ResearcHStart

Video Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING] I was in the very first research start class in 2015 here at the University of Chicago, and since then, I've acted as a peer mentor for students in the program each summer. As the hub of a group of local universities on the cutting edge of cancer research, the University of Chicago takes the initiative to expose the particular strengths of each institution's cancer research programs to gifted local students. We started with maybe seven or eight students and had a couple of different universities we wanted to include. So it was University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and University of Illinois Chicago, and then eventually brought in Northwestern. ResearcHStart is a cancer research training program that's designed for high school students. It's a one year program, so students come to us for eight weeks in the summer. And the main component and most important component of this program is this intensive research experience. Being able to actually experience what research is like, have the day-to-day work of being in a lab, learning how to interact with your lab mates, how to present your work made it really clear that I was on the right track and that this is what I wanted to do. We try to complement that research experience with a number of career development and skill building, workshops, and opportunities. The one non-lab skill I took away the most from was the ability to network. It teaches you how to meet with professionals, how to connect with them, how to email a professor. If I really like a professor's work, how do I let them know that? How do I let them know I'm may be interested in working for them? Increasingly as ResearcHStart has developed, we've been trying to educate our communities about the advances in cancer research that are going on across our four institutions, and using specific examples from the research that they've been doing in the summer. The return is in the heart. And when you see these kids go through this and talk about it, their experience, and talk to their families, to me that that's what it's all about. To have this experience, where she actually spent eight weeks, 40 hours every week in research, really ignited a passion in her, which she has now continued, and I don't know that she would have known that was the right path for her until she actually was able to have this kind of experience. So to see them go through and tackle problem after problem and overcome hurdle after hurdle as they learn new things and learn to develop confidence in themselves is really amazing. So to hear them speak about their work and about research at the beginning of the program and at the end of the program is like night and day. It's remarkable to see how sophisticated and confident they become in just a few weeks. Before ResearcHStart, the biggest issue I had was like a math problem, and there's always a simple answer to that. Whereas in research and in life, there's not always a simple answer to the problem that you're addressing. Your research is going to take you in paths that you don't expect, and so ResearcHStart really taught me how to deal with the challenges that are thrown at you in research, and how to address them, and how to move past them, how to develop more questions from almost nothing. [MUSIC PLAYING]

ResearcHStart is a multi-institutional program welcoming high school students from the Chicago and Urbana-Champaign areas to explore exciting careers in cancer research. Participants work full time in the laboratories of established cancer researchers, gaining hands-on experience in areas at the forefront of the field: cancer immunology, bioengineering, experimental cancer therapeutics, cancer disparities and more.

Rigorous research training is complemented by career development and skill-building workshops, a cancer-based faculty lecture series, and a network of faculty and peer mentors dedicated to students’ success. The program culminates in a research symposium for family, friends and members of the scientific community.

About researcHStart

Program Goals

Benefits to Students

Participating Institutions

Program Dates

ResearcHStart generally runs from the second full week of June through the first week of August. Specific dates are announced with the release of application materials each fall.

Please note that accommodations may be made for students whose last days of school overlap with the first days of the researcHStart program.

2026 researcHStart Cohort Dates

The 2026 researcHStart summer research experience runs from June 15 – August 7 (35-40 hours/week).

Eligibility Requirements

High school junior or senior at time of application
Resident of Illinois or Lake County, Indiana
At least 16 years of age at start of program (for Summer 2026: June 15, 2026)
Strong interest in a career in scientific research or medicine
Able to commit to 8 full weeks of programming, 35-40 hours/week

Please note that students are responsible for their own housing and transportation to and from their respective researcHStart institution during their summer research experience.

Conflict of Interest Policy: The selection of applicants is managed by the leadership teams at each program site. Immediate family members of the site leadership teams or the researcHStart Advisory Committee are ineligible for the program. Immediate family members of faculty from a given site are ineligible for that site. All applications will be subject to the Conflict of Interest Policy.

How to Apply

Please join us for a webinar on Thursday, October 23, 7-8 pm CT to learn more about our Pathway Programs, hear from alumni, and ask questions about the application process. Register here to attend: https://redcap.link/2026InfoSession

Admission to researcHStart is highly competitive. No more than 30 participants will be selected across all participating institutions. Applicants are selected, based on their demonstrated passion for science, interest in careers in biomedicine, and capacity to perform in a professional research setting. To apply:

Submit the online application form by 11:59 pm CT on Monday, January 19, 2026. The online application form is accessible here: https://redcap.link/2026UCCCCPathwayPrograms. New this year: We are using a common application for all our Pathway Programs, including all researcHStart institutions. You may apply to all programs for which you are eligible using one application.
Arrange for two individuals (at least one of whom must be a teacher/professor) to complete the online applicant recommendation form by 11:59 pm CT on Monday, January 19, 2026. Download an instruction sheet for recommenders here. Recommenders can access the online recommendation form here: https://redcap.link/PathwayProgram_Rec202 6.
Applicants who advance to the second round: Complete an in-person interview with the program leadership team, scheduled for Monday, February 16, 2026.

Be prepared to enter the following information:

Academic information (including your GPA and most recent transcript, unofficial or official)
Contact information
Responses to the following questions (limit 250 words per response):
- Of the learning opportunities related to careers in science and medicine, why have you chosen to apply to our program(s)? For example, you might discuss how the program relates to your academic and career plans, the nature of your interest in cancer, or what you hope to gain from the experience.
- What qualities and experiences do you have that best prepare you for the scientific and professional demands of our program(s)?
- Scientific progress depends on an array of expertise and perspectives. Tell us about an aspect of your own perspective, viewpoint, or lived experience that is important to you, and describe how it shapes the way you would learn from and contribute to our research community.
- Is there anything else important for us to know about you?
Site preference:
- University of Chicago
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- University of Illinois Chicago
- Northwestern University (downtown medical campus)
- Rush University

Notes:

researcHStart does NOT provide housing or transportation for program participants. Please select only those sites for which you can make your own accommodations.

Immediate family members of faculty from a given researcHStart site are ineligible for that site.

Application Deadlines

January 19, 2026: Application and two recommendations due by 11:59 pm
February 2026: On-campus admissions interviews at respective program sites
March 2, 2026: Acceptance notification
March 16, 2026: Commitment deadline