Savannah, Xinje, Rosely and Maleiha in the Durham Tech Community Health Lab Van!

ISHTaR 2025 interns with several members of the EM Department at the 2025 Castillo Scholars’ Research Symposium.

Members of the ISHTaR 2025 cohort and former interns and students pose with books.

Please Note: The ISHTaR summer program will not be active during 2026. We are hopeful that the program will resume at a later date.

At the University of North Carolina School of Medicine (UNC-SOM), we aim to promote a compassionate culture focused on improving the health of all North Carolinians. The Internship in Science Health Training and Research (ISHTaR) program is sponsored by UNC’s Department of Emergency Medicine. This internship is designed to help local high school students develop research skills and explore career options in medicine and public health over the summer. The project aims to increase exposure to health care and public health by impacting and inspiring the next generation of clinicians and researchers. 

ISHTaR offers many opportunities to help interns gain experience in research and clinical medicine. Each year’s activities are unique and dependent on available research opportunities and the interns’ interests. 

ISHTaR provides: 

• Working with a team of researchers on a variety of projects
  • Planning health communications materials for lay and clinical audiences
  • Creating informational documents for research partners
  • Developing educational courses
  • Reviewing literature on health conditions and programs related to emergency medicine
• Shadowing clinicians in practice and developing mentorships
  • Shadowing EMS paramedics on an ambulance
  • Shadowing physicians during inpatient and outpatient efforts
  • Discussing life experiences and careers pathways with clinicians and researchers
  • Other experiences tailored to the student’s interests
• Team activities
  • Book club exploring complex healthcare-related issues

What to expect from ISHTaR: 

• Hybrid work environment
  • Each week consists of 1-3 in-person days. Interns must have reliable transportation to in-person days. 
  • No housing, food, or transportation provided 
• A minimum of 20 hours of paid work per week
• Flexible Summer start and end dates to align with the intern’s school year

• Current enrollment in a North Carolina High School as a rising sophomore, junior, or senior 
• 16 years of age or older by May 31st, of the year in which the summer program is being conducted
• Strong interest in medicine, biology, nursing, emergency medical services, public health, or research 
• Cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher is not mandatory, but it is highly recommended 
• As a paid internship opportunity, applicants must be eligible for employment in the U.S.
• Some applicants come from socioeconomically challenged or disadvantaged backgrounds, and benefit from having the chance to gain additional, first-hand insights into the field of medicine. Examples include, but are not limited to: 
  • Attending schools located in economically challenged and some rural areas of the state
  • Low family income and individual income

Interns grab snacks together at one of UNC’s cafes.