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Build a medical research proposal with Polygence during 3 weeks on Yale’s campus for high school students, then continue through 10 mentor sessions.
Rated 4.3 out of 5 for overall experience by students surveyed across the broader program in 2026.
Course Description
Begin with a question about medicine or public health, then work backward to the evidence that could answer it. A stronger question can change the whole study.
In this course you will trace the development of medical research and search medical research resources such as PubMed and the Cochrane Library. Compare source quality, identify gaps, and turn a broad interest into a focused question and hypothesis. The PICO framework helps specify the population, intervention, comparison, and outcome.
Compare quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods, alongside data collection and basic analysis. Cases and current health questions reveal how design choices affect a conclusion. Research integrity, ethics, clinical-trial budgets, and community-engaged participatory research bring the people and practical constraints into view.
On campus, develop a medical research proposal, abstract, and professional scientific poster, then give an elevator pitch and answer questions in a mock research symposium. Continue afterward through Polygence’s Core Research Program in a virtual cohort, with a one-to-one mentor matched to your field. Across 10 virtual sessions, work at an individual pace toward a paper, symposium presentation, podcast, or another appropriate format.
This three-week full-day academy for high school students is part of Summer Discovery’s Institute for the Gifted program on Yale University’s campus in New Haven, Connecticut. Students focus on one academy for the full campus program. Residential and commuter options are available. This hybrid academy includes the subsequent Polygence research program.
What You Will Do
• Find medical evidence in research resources such as PubMed and the Cochrane Library
• Refine a health question using PICO and a hypothesis
• Compare research methods, ethics, budgets, and study limitations
• Draft a proposal, abstract, and professional scientific poster
• Give an elevator pitch and answer research-symposium questions
• Continue through 10 one-to-one virtual Polygence 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
You’ll leave with your medical research proposal, abstract, scientific poster, continuation plan for Polygence mentorship, and a certificate of completion.
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?
For students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade.
If you wonder how researchers know whether a treatment works, this academy gives you a way to examine the evidence. You can explore laboratory, clinical, community, and data-focused approaches without choosing a career in advance.
Expect scholarly reading, ethical discussion, feedback, and a developing proposal to present. The commitment continues after campus through 10 one-to-one virtual sessions with a Polygence mentor matched to your interests.
Institute for the Gifted eligibility requirements apply; see the program FAQ.
Recommended by Nearly 9 out of 10 Students
Based on students surveyed in 2026 about Summer Discovery programs at Yale University campus.
Your Summer at Yale University
The Institute for the Gifted program takes place on Yale University’s campus in New Haven, Connecticut.
The campus’s courtyards, architecture, libraries, and academic spaces create a vivid setting for learning beyond a familiar school environment, while New Haven’s connections to law, theater, science, and the arts extend that context into the city. Students learn alongside peers with similar interests, navigate campus life, and gain independence through everyday choices. The experience creates space to deepen an interest, test it in a more advanced setting, and consider what they may want to study or pursue next.
Summer Discovery Certificate of Completion
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive