SpHERES High School Research Program

Explore medicine. Experience research. Imagine what you could change.

Curious about medicine, science, research, or how new ideas can improve healthcare? Ever wondered what it would be like to work with researchers, learn from medical students and physicians, or explore a real healthcare problem?

The SpHERES High School Research Program at Carle Illinois College of Medicine (CI MED) gives high school students an immersive summer experience exploring research, medicine, health innovation, and careers in healthcare. SpHERES is designed for students who are curious about science and health and want to explore possibilities—including students who are interested in becoming physicians, researchers, scientists, engineers, or other healthcare professionals. During the summer, participants will work with mentors, gain hands-on experience with research, meet people working and studying in medicine and science, and discover how research and innovation can be used to solve real-world healthcare challenges.

SpHERES is part of the Young Scholars Summer STEMM Research Programs through the Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering Program | UIUC (illinois.edu).

Applications will open Spring 2027.

What will you gain from SpHERES?

SpHERES Scholars will have the opportunity to:

Conduct faculty-mentored research and gain experience with the process of asking questions, investigating problems, and communicating what you discover.
Explore different types of health and medical research, including biomedical, clinical, health, engineering, and related areas.
Learn more about becoming a physician and explore other careers in medicine, healthcare, research, science, and engineering.
Connect with CI MED faculty, medical students, researchers, graduate students, and other professionals who can share their experiences and advice.
Build relationships with mentors who can help you think about college, medicine, research, and your future.
Develop skills for college and beyond, including communication, teamwork, critical thinking, problem-solving, research, and professional skills.
Experience health innovation and design thinking through the Dream Incubator and learn how creative ideas can be used to address real healthcare problems.
Experience Carle Illinois College of Medicine and learn how medicine, engineering, technology, research, and innovation come together to improve healthcare.
Build friendships and connections with other students who share your interests in science, medicine, research, and healthcare.
Receive a $2,400 summer stipend for successful participation in the program.

Dream Incubator: Turn your ideas into health innovation

What if you could take something you learn through research and use it to imagine a better way to solve a healthcare problem? That's the idea behind the Dream Incubator Young Scholars health innovation experience. Through the Dream Incubator curriculum, you'll learn how innovators approach real-world healthcare challenges. You'll explore design thinking, creativity, problem-solving, human-centered innovation, research, collaboration, and solution development.

You'll be challenged to think about questions like: What healthcare problem do I care about? Who does it affect? What can research teach me about it? What's missing from current solutions? What could I imagine doing differently?

You'll learn that research isn't just about discovering information—it can also be the starting point for creating something new and making healthcare better.

Could medicine be in your future?

If you've ever thought about becoming a doctor, SpHERES gives you an opportunity to start exploring that possibility now. Participants will learn more about the path to medical school, interact with people at different stages of their journeys, and begin developing skills that future physicians use every day—including curiosity, critical thinking, communication, teamwork, compassion, creativity, and problem-solving. Participants will also be introduced to CI MED's concept of the Physician Innovator—a physician who doesn't just recognize healthcare problems but also uses medicine, research, engineering, technology, design, and innovation to help solve them. Whether participants want to become a doctor or not, the SpHERES program exposes you to a variety of careers and help you discover where your interests might lead.

Start exploring your future. You don't need to have your entire future figured out. SpHERES is an opportunity to explore your interests, challenge yourself, meet mentors, experience research, discover careers, and imagine what's possible. Whether you see yourself becoming a physician, researcher, scientist, engineer, innovator, or another type of healthcare professional, SpHERES can help you take an important next step toward discovering your future.

Questions?

In alignment with our mission to foster a supportive environment for all members of our university community, this programming is open to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, or national origin.