To that point, a retrospective view shows how effectively the summer scholars program has motivated students to continue their research journeys in scientific graduate programs and medical schools. According to outcomes data collected by our Office of Research Development, approximately 55 percent of the program’s alums (2005–2018) have earned MD, DO, or PhD degrees, and 65 percent of those have continued their research careers by producing 194 publications as of 2023. The alum scholars’ areas of research and practice vary across medical disciplines and specialties, with the leaders being pediatrics (16 percent) and anesthesiology, plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery, community health, and internal medicine (six percent each). Not only has the program successfully inspired student scholars to pursue research careers, but it has also benefited their faculty mentors. Our outcomes data show that when summer scholars contributed, research projects experienced further advancement, as determined by publications, extramural funding, and external presentations.

While proud of our alums’ successes, we saw the opportunity to evolve the application process to discover talented future scientists who may not have had access to the top-of-class research and mentoring programs at Lurie Children’s and Manne Research Institute. In 2022, we made a concerted effort to reach potential scholars from groups that are underrepresented in the sciences, such as women and people of color, those experiencing financial barriers that preclude summer internships, or those who attended colleges without substantial science programs that could give them the experience they need to advance in related fields. We promoted the summer scholars program to colleges and universities nationwide, resulting in a more geographically diverse applicant pool. Prospective scholars were also provided the opportunity to share their barriers to research experience on the application. This year, we further enhanced the application process by expanding outreach, analyzing barriers, and factoring barriers into the selection process. The changes and hard work have produced remarkable results. With historically fewer than 20 applicants to the program, we received more than 80 applications in 2022. In 2023, 209 students from 28 states and Puerto Rico applied. They hailed from 132 institutions, including seven historically Black colleges and universities, and one-fourth of the applicants were first-generation college students. Most significantly, 96 percent of the applicants reported having at least one barrier to accessing a critical, influential research experience. As a result of the changes made to the application process over the past two years, the 2023 student cohort is the most demographically and geographically diverse to date.

The summer scholars program has successfully inspired students to pursue scholarship and discovery in medicine. By creating a more equitable application process, I am optimistic that Manne Research Institute has broadened the pathway for future investigators and healthcare providers.

I invite you to attend the poster symposium on August 1 to meet our stellar summer scholars and their equally fabulous faculty mentors and to learn more about their research. The event will be held from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center atrium. I hope to see you there to celebrate the achievements of this year’s summer scholars.   

With kindness and respect,

Pat