MEDICAID NOTICE: Lurie Children’s continues to serve all patients enrolled in Medicaid. As a safety-net hospital, we will continue providing high-quality care to every child who needs us.

AVISO SOBRE MEDICAID: Lurie Children’s continúa atendiendo a todos los pacientes inscritos en Medicaid. Como hospital perteneciente a la red de protección social, continuaremos brindando atención de alta calidad a cada niño que nos necesite.

CAMP Exceptional Student Program

Applications for the 2025 program are now closed. See below for more details. 

The Center for Autonomic Medicine in Pediatrics (CAMP) in the division of Autonomic Medicine at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital is an interdisciplinary program that studies infants, children and young adults with conditions that affect the autonomic nervous systems (ANS). CAMP is an international leader in the study of congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) and rapid-onset obesity with hypothalamic dysfunction, hypoventilation and autonomic dysregulation (ROHHAD), and in the development of child-friendly, non-invasive autonomic testing of all organ systems served by the ANS with application to children with more common diseases. To learn more about our center, visit our home page

Applications for the 2025 Center for Autonomic Medicine in Pediatrics (CAMP) Exceptional Student Program are now closed. Check back in early December 2025 for the 2026 application cycle. We are seeking students (undergraduate, graduate, and medical students are all welcome to apply) who are interested in learning more about clinical research and autonomic medicine. The internship program is coordinated by the research staff at the Center for Autonomic Medicine in Pediatrics under the direction of Debra Weese-Mayer, MD, and is designed to give students broad exposure to a clinical and research environment. Although the program is unpaid, it offers students a chance to learn more about clinical and research activities. 

Interns will devote 40 hours per week to ongoing CAMP studies, research team meetings, research program seminars and educational seminars. Program dates are flexible in consideration of different summer schedules, typically beginning in late May or June and running through August. Students are encouraged to continue working part-time during the school year, as their academic schedule allows them to finish summer projects and submit for publication. This position will be an in-person position to ensure you are receiving the best experiences possible. 

For more information about the CAMP Exceptional Student Program, please see the Frequently Asked Questions below. If your question is not addressed, please contact CAMPResearch@luriechildrens.org or give us a call at 312.227.3300

Frequently Asked Questions

The application only includes your resume and cover letter. Your resume and cover letter should include details about your academic coursework, research experience, volunteer and/or work experience, future goals and your specific interests in our program. The selection process may include a half-hour phone interview with a member of the research team. Final decisions on applicant selection will be made on a rolling basis.

You will receive a confirmation email when we have received your application materials. We will notify every applicant whether they have been accepted to the program or not. 

Yes.

We are looking for students who have an interest in clinical research and/or pediatric medicine. Students will exhibit strong analytical, problem-solving, and oral and written communication skills. We want students who are able to work well in teams, effectively manage multiple projects and present ideas clearly and concisely. Many of our interns have worked in a professor’s lab or conducted independent study research projects before this program; however, this is not required.

Interns will work on a specific project under the supervision of a member of the research staff, meeting regularly with the principal investigator (PI) and/or research project manager.

In the past, students have had these responsibilities:

  • Assist with development of research study and study set-up
  • Coordinate patient recruitment
  • Assist with data collection, data processing, and preparation of materials for presentations
  • Maintain data collection records/data inventory
  • Track and prepare study-specific information utilizing databases, spreadsheets, and other tools
  • Conduct literature searches
  • Attend and participate in research team meetings
  • Write an abstract or thesis and present at a meeting

We expect this program to cover all aspects of clinical research. Thus, interns will spend time each week in our offices planning and recruiting for clinical research projects. Students will also spend time conducting the research in the clinic, interacting directly with research participants, patients, and medical staff. Additionally, students will spend time working with research staff to analyze data from the projects and develop abstracts, manuscripts, and presentations of the research. Finally, interns will attend weekly meetings with clinical and research staff and faculty. 

The program is clinical research-focused. Some of the student’s activities will be conducting research in the clinic; other activities will be preparing for or analyzing results of this research. In addition, interns will have the opportunity to meet clinicians from various fields and observe patient care. 

The summer program is completely separate and independent from Northwestern University. However, some faculty members are associated with both the program and Northwestern University.

Interns work at the main hospital.

Unfortunately, we cannot provide interns with housing or a stipend. Some students have applied for grants through their own universities to cover living expenses. There are usually plenty of Northwestern students looking to sublet their apartments over the summer.