Undergraduate Summer Internships for Aspiring Genetic Counselors

images of four summer interns from 2022
The 2022 University of Pennsylvania Genetic Counseling Summer Interns

The application for summer 2023 opens on December 1, 2022.

 

The Warren Alpert Summer Scholars Genetic Counseling Program at the University of Pennsylvania is designed for undergraduate students from diverse populations who are interested in careers in genetic counseling.

Full-time, paid summer internships (40 hours per week for six weeks @ $15/hour = $3,600)
From Monday, June 12 through Friday, July 21, 2023
Shadowing with genetic counselors at Penn Medicine and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Exposure to a broad range of clinical genetics specialties
Seminars, conferences and case conferences
Research and laboratory work
One-on-one interactions with genetic counselors and current students
Networking opportunities with other genetic counseling interns

 

Applicant Qualifications

Applicants must:
the four 2022 summer interns
2022 Genetic Counseling Summer Interns Andrea Rodriguez, Alex Rohr, Jocelyn Knight and Kimberly Rojas
  • Be undergraduate students (rising sophomores, juniors and seniors) from communities/populations that are under-represented in the field of genetic counseling.
  • Have a keen interest in health professions and genetics.
  • Have a GPA of at least 3.0 and have completed some college-level coursework in biology, chemistry and genetics.
  • Be able to successfully complete criminal background checks and provide the immunization records (including for COVID-19) that will be required for clearance by the clinical sites.
  • Have access to housing in Philadelphia for the in-person components of the internship.

Internship Timeline

Thursday, December 1, 2022 Applications Open
Wednesday, February 1, 2023 Application Deadline
Beginning on March 15, 2023 Results Announced
March 2023 Interns Apply for Clearances    
Monday, June 12, 2023 Internships Begin
Friday, July 21, 2023 Internships Conclude

 

Internship Application

Four parts are required:

1.  An online application form 

Toward the bottom of the application form there are links for uploading the three attachments listed below.

Note: You can view the form at any time, but you will need to have all three attachments ready to upload when you complete and save the form.  Saving = submitting.

2. Responses to two prompts (250 words each):

a.  Explain your interest in a career in genetic counseling
b.  In actively helping to diversify the field, what may be some ways to promote the inclusion of underrepresented voices in genetic counseling in the future?
 

3.  A current résumé or CV

4.  An unofficial transcript from your college or university


2022 summer genetic counseling interns
Congratulations to our very first genetic counseling summer interns, Briana Brown, Maya Powell and Maurice Wade.  Summer 2022

 

The Undergraduate Summer Internships are a project of the Alliance to Increase Diversity in Genetic Counseling which is funded by a grant from the Warren Alpert Foundation.