Summer Undergraduates Minority Research Program (SUMR)
About SUMR
The SUMR program is an initiative by the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI) and the Health Care Management Department of the Wharton School to provide underrepresented minority undergraduate students, or interested others, an opportunity to explore the exciting field of health services research. SUMR, a 12-week summer internship, introduces promising undergraduates to health services research. The program aims to increase minority representation in graduate schools in the fields of health economics, health care management, health policy, population health, and clinical epidemiology.
The SUMR Program is supported by Penn LDI; Health Care Management Department of the Wharton School; Deputy Dean’s Office of the Wharton School; Wharton Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR); Perelman School of Medicine Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy; Office of Inclusion and Diversity; the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Informatics; Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB); Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care; Department of Radiology; Center of Health Economics of Treatment Interventions for Substance Use Disorder, HCV, and HIV (CHERISH); Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE); Palliative and Advanced Illness Research Center (PAIR); Penn Injury Science Center (PISC); Penn Dental; Eli Lilly and Company; PolicyLab at Children’ s Hospital of Philadelphia; VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP); and the faculty mentors’ research grants.
Who Is Eligible?
Program participants should have an interest in health care and strong quantitative skills. Candidates from minority groups that are underrepresented in the field of health services research (Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Pacific Islander) and first generation college students are particularly encouraged to apply. Prospective participants do not have to make a commitment in advance to attend graduate school to be accepted into the program, but an academic or research career should be something they are considering. A committee of Penn faculty selects each year's SUMR scholars from the highly competitive applicant pool.
What Do SUMR Scholars Do?
- Work on paid research projects with Penn faculty mentors
- Hear about graduate school opportunities
- Participate in 6-month online GRE prep program
- Attend week-long orientation and 20 seminars with Penn faculty
- Attend academic conferences
- Participate in 7-week white paper writing program
- Present research at End of SUMR Symposium
Time Commitment and Compensation
SUMR scholars earn $15/hour during the summer months for a time commitment of 40 hours per week. Students work with their mentors to devise a schedule that can be flexible to work around other employment.
SUMR Application Timeline:
Application Deadline: February 1, 2023
Applicant Interviews: March 2023
Admission Notifications: April 2023
Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/115521
TO APPLY TO THE SUMR PROGRAM, PLEASE FOLLOW THE EXTERNAL APPLICATION LINK ON HANDSHAKE OR CLICK HERE.
Application Review Process
Only complete applications will be reviewed. The top 20% of the applicant pool will be selected for interviews. Applicants not chosen for interviews will be notified. Applicants chosen for interviews will be contacted to schedule a phone or in person interview. A final admission notice will be sent to interviewed applicants within two weeks of the interview.
Check us out and get more information here: https://ldi.upenn.edu/sumr