Medical Science Internship Program
Information about the VCU School of Medicine Medical Science Internship Program is below.
MSIP 2025 Program Dates
- Application is now open
- Application deadline: 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, March 3rd, 2025
- Program dates: Monday, June 23 to Thursday, July 31st, 2025
High School Educators: Please contact us at msip@vcu.edu
For six weeks, under the guidance of a research mentor, interns will work in a research lab at VCU. Interns will conduct research with a project provided by the research lab they are placed in. Students will put together a slideshow and poster presentation based on their work from six weeks in the lab. During the last week of the program, the interns will present their projects to their peers, friends, family, mentors, and the VCU community.
During the program, the interns will attend weekly seminars by guest lecturers sponsored by VCU or by organizations affiliated with VCU. Further information regarding the seminars and events will be provided to the interns once the program begins.
Unfortunately at this time, VCU MSIP will not be able to offer the interns a stipend.
Please note that eligible applicants must be current residents in the Greater Richmond Area.
MSIP has foundational support from the VCU Center on Health Disparities and the VCU School of Medicine Admissions.
Students:
- Our selection committee reviews and accepts interns with a holistic view of the entire application. Demonstrated academic ability, past experiences, as well as attributes of character and personality are significant in the selection process.
- Read the entire application and be sure to complete all sections.
- The documents are set to use forms. Type in the given gray space and the form will expand to accommodate your typing. You can tab between fields. Please be concise in your answers.
- After completing your application, please email it to msip@vcu.edu. We will send you a confirmation email when we receive it.
- Important: Due to the high number of applications we receive each year, please add your first name, last name, and the year to the file name of your application (e.g. FIRSTNAMELASTNAME 2025application.doc).
- After emailing the application to msip@vcu.edu by the deadline, please check your email on a regular basis. Email is our primary means of communication. Please do not mail in your application or any other documents.
- Keep a copy of your completed application for your records.
- As part of the "VCU Goes Green" initiative, we will be accepting electronic scans of supporting documents such as transcripts and standardized test scores.
Notice:
- MSIP Application 2025 now available
Reference Writer:
- Please provide this Google Form for your recommender to complete by the application deadline.
- 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, March 3, 2025 is the deadline for all applications and supporting documents to be emailed.
- Wednesday, March 26, 2025: Decisions will be emailed to each applicant. Contact with selected interns and waitlisted students may be sooner.
- Monday, June 23 - Thursday, July 31, 2025: Program dates.
Q: Who is eligible to apply?
A: High school students, preferably rising juniors and seniors, in the Greater Richmond Area are encouraged to apply.
Q: Is there an application fee or tuition to participate in the program?
A: No, the application does not have any fee and it is available now. The program also does not have a cost.
Q: Is this internship only for Virginia students?
A: Yes, currently this internship is only offered to students in the counties surrounding the greater Richmond, Virginia area
Q: What is the average time commitment for the program?
A: Typically, interns will meet according to an agreed upon schedule between them and their lab. As a guideline, interns will be expected to devote about 30-40 hours per week to their research projects.
Q: Will transportation or housing be provided to interns?
A: At this time, we do not have the resources to provide transportation or housing to interns. Interns will be responsible for their own commute to VCU regularly.
Q: How do I contact someone if I have questions or comments about MSIP?
A: For comments and questions, please contact us at msip@vcu.edu
- The Secrets of the Sequence Video Series - understand the relevance of scientific discovery by studying new advances in the life sciences; explore the scientific and ethical implications of genetic research; become enthusiastic about science and science careers; develop critical thinking skills and make sound decisions.
- Project ACEe - a program targeting disadvantaged high school student, to promote and encourage health awareness, interest, ability and/or commitment in pursuing a career in medicine. The program is a five-month academic enrichment experience designed to expose students from the Richmond Metropolitan area to the health professions, specifically medicine, and to provide them with academic survival skills. It also provides students with clinical experiences, through which they gain first-hand knowledge about medical careers.
- VCU Division of Community Engagement - facilitates and coordinates innovative academic programs, on and off campus, to enhance the community's access to VCU; creates opportunities for interdisciplinary, community-based collaborations that integrate research, teaching and service.
- VCU Center on Health Disparities - one of the Center's mission is to enhance workforce diversity by increasing the number of underrepresented minority health professions students, faculty and health care staff at the VCU Medical Center.
- The Mayfield Handbook - provides valuable information regarding technical and scientific writing.
