Summer Internship

TRG's summer fellowship program has been active for well over a decade and we receive more and more highly competitive applications. Providing high quality mentorship and a meaningful experience is very important to us and we love to support trainees in the next step of their journey. As you may be aware, the current funding climate is full of uncertainty. Given changes to funding sources, we have made the difficult decision to pause the summer internships/fellowships in 2026. We hope this will be a short term pause and that we will be able to offer our summer programs again in 2027. Pleases check back to this site for more information regarding summer of 2027. 

TRG focuses on adolescents with eating disorders, specifically anorexia nervosa and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). Current projects include exploration executive functioning in adolescents with restrictive eating disorders, understanding dietary intake of youth with eating disorders, and deepening our understanding of health equity in eating disorders. Interns have the opportunity to become exposed to and familiar with the electronic medical record, recruitment and consent of participants, assessment, data scoring and entry, grant writing, and manuscript preparation. 

What does summer look like with us?

Interns and fellows receive training on scoring of assessments, data entry, abstraction from the electronic medical record, recruitment, and data collection. Interns and fellows will meet with lab leadership to discuss goals for the summer and specific tasks are allotted in order to facilitate reaching those goals. Depending on goals, undergraduate interns and research fellows may identify a specific project to which they would like to contribute.  In the past, many interns have contributed to or lead poster or paper submissions to conferences. Some have continued to work with us during the academic year to publish manuscript. However, this is not a guarantee. Interns and fellows will learn about the research cycle, ethics in research, how to write paper, the publishing process, and open science. New data collection is not possible for summer interns. 

Interns and fellows are able to attend professional talks at UPenn and CHOP while with us. In addition, the lab hosts a “Knowledge Paycheck” each week discussing various topics related to research, eating disorders, and professional development. Interns and fellows may have the opportunity to shadow team members in the hospital (depending on availability), meet with colleagues in other labs, and present on their own work during the summer.

Undergraduate Opportunities

The TRG summer internship program has been ongoing for well over a decade. Typically, one to two undergraduate students join us for 5 days a week for 10-12 weeks during the summer. Summer internships are currently unpaid - though we are hopeful that we will be able to offer a limited stipend. Interns are responsible for their own housing and transportation. Historically, many students are able to secure summer funding from their home institution or receive small grants from external programs or sponsors. Some students have been able to receive course credit for their work with us. Interns who attend university in the Philadelphia area have occasionally stayed through the academic year. 

High School Opportunity 

Due to the minimum time requirements and the need for in-person training, we typically do not host high school students with us during the academic year. We occasionally will have one high school student join us in the summer depending on interest and fit. High school interns typically work across multiple projects during their time with us in order to have maximum exposure to the different aspects of clinical research. This opportunity is currently unpaid, though we are hopeful that we will be able to offer a small stipend.

Application and Interview Schedule

Your cover letter for our summer internship should include the following:

  • Your reasons for wanting to complete a summer internship. Why are you a good match for us? Why are we a good match for you?  
  • Any skills you have that you will bring to your role in lab
  • Any skills you want to develop by the time you leave
  • How this internship will help lead you towards your goals (academic, professional, or personal)

Graduate Student Opportunity

Graduate fellows are asked to submit a CV and cover letter detailing the following:

  • Your reasons for wanting to spend the summer with us
  • What you hope to accomplish 
  • Why we are a good fit for your future goals.

Fellowships are not funded and fellows are responsible for their own housing and transportation. Depending on goals for the summer, we are open to fellows who will work with us remotely (though in-person is preferred).