MSK 2027 Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship

• Applicants must be first- or second-year medical students at the time of application.
• Applicants must be enrolled full-time at an accredited medical school in the United States.
• Applicants must be in good academic standing. Students who are repeating a course or who will be required to repeat a course during the summer are not eligible to participate.
• Applicants must provide documentation verifying their eligibility to work in the United States upon acceptance into the program.
• Applicants must commit to eight consecutive weeks of uninterrupted participation in the fellowship.
• Applicants must be available to participate for the full duration of the fellowship on the published program dates.
• Applicants must be able to attend the required orientation on the first day of the fellowship.
• Applicants must adhere to the published fellowship dates and may not begin the program before the start date or conclude participation before the designated end date.
• Applicants may not contact faculty sponsors at any point during the application process.

Applicants will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Academic and Research Background: Demonstrated academic achievement and relevant research experience.
• Project-Specific Interest: A clear interest in and understanding of the selected research project.
• Interest in Oncology: A strong interest in cancer research and/or oncology.
• Interest in the Program and Institution: A demonstrated interest in the fellowship program and the mission of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK).

Participants are hired as temporary summer employees and receive a total stipend of $7,000 for completing eight consecutive weeks of uninterrupted participation in the program. 

Stipends are paid in biweekly installments in accordance with MSK’s payroll schedule, less applicable federal, state, and city payroll taxes. The first stipend payment is issued following the completion of the first two weeks of work.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) does not provide housing for program participants. Participants are responsible for arranging and covering all housing and transportation expenses for the duration of the program.

Summer research projects reflect a broad-based perspective on the entire research cycle from discovery to development to delivery of care. Project areas include laboratory bench research, clinical research, biostatistics, and epidemiology among others. Below are a few projects students worked on during our 2026 fellowship program. 2027 projects will be posted directly in our application.

• Integrating Immunotherapy, Antibody–Drug Conjugates, and Radiation: Defining Resistance and Response in Advanced Urothelial Cancer
• Uncovering vulnerabilities in brain tumors using genome-wide screening
• Translational research into mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies
• Clinical and Translational Research in Thoracic Surgical Oncology – Novel Therapies in Mediastinal Tumors and Outcomes in Lung Cancer
• Impact of infections on the outcomes of stem cell transplantation
• Clinical outcomes for patients with metastatic brain tumors
• Perioperative factors associated with prolonged time to ambulation in ambulatory head and neck surgery
• Functional MRI of Important Brain Cortices Adjacent to Brain Tumors
• Underlying Genetics of Metastatic Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
• Castration resistance phenotypes in recurrent or refractory prostate cancer
• Fecal Microbiota Characterization and Clinical Outcomes with Low-Intensity Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment
• Brain Tumor Insights: Neuroradiology, AI, and Advanced Imaging