Effects of Blocking Brain Estrogen Synthesis on Expression of Extracellular Matrix Genes in the Mouse Cortex
Clara McComb
Confirmation of RelB Knockout Using Western Blotting and Proliferation Study
Musa Khan
Assessing Mood and Energy through the Circumplex Model of Affect in Pelvic Pain Disorders
Sidney King & Faribah Nuha
The Effect of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury on Axon Initial Segment Plasticity
Siri Munnuluri
The effects of the overexpression of pnpt-1 on cell proliferation in C. elegans
Zachary Harris
Emotional Perception of Vaping Affects Vascular Health of Electronic Cigarette Users
Annie Yuan
Testing the Association Between Hours Spent on Work During COVID-19 and Increased Mental Health Problems
Arjun Beeravalli
Type I Y Phosphatidylinositol Phosphate 5-Kinase Regulates Hippo Signaling Pathway
Emily Yang
Measuring Infarct Size in Rat Hearts Following Global Myocardial Ischemia
Jeongwoo Lee
The Effect of the Regulation of Gene CD163 In NASH vs Normal Weight Patients
Mahek Patel
The Effect of Overexpression of pnpt-1 on Cell Proliferation in C. Elegans
Shiny Chandravel
The Effect of apigenin on chronic inflammatory pain in mice
Susanna Ceglarz
Purification of HcpR in Porphyromonas gingivalis
Tyler Rogers
Effect of H2S on Branched-Chain Amino Acid Accumulation in Ventricular Cardiomyocytes following Doxorubicin Administration
Zachary Schwehr
Adverse Childhood Experiences Predispose to Premature Vascular Dsyfunction in Young Adults
Yaseen Bhatti
Assessing communication levels among patient-caregiver dyads in familial and non-familial relationships
Trisha Nagulagari
Exploration of Psilocybin’s Impact on the Pharmacological Effects of Nicotine
Joanne Lin
Reproducing the Rotenone Model of Parkinson’s Disease in Rats
Ohm Tripathi
The Efficacy of Hydrogen Sulfide on Duchenne Cardiomyopathy
Claire Thomas
Analysis of the Vir-A Histidine Kinase in Agrobacterium tumefaciens
Saniya Sangle
The Functional Influence of PIPKIγi5 on Endosomal Trafficking
Ryan Wen
The Impact of Binge Ethanol During Adolescence on Myelin Related Gene Expression
Grace Lee
The Efficacy of Limb Preservation Surgeries after Osteosarcoma Removal Compared to Amputations
Aashka Shah
Investigating the Efficacy of Hemorrhoidectomy Versus Transanal Hemorrhoidal Dearterialization for Anticoagulated Patients
Alisha J. Khodabocus
The Efficacy of Shunting vs. Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy as First-line Treatments for Posthemorrhagic Hydrocephalus in Infants
Ayathi Gogineni
Neuroprotective Effects of Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Delivery in Congenital Heart Disease
Estelle He
The Efficiency of Treatments for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Hina Kazmi
Retrospective Study on Effectiveness of Mobile Clinics on Visual Acuity of K-12 Students
Nitin Kanuri
Treatment of Aortic Dissection in Patients with Marfan Syndrome
Paxton Calder
Gender Diversity Within the Field of Orthopedic Surgery
Sreeman Venigalla
Role of Social Determinants of Health in Rates of Diagnosis and Treatment for Patients as Evidenced by ASD & FAS
Sumaya W. Fawaz
Investigating BCL-2 Family Regulated Apoptosis in B-Cell Lymphoma
Zakaria Y. Hussain
Fetal Microbiota Development In-Utero
Mia R. Houdek
Progressive Muscle Relaxation Reduces Anxiety and Improves Sleep Quality of COVID 19 Patients
Aditya Kotha
Selective Vulnerability of Motor Neurons and Treatment for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Shannon Kim
The Effect of Viruses on the Development of Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis
Alysha Akhtar
The efficacy of bacteriophage therapy as an a lternative treatment for multi-drug resistant bacteria, Acinetobacter Baumannii
Aissatou Barry
The Efficacy of JAK 1/2 Inhibition to treat Polycythemia Vera
Anaya Surve
The Implementation of CRISPR Cas_9 in Providing Present Day Solutions to Type 2 Diabetes
Sanjana Javalkar
Investigating Metabolite-Diet Relationships to Diagnose Nutrient Deficiencies
Abhay Dharanikota
Investigating the Efficacy of Phagotheraphy in Combating Multi-Resistant Properties Exhibited by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Bacteria
Vaishnavi Srirama
Donate to the Medical Science Internship Program
If you would like to help support this program, please contact the program's director by emailing msip@vcu.edu for more information. All donations are tax-deductible.
