The CFAAR Scholars Program is a seven-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:
- Recruiting study participants via phone and in-person
- Conducting literature reviews
- Data entry/ cleaning/ interpretation
- Medical scribing
- Developing public speaking skills
- Participating in CFAAR's Annual Conferences (learn from experts, network, volunteer, scribe)
- Mentoring younger students
- Creating and presenting a scientific poster
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 scholar's program, you will gain experience in public health research.
Overview
When: Seven-week program June 16, 2025 – August 1, 2025
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 seven-week period.
Time: 32-40 hours per week (Full-time 9-5, M-F, Hours may vary each week)
Pay: Undergraduate students: $16.20/hour. Graduate students: $17.40/hour
Application Timeline
*We will be doing rolling interviews for qualified applicants and there will be two rounds of acceptances.
- Application opens: October 3, 2024
- Early Acceptance Cut-off: December 1, 2024
- Early Acceptance Decisions: December 6, 2024
- Applications close: January 20, 2025
- Regular Acceptance Decisions: February 3, 2025
Upon acceptance, you will have one week to confirm your place and submit your availability for your cohort's zoom orientation (Early decision cohort: December; Regular decision cohort: February)
Qualifications
- Currently enrolled in an undergraduate/graduate program OR a recent undergraduate graduate (within the past 2 years)
- Students must have completed their sophomore year of an undergraduate program by June 2025
- 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 of the program
- Capacity for full-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
- Scientific writing experience
*If you are accepted, there will be a fast timeline for the onboarding process, you must have the required materials available to complete the I-9 process, please review acceptable documentation.
If you have any questions, please email samantha.sansweet@northwestern.edu.
Testimonials
I learned so much from the variety of projects I worked on during the scholar summer. I was introduced to a whole new side of research that I did not know existed before. I was taught how to recruit participants for studies and worked with other college students to make the campuses safer."
If I had to select a favorite project, I'd likely say GFAPS Coverage. Attending the GFAPS Conference and contributing main takeaways to the conference article was an incredibly rewarding experience and I learned so much from the speakers."