USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
An NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center
ACS Cancer Research Summer Internship
A paid summer research experience in USC Norris cancer research labs, funded by the American Cancer Society.
About the program
The ACS Cancer Research Summer Internship is part of the American Cancer Society’s Center for Innovation in Cancer Research Training (CICRT), a national network at leading cancer institutions.
Interns are placed in active USC Norris research labs for 10 weeks, working alongside faculty investigators in cancer biology, population science, clinical oncology, and community-engaged research. The program matches each applicant with a faculty mentor based on their research interests, and intern and mentor develop a research project together.
The program is highly selective and designed for undergraduates who are seriously considering careers in cancer research or medicine.
USC Norris ACS Cancer Research Summer Internship
What the program includes
- Orientation day & lab tours
- Mentored full-time research
- Weekly cohort breakfast
- Program activities held in the mornings
- Scientific seminars
- Journal Club with other institutions
- Networking with other USC programs and external institutions
- Scientific writing & poster workshops
- Graduate student & postdoc panel
- Career development workshops
- End-of-summer research symposium: poster and oral presentation
- ACS Trailblazers in Cancer Research network access
Who should apply
- Rising sophomore, junior, or senior enrolled full-time (at least 12 units per semester) in a bachelor’s degree program
- Proven interest in cancer research, STEM, or biomedical sciences
- Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale)
- Must not graduate before the program ends in August
- Cannot enroll in summer courses during the internship
- US work authorization required; OPT/CPT eligible; US citizenship not required
- Priority for students from communities historically underrepresented in biomedical research, per NIH definition
Accepted interns commit to the full 10 weeks without concurrent summer courses, part-time employment, or other internship commitments. This is a full-time, in-person program.
Application process
Do not contact faculty mentors directly. Mentor matching is coordinated by the program review committee after eligibility screening. Applications are reviewed in four stages.
- 1
Submit your Eligibility Form
Due January 15, 2027Complete the Eligibility Form, which includes a video recording and two short answers about your research interests and goals.
- 2
Interview with your mentor
February 2027Upon review of your Eligibility Form, if selected, you will be matched to a mentor; you will not contact mentors directly.
- 3
Research proposal
Due mid-March 2027Mentors and mentees meet. If there is synergy, you will co-develop a Research Proposal due in March. Research proposals are evaluated for admission to the program.
- 4
Admission decision
By mid-April 2027Applicants are notified of final decisions regarding admission in April. The program runs May 31 – August 6, 2027.
Questions? Contact Domenica Romaniello, MS at acs-dicr@usc.edu.
Voices from the cohort
The ACS internship not only strengthened my scientific skills but also broadened my perspective on cancer research and opened new academic and professional opportunities. Most importantly, it gave me the mentorship, experience, and confidence to pursue a future in research and medicine.
The ACS Cancer Research Internship Program gave me the skills and mentorship to grow into a much more independent researcher... the experience has strengthened my goal of pursuing medicine while continuing to remain deeply involved in research.
It truly was one of the most rewarding and educational opportunities I’ve had.
Our Interns
2026· 10 interns
Lauren Kim
Biology, USC. Developed mRNA cancer vaccines targeting CT83 and tumor neoantigens under Dr. Rongfu Wang, building the DNA templates and producing vaccine mRNA through in vitro transcription.
Omoye Ehimare
Human Biology, USC. Amatruda Lab. Tested CAR T-cell therapies in zebrafish models of Ewing sarcoma, imaging more than 300 fish and measuring how tumors responded to several CAR T-cell designs.
Victor Geovanni Sanchez Chavez
Biology, ELAC. POWER Lab under Dr. Raina Pang. Studied how social context, such as drinking with strangers versus familiar peers, shapes alcohol use. Applied multilevel modeling to real-time survey data from two longitudinal studies, with implications for cancer prevention.
Htun Wai Yan Aung
Biology, ELAC. Studied MRI-based biomarkers for detecting amyloid beta without invasive testing, under Dr. Bino Varghese. Extracted shape and texture features from brain scans in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative dataset.
Neeki Ettefagh
Biology, UC Riverside. Studied colorectal cancer screening in the Latino community under Dr. Mariana Stern. Wrote the background section of a scoping review and analyzed baseline data from a randomized controlled trial.
Xingzhi Duan
Biochemistry and Philosophy, Scripps College. Studied how the drug entinostat affects T cells under Dr. Evanthia Roussos Torres, as part of work to improve breast cancer immunotherapy. Found that it raises Malat1 expression, lowers STAT3 activation, and triggers cell cycle arrest and cell death.
