The Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation (IHPI) offers the Health Equity Summer Research Award to master-level or doctoral-level students (i.e. Ph.D., D.S., Pharm.D., M.D., etc.) to work on a 10-week summer research project focused on racial health disparities. This award is part of the IHPI Health Services Research Summer Fellowship/Internship program, which is designed to pair students and faculty from different academic units for an interdisciplinary research experience. Students submitting an application to the Health Equity Summer Research Award will also be considered for funding through the regular IHPI/HSR Summer Student Fellowship and Internship program.
This award is made possible by the generous support of Marcy Welk, who holds a master's degree in social research from the University of Michigan.
Eligibility Requirements
Any master-level and doctoral students (i.e., Ph.D., Pharm.D., D.D.S., M.D., etc.) currently enrolled at the University of Michigan are eligible to apply. Students affiliated with the Institute for Social Research (ISR) are a priority to receive funding. Students who participated in the program previously are not eligible for the 2026 program.
Project Selection and Development Requirements
Students must identify an IHPI faculty member from a different school, college, or institute other than the student's degree-granting program. For example, a student from School of Public Health cannot work with an IHPI member from School of Public Health; they must partner with an IHPI member from a different U-M school/college (such as the Medical School or Social Work). The IHPI member and student will jointly agree on a research project, either from the list submitted by the IHPI member or of their own determination. Dual degree M.D. students may partner with a medical school faculty member if the student is working on their secondary degree during the project. For instance, M.D./M.P.H. students may work with a medical school faculty member if they are working on their M.P.H. degree during the duration of the project.
Application Process
Applications are available in Competition Space between January 19 and February 27, 2026. Please use this link to access the application. If the link does not take you directly to the application, use the search bar to find the application for the 2026 IHPI Health Equity Summer Student Research Award.
Step 1: A list of faculty summer projects will be available for students to review from January 19 – February 27.
Step 2: Students contact an IHPI member with whom they would like to work: either an IHPI member who has submitted a project or an IHPI member with whom they will develop a project together
Application Timeline
- January 19 – January 31: Students should contact faculty to discuss their interest in their posted project. When contacting a faculty member, students should email their resume and a description of their interest in the project. Faculty or their designated staff member should interview the student(s) to determine their fit for the project.
- February 1 - February 27: Students and faculty should finalize the student’s participation in the project, the details of the project, and the student’s personal statement and application. Students must have the IHPI member sign their personal statement, indicating that they agree to the scope of the project.
Step 3: Students submit the Fellowship/Internship application form by February 27, 2026, at 11:59 pm.
Step 4: The IHPI Education & Training Workgroup will review applications and notify students by March 31, 2026.
Applications Must Include
- Student resume or CV
- A personal statement (500 – 1000 words) about the student’s interest in the program. The statement should follow the format below. Students should connect their education, experience, interests, and career goals to the Health Equity Summer Research Award program, and explain the proposed project. Students should describe the project’s health disparities focus and relevance, how it relates to health services research or health policy, the goals for the project, and the dates for the 10-week timeframe when the student will be working on the project. Students need to verify that they can work on their projects remotely if needed.
Education and Experience: Please describe your education and experiences (job, internship, or personal experiences) that have contributed to your interest in public health, health policy, or health services research.
Interests and Goals: Please describe your educational and career goals, and how the IHPI/HSR program and your proposed project will help you pursue these goals.
Project Proposal and Timeline: Please describe the project, the aspects of the project you will be working on, the goals of the project, the project’s health disparities focus and relevance, how it relates to health services research or health policy relevance, and the 10-week timeframe that you will be working on the project.
- Sign-off from the IHPI member confirming that the student and IHPI member mutually agree on the proposed project, indicated by the IHPI member’s electronic signature on the student’s personal statement.
Criteria for Selection
Applications will be evaluated based on a demonstrated commitment to the field of health equity and health disparities, and a clear relationship between the proposed project and the student’s professional interests and career goals.
