Native American Summer Research Internship (NARI) at the University of Utah School of Medicine

Opportunity Description:


The Native American Research Internship is a dynamic summer research opportunity for Native American undergraduate junior and senior students who are interested in Health Science research. The internship is located at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is a 10-week, paid summer internship, funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The internship focus is to provide Native American students an outstanding laboratory or clinically based research experience working alongside world class research faculty at the University of Utah. The goal of the internship is to support the academic, career, and personal development of Native American students who are interested in Health Science careers. Each student will participate in approximately 40 hours/week of internship activities. Approximately 30 hours/week will be for research related activities, and approximately 10 hours/week will be for academic/professional development.

Students will work closely with research mentors as well as Native American faculty and staff mentors, develop meaningful relationships within the Health Science and Native American research communities, attend a Native American Health conference, and have opportunities to shadow physicians at their clinical practice. Students will also gain insightful knowledge in the areas of: graduate/medical school preparation, career development, additional academic opportunities, community engagement, professionalism, creating scientific posters, and presenting research material. Additionally, students who successfully complete a summer internship have the option to apply to participate again the next summer.

The Native American Research Internship provides participants compensation for their participation in the summer program, as well as housing at the University of Utah. Both University of Utah students and non-University of Utah undergraduate students are encouraged to apply. No previous research experience is required.

Minimum Qualifications and/or Eligibility Requirements: 

Applicants must be Native American undergraduate juniors or seniors. No prior experience is required to apply.

Application Process: 

Application materials must be submitted online no later than Friday, February 11, 2022, 11:59pm MST. Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee and potential candidates will be contacted for a phone interview. All applicants will be informed via email, in April 2022, of the selection committee’s decision.

The application requires the following materials:

  1. Online Application Form: Completely filled out.
  2. Upload Personal Statement via this online form (must be a .pdf or .docx file). A one-page single space statement addressing:
    1. Why are you interested in participating in our NARI internship?
    2. Describe any past research experience and your scientific interests in diabetes, digestion, cardiovascular or child/maternal health field.
    3. What are your future career goals, and how will this internship program help you reach your goals?
    4. How have you demonstrated an interest on health issues regarding American Indian and Alaska Natives in the biomedical fields?
    5. Describe how this internship will help you in your future career goals.
  3. Upload Academic Transcript(s) via this online form (must be a .pdf or .docx file): Your unofficial transcript(s) will be accepted but later on the process an official transcript might be required.
  4. One Letter of Recommendation: A confidential letter of recommendation must be from a college professor, research lab supervisor or academic advisor who can address how your experiences have prepared you for this NARI program. Additional letters of recommendation from previous employers, tribal elders (when applicable), or additional professors are encouraged but not required, and limited to a total of three letters of recommendation. It is your responsibility to ask your letter writers to email their letters directly to: ped_nari@hsc.utah.edu
  5. Upload Resume or CV (optional)
  6. Sign the Agreement Form included in the online application

Note: The online application and uploading documents must be completed in one sitting – you cannot save your progress and return to it later. Once the application is submitted, you should receive a confirmation email to the email address provided in the form. If you do not receive the email, and it is not in your junk/spam folder, please email us at ped_nari@hsc.utah.edu to confirm that we have a record of the correct email address. 

Application Deadline: 

Friday, February 11, 2022
For more information on this opportunity, please contact: