High School Programs
Biomedical Research In Medicine and Science

Biomedical Research In Medicine and Science (BRIMS)

The Biomedical Research In Medicine and Science (BRIMS) program offers an outstanding science training opportunity for Cincinnati area college freshmen and sophomores. The program is designed to involve students from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in medicine and science in cutting‐edge scientific research conducted in an academic medical center to stimulate their interest in pursuing biomedical research careers.

Contact Us

If you have questions about the program or application process, please contact us at BRIMS@cchmc.org.

This nine‐week program offers a chance to learn, explore, and gain hands‐on experience in a Children's Hospital Medical Center research laboratory environment for 14 to 15 underrepresented students each summer. The online application will open in early to mid-November 2024.

2025 application

Applications for 2025 are due on February 1, 2025.

Each BRIMS intern will be paired with a research mentor to pursue a nine-week full time basic science, or clinical biomedical research project during the summer. All BRIMS students will present a poster during the annual capstone poster competition at the end of the program.

In addition to participating in SURF activities, BRIMS interns participate in weekly career development luncheons and shadowing opportunities with faculty from several different specialties. Participants will be paid $13.00 / hr. The BRIMS program is sponsored by the Office of Academic Affairs and Career Development at Cincinnati Children's and a generous endowment from the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Foundation.

Attendance is mandatory on Orientation Day, Monday, June 2, 2025.

Applicants must be from the Greater Cincinnati Area, be 17 years and 6 months old by the start of the program, and either be graduating from high school in 2025 or have completed their college freshman year. Successful applicants will also from at least one of the following underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds: 

  1. From a racial or ethnic group that is underrepresented in biomedical research including Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinos, American Indian or Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (Guam, Samoa).
  2. Were or currently are homeless, as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (Definition: McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act)
  3. Attended a high school with low average SAT/ACT scores or below the average State test results 
  4. Were or currently are in the foster care system, as defined by the Administration for Children and Families (Definition: Administration for Children and Families)
  5. Attended a high school where at least 30 percent of enrolled students are eligible for free or reduced price lunches. (Definition: U.S. Department of Agriculture)
  6. Have/had no parents or legal guardians who completed a bachelor’s degree
  7. Were or currently are eligible for Federal Pell grants
  8. Received support from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) as a parent or child (Definition: U.S. Department of Agriculture)
  9. Grew up in one of the following areas: a) a U.S. rural area, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer (data.hrsa.gov/tools/rural-health), or b) a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-designated Low-Income and Health Professional Shortage Areas (qualifying zip codes are included in the file). 
     

The BRIMS program is highly competitive. Only US citizens, or green card holders are eligible to apply for the program. Successful applicants are high achieving graduating high school seniors or students completing their first year of college and have taken multiple science courses (rising Freshmen or Sophomores). We consider high school class rank, GPA, ACT or SAT scores (if available), number of science classes taken, leadership in extracurricular activities and recommendations to narrow the applications to 20 finalists. From those, the top 14 to 15 will be matched with mentors based on their personal essays and interviews, depending on funding. All applicants must submit a personal statement highlighting their academic achievements; extracurricular activities; future academic and career goals; and any obstacles they have encountered personally that have shaped their motivation, personality, and outlook.

Please compile and submit the following information online:

1. Complete the online application including uploading your resume with a list of extracurricular activities and leadership positions held, your personal essay about your career goals, and your High School transcript including grades through the fall semester 2024 and ACT or SAT scores, if available. Note, if you are currently a college freshman, include a transcript of your fall college grades.

2. We ask that you submit two letters of recommendation (only one is required) through the online application portal. You will be asked to enter your recommenders' names and email addresses into the application portal, and it will automatically generate an email that will be sent directly to the recommender. Please speak with your recommenders very early in the application process to coordinate the submission of these letters. Waiting until the last minute can cause your application to be incomplete when the portal closes, and this will result in your candidacy not being considered further. At least one letter of recommendation should be from a science teacher or scientist, and the optional letter can be from anyone who can speak to your character and academic performance.