Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Build a medical research proposal with Polygence during 2 weeks on UCLA’s campus for high school students, then continue through 10 mentor sessions.
Course Description
Begin with a question about medicine or public health, then work backward to determine what evidence could answer it. Students examine how medical research has developed and learn to search academic databases such as PubMed and the Cochrane Library. Literature-review activities help them compare source quality, identify gaps, and refine broad interests into focused questions and hypotheses.
The course introduces PICO, quantitative and qualitative approaches, mixed methods, data collection, and basic analysis. Students consider research integrity, ethics, clinical-trial budgets, and community-engaged participatory research while testing how study design affects the strength and usefulness of a conclusion. Case studies and current health questions provide context for evaluating methods rather than treating research as a fixed recipe.
This hybrid academy combines an on-campus experience with Polygence’s Core Research Program. During the campus program, each student develops a medical research proposal, abstract, and professional scientific poster, then presents the work in a symposium-style setting. Afterward, students join a virtual cohort and are matched 1:1 with a Polygence research mentor in their field of interest. Across 10 virtual sessions, the mentor helps each student continue the project at an individual pace toward a research paper, symposium presentation, podcast, or another appropriate final format.
This 2-week all-day program takes place at UCLA in Los Angeles, California. It is available to residential and commuter students. Beyond class, students connect focused academic work with campus life, growing independence, and clearer direction about what students may want to study or pursue next. The program is developed by UCLA and offered in partnership with Summer Discovery.
What Will You Do?
• Search PubMed and the Cochrane Library for credible medical evidence
• Use PICO to refine a health question and develop a hypothesis
• Compare quantitative, qualitative, mixed, and community-engaged research methods
• Evaluate research ethics, source quality, study limitations, and clinical-trial tradeoffs
• Draft a proposal, abstract, and professional scientific poster
• Present an elevator pitch and answer questions at a mock research symposium
• Continue the project through Polygence’s Core Research Program and 10 one-to-one virtual mentor sessions
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Formulate a focused medicine or public-health question using PICO
• Evaluate scholarly evidence, research methods, ethics, and study limitations
• Communicate a research proposal through an abstract, scientific poster, and oral presentation
Students will leave the campus program with a medical research proposal and scientific poster, a plan for continuing the project through Polygence mentorship, stronger evidence and communication skills, and clearer direction for further study.
Why Medical Research Skills Matter
Medical research skills help students ask precise questions about health and judge whether available evidence truly answers them. Searching databases, comparing study designs, and evaluating source quality reveal why a convincing claim depends on transparent methods and appropriate data, not just an authoritative tone.
These habits strengthen scientific reasoning, information literacy, and communication. Ethical analysis encourages students to consider who participates in research, how risks are managed, and whether a study serves the community it describes. Together, these skills prepare students to read health information more critically and contribute more thoughtfully to laboratory, clinical, or public-health discussions.
Who Should Attend?
This academy is for high school students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and are curious about medicine, public health, disease, treatment, or how researchers determine whether health claims are supported by evidence. It can help students explore research before choosing among laboratory, clinical, community, or data-focused directions.
Participants should be ready to read scholarly material, compare study designs, discuss ethical questions, give and receive feedback, and present a developing proposal. The experience values careful reasoning and sustained curiosity more than a predetermined career choice.
Students should also be ready to continue after the campus program through 10 one-to-one virtual sessions with a Polygence mentor matched to their field of interest.
Recommended by More Than 4 out of 5 Students
Based on students surveyed in Summer Discovery’s 2026 UCLA high school program.
Why UCLA?
UCLA gives high-school students the opportunity to explore an academic interest while experiencing university life in Los Angeles, a city where entertainment, technology, business, science, and culture constantly intersect. The campus has its own community and rhythm while connecting students to a wider environment built around creativity and new ideas.
Students learn alongside peers, navigate a large campus, and gain independence through everyday choices and responsibilities. Time outside class expands the experience through friendships, campus life, and opportunities to notice which subjects and settings hold their attention. For families, UCLA offers a valuable combination of substantive academics, personal growth, and clearer direction about what a student may want to study, experience more deeply, or pursue next.
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive