12 Dermatology Internships for High School Students
Dermatology is a branch of medicine specializing in skin conditions and treatments as well as issues related to nails and hair. The branch has multiple avenues that may interest you as a high schooler, such as surgery, cosmetic surgery, phototherapy, laser medicine, dermatopathology, pediatric dermatology, and others. If you are a high school student keen on pursuing dermatology or just curious about it, an internship could teach you about the field and its nuances.
Through an internship, you can try practical techniques and learn new skills. This exposure can be beneficial, especially in terms of highlighting your motivation and initiative to university admissions committees. Additionally, you will be able to interact and collaborate with peers and experts in the field.
If you’re looking to apply to such opportunities, take a look at our list of 12 dermatology internships for high school students and pick the ones that work best for you. The list contains both traditional internships and educational programs with a major practical component.
Location: Virtual
Eligibility: High school students able to work for 5-15 hours/week for 2-4 months
Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year.
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer, fall, winter, and spring.
Cost: Starts at $2,490 (financial aid available)
Ladder Internships is an internship program started by Harvard alumni to provide high school students the chance to work with exceptional startups across the world, with some examples being Softenmind, IPMD, Billion Dollar Startup Ideas, JuneBrain, and more. You can work on real-world projects and contribute to the output of the startups. Your mentor at the startup will guide you through the project and offer advice through weekly meetings, not to mention that you will also receive support from a Ladder coach.
Students interested in dermatology should opt for the healthcare/medicine track. You can also opt for a longer research internship.
2. Denver Health’s Medical Career Collaborative (MC²) Program
Location: Denver Health, Denver, Colorado | Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colarado
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores in the Denver metro or Colorado Springs areas
Application Deadline: Applications open in January.
Dates: 2 years spanning junior and senior years
Stipend: Paid for the internship portion of the program
Denver Health’s Medical Career Collaborative Program offers around 75 students an opportunity to explore careers in medicine and healthcare. The highlight of this program is the 100-120-hour paid internship at Denver Health or Children’s Hospital Colorado, wherein you will be placed in one of the departments (including dermatology) and paired with hospital staff. The professional staff will be your mentors and give you valuable hands-on experience in the field.
This internship also includes seminars, workshops, field trips, post-secondary assistance, training sessions, and a final poster presentation.
3. National Institutes of Health’s High School Summer Internship Program (HS-SIP)
Location: NIH campuses: Bethesda, Baltimore and Frederick, Maryland; Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; Hamilton, Montana; Framingham, Massachusetts; and Phoenix, Arizona
Eligibility: Juniors and seniors of high school who are at least 17 years old while applying and live within 40 miles of their nearest NIH campus can apply. Confirm other eligibility requirements for your respective cohort program—HiSTEP and HiSTEP 2.0.
Application Deadline: Applications generally close in February.
Dates: July 2 - August 1 (8 weeks)
Stipend: $2,300-2,530 (if you are currently in high school) or $2,570-2,840 (if you have graduated high school). No housing is provided, but there is free parking on campuses. Some campuses also offer a Transhare program.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) annually hosts the HS-SIP for high school students interested in conducting research in healthcare. Selected students are placed in a research group in one of the institutes and centers based on their preferences. We recommend opting for the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) or the National Cancer Institute (NCI) if you are interested in dermatology.
After your basic, translational, or clinical lab work, you will prepare presentations to deliver during the concluding Summer Poster Day.
The HS-SIP has an acceptance rate of ~7%.
4. Rutgers Health New Jersey Medical School High School Student Interns (Department of Dermatology)
Location: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years old and have a commitment from a Rutgers, RBHS-NJMS faculty member
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis but must be submitted at least 4 weeks before the anticipated start date.
Dates: Decided based on the schedule of the intern and faculty member
Stipend: Not specified
Rutgers Health New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) hosts several high school interns at various times of the year in one of their state-of-the-art laboratories. Interested students should arrange these internships themselves by contacting the faculty they want to work with (options include faculty from the Department of Dermatology) and obtaining a commitment from them.
During this phase of reaching out to the faculty, make it a point to establish your areas of interest while establishing a research project you wish to work on. You will then be able to begin working on the project once you begin your internship following the necessary lab safety training.
5. Penn State College of Medicine’s Research Internships
Location: Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
Eligibility: U.S. high school students
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Dates: Depends on the student, with the internship potentially spanning days/weeks/months
Stipend: Both paid and unpaid opportunities are available.
Penn State College of Medicine offers several research internships and shadowing opportunities to high school students, allowing them to obtain some practical experience for the duration of their choice. If selected, you will get the chance to learn key skills and techniques from professionals in the field while also potentially completing a research project of your choice.
You should contact the faculty member or department you wish to work with using the networking directory, where you will find several faculty in the Department of Dermatology.
6. DermCare Experts Urban High School Premedical Mentorship Program
Location: DermCare Experts, Quincy, Massachusetts
Eligibility: High school students
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Dates: 1-2 years depending on the student’s high school graduation date
Stipend: Students will receive a fellowship (amount not specified).
The Urban High School Premedical Mentorship Program is a wonderful opportunity to work at DermCare Experts, a dermatology clinic offering high school students a chance to explore the field while learning some hands-on techniques and skills. Sponsored by the Dermatology and Clinical Research Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Fellowship, this program ranges from 1 to 2 years in length, providing a detailed curriculum and experience.
In addition to mentorship and lab work, you will receive access to journal clubs, awareness fairs and events, college application advice, one-on-one sessions with research fellows, and other monthly activities.
7. University of Pennsylvania Department of Dermatology’s Penn Academy for Skin Health (PASH)
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Eligibility: Philadelphia high school students in 10th-12th grades
Application Deadline: Applications usually close in January.
Dates: 4 consecutive Saturdays in March followed by a paid summer internship (if selected)
Stipend: Paid for the summer internship (amount not specified)
The Department of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania runs the annual PASH program, giving practical exposure to students for four weekends, with the possibility to extend their experience with a paid summer internship. As part of this program, you will perform experiments, learn laboratory techniques, work with advanced technologies and resources, and network with Penn faculty and researchers. You will also get to attend the SBDRC Scientific Symposium.
The internship further includes comprehensive laboratory work in addition to talks and roundtables offered as part of the ECuRE program.
8. Fred Hutch Cancer Center’s Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP)
Location: South Lake Union, Seattle, Washington
Eligibility: Students between 11th and 12th grades from underrepresented backgrounds
Application Deadline: Applications usually close in March.
Dates: June 24 - August 16 (8 weeks)
Stipend: Paid (amount not specified) + free ORCA card provided for commuting
Fred Hutch Cancer Center’s Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP) is an opportunity to participate in crucial cancer research while learning about research processes and techniques in the center’s renowned laboratories. The cancer center researches and treats various types of cancer, including skin cancer, making this a great option if you wish to specialize in dermatology. Note that only 20-30 students are selected annually.
The internship includes lab safety training, followed by immersion in mentored group activities in a Fred Hutch research group. Seminars, professional development workshops, social activities, and final presentations are also included.
9. UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center’s ResearcHStart
Location: University of Chicago | University of Illinois at Chicago | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Northwestern University | Rush University
Eligibility: High school juniors or seniors at least 16 years old and from the Chicago and Urbana-Champaign areas
Application Deadline: Applications generally close in January.
Dates: Second week of June through the first week of August (8 weeks)
Stipend: $3,000 (taxable)
UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center’s ResearcHStart allows high school students to explore cancer research, including skin cancer research, at leading institutes and facilities in the area. You will learn about cancer disparities, bioengineering, cancer immunology, and experimental cancer therapeutics during your time here while attending career development workshops, lectures, and networking sessions.
Importantly, you will be able to work on an individual or collaborative research project that you will then present at a concluding research symposium.
Note that this is a highly prestigious opportunity, selected only around 30 students each year.
10. Pathways Program by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)
Location: Chicago, Illinois, or Washington, D.C.
Eligibility: High school and college students from Black, Latino, or Indigenous communities
Application Deadline: Applications open in the fall.
Dates: June 10 - June 14 (Chicago) | June 24 - June 28 (DC)
Stipend: Not mentioned
Consider signing up for the American Academy of Dermatology’s Pathways program if you wish to learn about medical careers, specifically dermatology. Once you register, you will spend 5 days interacting with and learning from professionals, including researchers, medical students, faculty, dermatology residents, and practicing dermatologists. They will offer you insight into the field and career of dermatology, advise you on your college applications, and teach you some hands-on daily dermatology procedures.
Moreover, this is a great opportunity to meet peers who share your interests, making it possible to network and collaborate on future projects.
11. Harvard University’s On-Campus Summer Pre-Med Academies (Anatomy and Physiology)
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Eligibility: High school students (grades 9-12)
Application Deadline: Applications usually close in June.
Dates: Multiple one-week sessions throughout the summer
Cost: $1,600 tuition (housing is not included) with need-based financial aid available
While not a traditional internship, Harvard’s Pre-Med Academies offer a chance to work and learn within the setting of a prestigious university. Through this summer academy, you can learn clinical skills from faculty, guest speakers, and Harvard Medical School students and learn about what a medical career entails.
The Human Anatomy and Physiology Academy will dive deep into various bodily systems and medical specializations, including not only dermatology but also pulmonology, cardiology, myology, neurology, nephrology, gastroenterology, and endocrinology. You will further learn how to understand pathologies in various tests, understand blood work, and simulate emergency room professionals using a case study analysis and mock diagnosis.
12. University of Arizona College of Medicine’s Summer Scrubs Academy (Day Camp)
Location: University of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona
Eligibility: Current 11th grade students
Application Deadline: Applications usually close in March.
Dates: June 10 - June 14
Cost: $300, inclusive of meals, camp activities, scrubs, and a t-shirt. Full and partial need-based scholarships are available.
Another work-learn opportunity is the University of Arizona’s Summer Scrubs Academy organized by the College of Medicine. If selected, you will get to explore health careers, attend lectures, participate in field trips and tours, conduct simulations, and conduct hands-on work in laboratories.
If you want to learn about medical careers in general with dermatology being covered in your experience, we recommend opting for the Day Camp. This camp includes a distinct session on dermatology, with other sessions covering other medical fields like pediatrics, radiology, internal medicine, psychiatry, toxicology, anesthesiology, family medicine, emergency medicine, and more.