Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics
ITMAT Education and Training

MS1 Summer Internship

The Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT) offers a seven week funded summer internship to first year Penn medical students interested in engaging in translational research. Interns are expected to attend departmental seminars and weekly lab meetings. We will select 1-2 qualified candidates each year who will receive a $3360 stipend.

Applications are not currently being accepted.

The Online Application requires the following materials:

  • CV
  • Medical School Transcript (requested from the MD Registrar)
  • One-page research proposal
  • One letter of support from proposed mentor (submitted by the mentor via the online application system)

Applicants, please add headers with your name to the applicable documents. 

Summer 2023

  • Sneha (Sai) Mannam - Transcriptomic Characterization and Quantification of the Flow Diversion Microenvironment for Intracranial Aneurysms
  • Justin Kennedy - Serum SNTF biomarker analysis in a swine model of concussion

Summer 2022

  • Nicholas Han —  Using JAK Inhibitors to Target Epigenetic Changes That Limit Efficacy of Anti-PD1 for Lung Cancer
  • Emily Yu —  Mechanisms of exosome-mediated immunosuppression in IDH-mutant gliomas

Summer 2021

  • Sally Nijim —  The Functional Significance of Missense HLA Class I Allele Mutations in Acquired Aplastic Anemia
  • Pranav Rekapalli —  Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Treat Aphasia

Summer 2019

  • Taylor Daniel — Evaluation of orthologous Il-2/IL-2R beta system on CAR- T based therapy

Summer 2018

  • Michelle Guo — Skeletal morbidity and body composition abnormalities in high-risk neuroblastoma survivors
  • Megan Shannon — Enhancement of Long-term Hematopoietic Engraftment Following In Utero Transplantation with Glycogen-Synthase- Kinase-3 Inhibitor Infused Nanoparticles in the Canine Model
  • Alexandra Sperry —In utero base editing of cardiovascular disease gene ANGPTL3

Summer 2017

  • Joe Durgin — Immune Evasion in Glioblastoma - A Potential Co-opting of the Mechanism by which Cytotoxic T Cells Avoid Self-Killing
  • Lauren Reed-Guy — Identification of CD32b Expression and CD32b-mediated Internalization of mAb in Multiple Myeloma
Alumni Spotlight

Joseph Durgin, MD, MSTR
Medicine Intern (UPMC) / Dermatology Resident (University of Michigan)

What inspired you to apply for the ITMAT MS1 Internship, and how did it shape your experience at Penn? During my first semester of medical school, I got involved in lab-based research in the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies. Through this experience I realized that I wanted my career to include a significant component of lab-based research directed toward unmet clinical needs. The ITMAT MS1 internship allowed me to work full time on a project that ultimately became a longitudinal research experience during medical school. I later completed the project as part of the MSTR program.  In brief, this research was one of my most defining medical school experiences. It was both rewarding and challenging to take on significant research efforts in addition to the clinical training of medical school. The ITMAT Education and Training programs provided a framework and community to help meet the challenges of navigating this path.  Going forward, I am exploring post-doctoral research training in addition to residency in dermatology. My experience in the summer internship and MSTR program has definitely opened doors to continue pursuing my interests as a physician scientist.

Policies & Disclosures

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination Statement

Clery Act and Crime Reporting

Program Leadership

If you have questions about the internship, please contact us:

Marina Cuchel, MD, PhD | MS1 Internship Program Director | mcuchel@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Jessica German, MSEd | ITMAT Ed Sr. Associate Director | jbgerman@upenn.edu