Internship Programs

CIRM-Funded Internship Programs: SPARK and Bridges

We are dedicated to supporting the next generation of stem cell scientists. The field of stem cells is still in its infancy and will require a well-trained workforce of scientists, physicians and technicians throughout the 21st century and beyond to fully realize and implement the potential of stem cells to treat patients with unmet medical needs. CIRM funds two separate educational internship programs in the state of California. The SPARK awards support summer research internships for high school students at leading stem cell institutes in California while the Bridges to Stem Cell Research awards support year long internships for undergraduate and master’s level students. For more information about these programs and how to apply, see below.

SPARK Program (High School)

Summer Program to Accelerate Regenerative medicine Knowledge (SPARK) offers California high school students an invaluable opportunity to gain hands-on training in stem cell research at some of the leading research institutes in California. SPARK program specifically select students who represent the diversity of California’s population, particularly those who might not otherwise have opportunities to partake in research internships to due socioeconomic constraints.

SPARK students will spend the summer learning about stem cells and regenerative medicine and will conduct a six week research internship in a stem cell lab. At the end of their program, students get to show off their hard work by presenting their research at the SPARK annual conference.

Currently, there are 11 active SPARK programs located in Northern and Southern California. Each program has its own application process and way of selecting students for their SPARK program. If you are a student, teacher or family member interested in learning more information about how to apply or when application deadlines are, please visit the individual SPARK program websites in the table below for details about each program.

If you have questions about the SPARK program, please email the CIRM SPARK director at education@cirm.ca.gov.

SPARK Program	Location	Application Form	Application Due Date	Residency Eligibility Requirements	Program Director	Contact
Northern California
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland	Oakland	Available 11/1/2022	2/17/2023	US Citizen or US permanent resident with SF Bay Area preference and under-represented in the sciences	Dr. Ellen Fung	ssrp@ucsf.edu
UC San Francisco	San Francisco	Available Now	Early February, 2023	Current high school juniors enrolled in an SF USD high school or an SF charter school and from backgrounds underrepresented in the sciences (further defined in the program FAQ)	Katherine Nielsen	Katherine.Nielsen@ucsf.edu
Stanford	Palo Alto	Available 12/15/2022	2/25/2023	US Citizen or US permanent resident with SF Bay Area preference	Dr. PJ Utz	pjutz@stanford.edu
UC Davis	Sacramento	Available Soon	3/24/2023	High school students in good standing who 1) attend a school within 45 miles of the UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures and 2) will be 16 years old on or before program start date. Additional criteria must be met to receive the award and participate in the summer program.	Gerhard Bauer	gbauer@ucdavis.edu
Southern California
Cedars-Sinai	Los Angeles	Available 11/1/2022	2/1/2023	1) US citizen or US permanent resident, 2) Applicants must be in Los Angeles or the surrounding area and have reliable transportation to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for the duration of their internship.	Dr. Wafa Tawackoli and Lucia McLaughlin	GroupRMIEducation@cshs.org
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science	Los Angeles	Available Now	3/15/2023	US citizen or permanent resident. South Los Angeles area high schools	Ms. Dolores Caffey-Fleming	deefleming@cdrewu.edu
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles	Los Angeles	Check with Program Director	Check with Program Director		Dr. Mark Frey	mfrey@chla.usc.edu
City of Hope	Duarte	Check with Program Director	TBD- usually March	US Citizen or US permanent resident	Dr. David Ann	dann @coh.org
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute	San Diego	Available 1/30/2023	4/28/2023	1) US citizen or US permanent resident, 2) Applicants must reside in San Diego County or Imperial County and have reliable transportation to Sanford Burnham Prebys for the duration of their 6-week internship.	Dr. Paula Checchi	pchecchi@sbpdiscovery.org
UC Riverside	Riverside	Check with Program Director	12/20/2022	California permanent resident; Inland Empire School District students referred by a science teacher	Dr. Huinan Liu	huinan.liu@ucr.edu
UC San Diego	San Diego	Check with Program Director	TBD- usually April	Must reside within San Diego and attend Lincoln, Hoover, Crawford or Morse High Schools	Dr. James Murphy	j2murphy@health.ucsd.edu

Learn more about our SPARK program on the Stem Cellar Blog and on Instagram:

CIRM SPARK Videos:

SPARK student stem cell pitches (2016)
CIRM Creativity music videos (2015)

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Bridges Program (Undergraduate and Masters)

The objective of CIRM’s Bridges to Stem Cell Research and Therapy Program is to prepare California’s undergraduate and master’s graduate students for highly productive careers in stem cell research and therapy development.

Started in 2009, the program provides paid stem cell research internships to students at universities and colleges that don’t have major stem cell research programs. Each Bridges internship includes thorough hands-on training and education in stem cell research, and direct patient engagement and outreach activities that engage California’s diverse communities.

There are currently 15 active Bridges programs throughout California, each with its own eligibility criteria and application process. If you are interested in applying, please see the table below for more details about each program.

If you have questions about the Bridges program, please email the CIRM Bridges director at education@cirm.ca.gov.

Bridges Program	Program Director	Contact
Northern California
Berkeley City College	Barbara Des Rochers	bsdesroch@hotmail.com
City College of San Francisco	Carin Zimmerman	carin.zimmerman@mail.ccsf.edu
California State University, Sacramento	Kimberly Mulligan	kimberly.mulligan@csus.edu
California State University, Humboldt	Amy Sprowles (Co-Director)	aes54@humboldt.edu
San Francisco State University	Lily Chen	lilychen@sfsu.edu
San Jose State University	Tzvia Abramson	tzvia.Abramson@sjsu.edu
Southern California
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo	Trevor Cardinal	tcardina@calpoly.edu
California State University, Channel Islands	Nikita Parmar	nitika.parmar@csuci.edu
California State University, Fullerton	Nilay Patel	npatel@fullerton.edu
California State University, Long Beach	Lisa Klig	ls.klig@csulb
California State University, Northridge	Cindy Malone	cmalone@csun.edu
California State University, San Bernardino	Nicole Bournias-Vardiabasis	nbournia@csusb.edu
California State University, San Marcos	Bianca Mothé	bmothe@csusm.edu
Pasadena City College	Pamela Eversole-Cire	pleversole-cire@pasadena.edu
San Diego State University	Ralph Feuer	rfeuer@mail.sdsu.edu

Learn more through these stories about the CIRM Bridges to Stem Cell Research and Therapy Programs

CIRM Stem Cellar Blogs:

CIRM Videos:

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