Summer Training in Advanced Research High School Program

The Summer Training in Advanced Research High School Program gives students hands-on training with world-renowned faculty in a real-world lab setting. During the eight-week session, participants conduct an intensive research project that ends with a presentation to peers, family, and the research community.

• Ages: 16–17 years old
• Schedule: 8-week session from June 15 to August 7, 2026, Monday through Friday, generally from 9 AM to 5 PM; no more than three absences are permitted throughout the program
• Price: Receive a Certificate of Completion and a competitive stipend.

Since 1978, the Lundquist Institute Summer Training in Advanced Research (STAR) High School Program has brought high school students from Los Angeles and Orange Counties to its campus for 8 weeks. Fellows are rising high school juniors and seniors who work with highly accomplished physicians and scientists on individual research projects in areas such as Cancer Biology and Immunotherapeutics; Health Services and Outcome Research; Infection and Immunity; Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology; Neurotherapeutics; Respiratory Medicine and Exercise Physiology; Translational Genomics; and Women’s and Children’s Health. Certificates of Completion are awarded to all participants at the end of the program upon successful completion of all program requirements, including attendance at all summer program lectures, on-site lab participation, and completion and return of the annual program survey. The program is led by Program Director Dr. Mina Desai and Education Manager Wesley Chen. The Lundquist Institute is a nonprofit research organization where scientists, clinicians, and partners work together to turn patient-informed discoveries into new treatments, technologies, and solutions that improve health locally and around the world. The Lundquist Institute states that its mission is to translate scientific discoveries into innovations that enhance human health, benefiting the community and the world.

All student applicants must be enrolled as a high school junior or senior in Fall 2026 and must demonstrate outstanding general academic achievement with a particular focus on science coursework. Applications for the 2026 Summer Training in Advanced Research High School Program open January 14, 2026, and the application deadline is March 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM PT. Required application materials are a completed STAR High School Program Application Form, an official high school transcript, and two letters of recommendation from high school teachers, preferably science teachers. For 2026, applications are now closed. One former participant, Christian de Virgilio, MD, now a Lundquist Institute investigator and board member, shared that the STAR High School Program connected him with someone who had succeeded in academic medicine and was willing to support him in his path to medicine.

Last updated August 5, 2026.