2023 Amgen Scholars Program at NIH

COVID-19 Update: At this time we expect that the 2023 NIH SIP will be in-person.  We will continue to update this page and notify applicants with any changes as they occur. 

The application period for the Summer 2023 session is now closed. 

The Amgen Scholars Program at NIH is a partnership between the Amgen Foundation, the Foundation for the NIH, and the NIH Office of Intramural Training & Education. Amgen Scholars at NIH spend the summer working at NIH's main campus in Bethesda, Maryland side-by-side with some of the world's leading scientists, in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research. During their internships at NIH, scholars will be matched with research mentors in the NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP) where they will be immersed in a culture of translational science and will explore important elements of the basic, translational, and clinical research enterprise. (To get an idea of the types of research conducted in the 27 Institutes and Centers that make up the NIH, visit http://www.nih.gov/icd/). In addition to performing full-time research, scholars will:

• Participate in a customized curriculum that will use journal clubs, case studies, writing projects, and group activities to develop communication, career readiness, and critical thinking skills.
• Explore the relationship between science and society in evening roundtables that examine the role of science, policy, and community engagement in the elimination of health disparities (for a definition of health disparities, visit the Amgen Scholars Program at NIH FAQs).
• Participate in a leadership development program focused on self-exploration, building resiliency, understanding conflict, finding mentors, and understanding emotional intelligence.
• Attend the Amgen Scholars US Symposium to interact with top industry and academic scientists and to network with other Amgen Scholars.
• Present at the NIH Summer Poster Day at the beginning of August.
• Establish an individualized development plan to take advantage of the many workshops and seminars offered for all NIH summer interns. These include our summer lecture series, "Going to Graduate School" series, communication skills workshops, and the NIH Graduate & Professional School Fair.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants to the program should be willing to work on any aspect of their broader scientific interest. Even though health disparities and their elimination are a major focus of the AMGEN Scholars Program at NIH, NOT all scholars will conduct research related to health disparities.

The Amgen Scholars Program at NIH will begin with an orientation. Scholars will meet weekly for program activities throughout the summer. (For more information, visit the program FAQs.)

During their internships at NIH, interns will receive a monthly stipend. They are also eligible to receive Transhare benefits for travel within the Metro DC area (Transhare is a transportation subsidy provided to individuals who agree to use any form of public transportation and not their car to get to work).

Eligibility

The Amgen Scholars Program at NIH is a summer internship for undergraduate students interested in PhD and combined degree programs in the sciences. Students interested in attending medical or other professional school programs should apply to the broader NIH Summer Internship Program.  Students with experience in health disparities and a keen interest in learning more about the biological, environmental, social, and genetic causes of health disparities are especially encouraged to apply. The admission committee will give preference to students who lack opportunities to perform independent research during the school year. NIH welcomes applications from students in all science disciplines and encourages students from diverse backgrounds to apply.

In addition, applicants must:

• Be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
• Be enrolled for Fall 2023 in a four-year college or university in the U.S., Puerto Rico, or other US territory.
• Be a rising college junior or senior (including fifth-year college seniors). Transfer students from community colleges should contact us for advice on whether to apply to the Community College Summer Enrichment Program (CCSEP) or the AMGEN Scholars at NIH Program. College students may also want to consider the College Summer Opportunities to Advance Research (C-SOAR) program.
• Have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher (4.0 scale).

Individuals who have earned a baccalaureate degree, students who are not currently enrolled at a U.S. institution, and previous Amgen Scholars are not eligible to apply.

Individuals from racial and ethnic groups that have been underrepresented in health-related sciences; Students with disabilities; students who are Pell Grant-eligible; students who are enrolled in Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, or Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); students who identify as LGBTQ; and individuals disadvantaged by circumstances that have negatively impacted their educational opportunities, including recent natural disasters, are encouraged to apply.

Application Process
Applicants should complete the standard NIH Summer Internship Program (SIP) application and choose "AMGEN" in item 9. The deadline for receipt of completed applications and letters of reference is February 1, 2023 at 11:59 pm ET. Applicants should also compete the Supplementary Application by this date.

Applicants should discuss the following important elements in the application cover letter:

• Research interests and educational/career goals for the future
• Understanding of, experience with, and interest in learning more about health disparities; we are interested in learning about personal, coursework-related, or community-based experiences that have increased your interest in health disparities.
• Leadership experiences in school and in the community

How the Program Works

Individuals who are selected for the program will be matched by the program with NIH intramural scientists. Every effort will be made to place students in research groups related to their research interests. Applicants should NOT contact NIH intramural scientists to discuss placements on their own. In addition, they should NOT specify on their applications an NIH Institute/Center in which they would like to be placed.

All interns participating in the AMGEN program must available full time from June 5, when the program begins, through August 4, 2023, when it concludes. Students will join their research groups on June 8, and the program will run through August 4, 2023. Summer internships are full-time positions; interns are expected to devote a minimum of 40 hours per week to their projects and training. Students should not, therefore, expect to take courses during the daytime. Furthermore, they should not make plans for evening coursework, GRE or MCAT practice or volunteer activities before speaking to program staff.

Table comparing the AMGEN Scholars Program with other summer programs at the NIH