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Build a medical research proposal with Polygence during 2 weeks at UC Berkeley for high school students, then continue through 10 mentor sessions.
Rated 4.3 out of 5 for the instructor by students who took this course in 2026.
Course Description
A healthcare claim becomes more interesting when you ask what evidence supports it. Shape a question of your own into a study worth proposing.
In this course you will choose a medicine or public-health topic, examine what researchers already know, and turn that interest into a focused study that could produce useful evidence.
The academy introduces literature review, research ethics, qualitative and quantitative methods, data collection, analysis, and community-engaged research. Students frame research questions around the population, intervention, comparison, and outcome, evaluate source quality through a literature scavenger hunt, work through a data challenge, and consider the budget and ethical choices behind clinical research. Abstract and visual-data workshops help them communicate the logic of a study clearly.
On campus, you’ll develop a medical research proposal, abstract, and professional scientific poster, then present in a symposium-style setting. Continue afterward through Polygence’s Core Research Program: join a virtual cohort and work one-to-one with a mentor matched to your interests. Across 10 virtual sessions, pursue the project at your own pace toward a paper, symposium presentation, podcast, or another appropriate format.
This two-week full-day academy is part of Summer Discovery at UC Berkeley, held on the university’s campus. Students spend the full program focused on one intensive academy. The academy is available to residential and commuter students.
What You Will Do
• Investigate medical evidence through a research timeline and literature
• Frame a research question around who is studied, what is tested, a comparison, and an outcome
• Design a study considering data, budget, and research ethics
• Create an abstract and visual material for a scientific poster
• Present and defend a proposal at a mock symposium
• Continue through Polygence’s Core Research Program with 10 one-to-one virtual sessions
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Formulate a researchable medicine or public-health question from scientific literature
• Design and justify an ethical study using appropriate methods and data
• Communicate a research proposal through an abstract, poster, and oral presentation
You’ll leave with your medical research proposal, scientific poster, a plan for continuing through Polygence mentorship, and a certificate of completion.
Why Medical Research Skills Matter
Medical research skills help students distinguish a compelling health question from one that can actually be investigated. They learn to trace a claim to evidence, judge the quality of a source, choose methods that fit the question, and consider how study design affects the conclusions that can be drawn.
Ethics and community-engagement exercises add another layer. A technically sound project must also consider consent, risk, representation, and the people affected by the research. Writing an abstract and building a poster develop precision because students must explain purpose, methods, and significance without hiding behind jargon. These habits support future work in medicine, public health, biology, health policy, and other evidence-driven fields.
Who Should Attend?
For students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade.
If you enjoy asking how we know something about health, this academy lets you follow that question into a substantial independent proposal. Interests in medicine, biology, epidemiology, policy, or data can all provide a starting point. You don’t need a completed research question when you arrive. You’ll read scientific material, develop one topic, revise with feedback, and consider research ethics carefully.
The work continues after the campus program through 10 one-to-one virtual sessions with a Polygence mentor matched to your field of interest.
Recommended Program
Based on students surveyed in Summer Discovery’s 2026 UC Berkeley program.
Your Summer at UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley gives high-school students the opportunity to pursue serious academic exploration in a campus environment shaped by scientific inquiry, new ideas, and an active connection to the wider Bay Area. The Berkeley Hills, distinctive architecture, and green spaces make the experience feel different from an ordinary school routine.
Students learn alongside peers, become more independent, and experience the pace and possibility of university life. The Bay Area context adds exposure to a region influenced by research, technology, entrepreneurship, culture, and public debate. For families, the value is not campus prestige alone. It is the combination of academic depth, community, and a student gaining clearer insight into the subjects, environments, and possible directions that genuinely motivate them.
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive