High School Summer Research Experience in Cancer (SURE-CAN) Program

The Roswell Park High School Summer Research Experience in Cancer (SURE-CAN) Program is a summer research internship in Buffalo, New York, for high school juniors who live and attend school in Western New York. Interns spend six weeks at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, which is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. The 2027 program runs from June 28 to August 6, 2027. It is a full-time commitment of about 40 hours per week. Each intern works with a faculty mentor on a basic lab, epidemiology and health behavior, or computational project. Lectures cover cancer biology, imaging, genomics, AI methods, statistics and research ethics, alongside professional development sessions. The program ends with a research symposium where interns present scientific posters. The program is commuter-only. Limited subsistence allowances are available to some participants.

Applicants must be in the class of 2028, be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, be at least 15 by the program start, and live in and attend school in Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus or Chautauqua county. Attendance at every scheduled day is required. There is no application fee. Applicants submit an online application with a 300-word personal statement, a signed parental consent form and a recommendation from their school counselor or registrar. The 2027 application deadline is January 1, 2027.