The Mount Sinai International Exchange Program for Minority Students

The Mount Sinai International Exchange Program for Minority Students invites current undergraduates, recent graduates, and master degree graduate minority students to participate in an exciting and unique international exchange program. Interns are given the opportunity to conduct community-based research under the guidance of prominent international scientists in one of six countries. Interns will see their research skills strengthened and their cultural and linguistic abilities validated and they will experience and contribute to an international scientific collaboration.

The Exchange Program emphasizes collaboration and the exchange of scientific and cultural knowledge in an atmosphere of support for diversity.

Benefits

Applicants selected for the Program receive the following benefits:

  • Paid travel expenses to attend Orientation Week in New York City and to and from the host country in late May
  • Housing in New York City during Orientation Week
  • Full health coverage for the three months spent in the host country, including emergency evacuation coverage
  • Monthly stipend of $1,000 - $1,900, depending on level of education
  • Housing stipend in the home Country

Travel and Research Work Abroad

Trainees are accepted to the Mount Sinai International Exchange Program and are offered an opportunity to collaborate with highly accomplished research mentors in Latin America, Europe and South Africa. Some of our international sites are located in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Spain and South Africa. Before trainees travel to their assigned countries, they will receive one week of Orientation at Icahn School of Medicine.

After orientation, students will travel in groups of two or more to their host institutions. The Program Director and Coordinator provide all the support necessary to ensure that the intern-mentor fit is beneficial to all participants and that interns are adjusting well to their new environment. Following the 10-12 weeks of training in their assigned country, trainees will return to their respective institutions in the U.S. They will have one month in which to submit a report in the format of a scientific paper. These reports will be evaluated and the two most outstanding papers will be selected. Interns will have the opportunity to present their research results at professional scientific conferences, accompanied by their International mentor.

Orientation Week

Interns selected for the Exchange Program travel to Icahn School of Medicine in New York City to participate in an intensive one-week orientation that emphasizes the role that minority professionals can play in addressing health disparities. Orientation Week consists of the following:

  • Preparation for travel
  • Competency Training conducted by experts in the field
  • Preparation for the research: training in ethical conduct of research (IRB, HIPAA)
  • Individual Meetings with Program Director

Qualification Criteria

This program is for students interested in the health sciences. Students in other fields will be considered if they are willing to apply their skills to the health sciences. For example, a math major may apply to participate in epidemiological or biostatistical aspects of research. Additionally, applicants must be:

  • Minorities underrepresented in the sciences as per the following NIH definition: African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, and rural Appalachians.
  • U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals or permanent residents
  • Enrolled in or recently graduated from BA, BS, MA, MPH, or other Master's level programs and doctoral programs. A recent graduate is defined as one who has obtained their degree no earlier than May of last year.
  • Available for 10-12 weeks (end of May through August). Interns must commit 10-12 full weeks to the program. Other consecutive three-month periods can be arranged on an individual basis.
    Available for and willing to write a research report and make an oral presentation of the research performed. Although knowledge of Spanish and/or Portuguese is an asset, applicants are not required to have knowledge of either language.

Application deadlines are always the second week in January. Check website for details.

Applications

Please refer to the section: How To Apply, for eligibility, important dates, and other details of the application process. All questions should be e-mailed to: ITPApplications@mssm.edu.

Dr. Luz Claudio,
Program Director

Kenda D. Nunez,
Program Coordinator
kenda.nunez@mssm.edu
International Exchange Program for Minority Students
Department of Preventive Medicine
Icahn School of Medicine
One Gustave Levy Place, Box 1057
New York, NY 10029
Fax: (212) 996-0407
E-mail: ITPApplications@mssm.edu

Past Research Projects

Some examples of past and current research projects include:

  • Documentation of Childhood Asthma among Residents Following Acute Exposure to
  • Sulfur Dioxide: A Case Series in Capetown.
  • Enteric Diseases in Mexican Children from Varying Water Sources.
  • Effects of Prenatal p'p-DDE Exposure and Breastfeeding on Infant Neurodevelopment in Mexico.
  • Pediatric Cancers in Spain and Argentina.
  • Dietary-Gene Interactions for Gastric Cancer Risk and Survival in Mexico.