate inpatient rehabilitation services and have the opportunity to observe and participate in related clinical activities. By the end of the externship, each student is expected to write a research paper and present their project to the extern group and invited departmental faculty. Each student will be awarded a $3,000 stipend for participation in the program.
In previous years, students from many LCME- (allopathic) and AOA- (osteopathic) accredited medical schools across the United States have participated in this program. We have enjoyed the diverse medical school representation by students in this program, and we encourage any student (who is between their first and second years of medical school) to apply.
Requirements
This program is open only to students between the first and second year of medical school. To apply, applicant must submit the online application, including uploads of the following items:
- A Word document containing your curriculum vitae
- A personal statement that includes your personal goals, why you are applying for this externship and what you hope to gain from the experience
- One letter of recommendation from a medical school faculty member or research mentor
How to Apply
The application cycle for the 2026 Summer Externship will be from October 6th, 2025 until January 9th, 2026.
Please email Imani Montgomery (listed below) with completed application materials.
The 2026 Summer Externship will run from June 1st, 2026 to July 10th, 2026.
Contact Us
For more information on the program, please contact Imani Montgomery at imontgomer@sralab.org.