Sarah Choi
Psychobiology, UCLA. Studied how follower cells support the growth of invading leader cells in fusion-positive rhabdomyosarcoma, using 3D tumor spheroids and immunofluorescence imaging in Dr. JinSeok Park’s Lab.
Samuel Moreida Rey
Biomedical Engineering, UC Irvine. Studied cyclotides designed to block KRAS–RAF interactions in gastrointestinal cancers under Dr. Julio Camarero, testing their effects on colon and pancreatic cancer cell lines.
Elayna Ong
Neuroscience, UC Berkeley. Studied how cancer-associated fibroblasts interact with pancreatic cancer cells under Dr. Nicholas Graham. Built a TurboID construct for protein profiling and ran cell growth and FAP expression experiments.
Isabella Romero
Biology, Tufts University. Used diffusion-weighted MRI radiomics to predict whether ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast becomes invasive, under Dr. Bino Varghese. Segmented lesions and extracted imaging features from a diverse patient group.
2025· 10 interns
Aniya Harris
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, USC. CHOICES Lab under Dr. Chanita Hughes-Halbert. Studied stress reactivity, nicotine addiction, and neighborhood disadvantage among Black and White male smokers.
Poster selected, ABRCMS 2025
Celine Li
Computational Neuroscience and Neural Engineering, USC. Studied therapeutic approaches for glioblastoma under Drs. Thomas Chen and Axel Schonthal, working across cell culture and animal models.
Fibi Berhane
Global Health, USC. Interned under Dr. Mariana Stern on determinants of self-efficacy among Hispanic/Latino colorectal cancer patients in the ENLACE Study.
John Wehn
Quantitative Biology, USC. Dr. Rongfu Wang’s Lab. Studied small molecule inhibitors enhancing bispecific CAR-T cell efficacy in gastric cancer.
Lucia Posada-Reyes
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, USC. Studied sun exposure and skin cancer risk under Dr. Fumito Ito.
Mabel Frimpong
Neuroscience, Bryn Mawr College. Dr. Adam De Smith’s Lab. Investigated the TPX2 gene in leukemia risk in children with Down Syndrome using droplet digital PCR.
Michelle Yu
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, USC. Cancer survivorship research under Dr. Miller, including studies on mental health outcomes in Asian American survivors.
Poster submitted, ABRCMS 2025
Natalia Gerovian
Biological Sciences, UC Santa Barbara. Investigated transcription factor SPDEF in prostate cancer under Dr. Suhn Kyong Rhie.
Scarlet Affa
Chemistry, UCLA. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles under Dr. Liya Xu. Characterized germline RB1 variants in more than 240 retinoblastoma patients.
Shannon Liang
Chemical Engineering, USC. Dr. Nicholas Graham’s Lab. Studied VDR agonists to reduce MGMT expression in temozolomide-resistant glioblastoma.
2024· 4 interns
Benjamin Alonzo
Human Biology, USC. Dr. Adam De Smith’s Lab, working on acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Now an ACS NextGen Cancer Scholar
David Maguellal Jr.
Biochemistry, Cal State Northridge. Research training under Dr. Sandra Algaze in laboratory research practices.
Laila Ward
Human Biology, USC. Studied biomarkers of breast-to-brain cancer metastasis under Dr. Josh Neman.
ACS Trailblazer Award, 2025
Lucia Miguel
Cal State Northridge. Explored health disparities in cancer research under Dr. Albert Farias.
2023· 2 interns
John Tran
First-generation graduate focused on healthcare access for refugees and underserved communities through AI-driven healthcare research.
Steve Soto
Investigated liquid biopsies as a reliable means of tracking cancer under Dr. Jeremy Mason.
Now an ACS NextGen Cancer Scholar
For information about the ACS Summer Internship program nationally, visit the American Cancer Society CICRT website →
Ten-week summer placement at no cost to your lab; ACS funds the $5,000 stipend. The program handles screening and matching, and mentors interview matched applicants in February. Interested in mentoring an intern? Fill out this form by January 15, 2027. Questions? Contact acs-dicr@usc.edu.
Applications are now open
Up to 8 internship positions are available for the 2027 cohort. The deadline is January 15, 2027. For questions, contact Domenica Romaniello, MS at acs-dicr@usc.edu.
Already finished your bachelor’s degree? The ACS NextGen Cancer Scholars fellowship is a two-year, $50,000/year post-baccalaureate research program at USC Norris.
Apply now