About

The Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE) Program at the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center is a full-time, paid summer research internship for high school and undergraduate students in Massachusetts who are serious about pursuing a career in scientific research. Run through DF/HCC — a comprehensive cancer center uniting seven of Boston's most prominent medical institutions, including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health — CURE places students directly inside working cancer research labs for 7 to 11 weeks of mentored, full-time research.

Each student is paired with an individual research mentor for a hands-on, authentic project in basic science, clinical research, nursing research, or population science. Beyond bench work, the program includes a comprehensive orientation, scientific seminars, professional development workshops, journal club, and networking events. Students present their work in a final research abstract and presentation. The program is paid — students receive a weekly stipend — and is free to attend. Eligibility for the high school track requires Massachusetts residency or enrollment in a Massachusetts school, and the ability to commute to Boston's Longwood Medical Area five days a week during the summer. The program is highly competitive.

CURE also operates a longer-form track: the YES for CURE program is a 2.5-year initiative for high school and undergraduate students that layers mentored summer research with year-round scientific curriculum and professional skills training — a sustained pipeline rather than a single-summer experience. Students from outside Massachusetts who are undergraduates at research-active institutions may apply to the separate CURE-RAI track.

For a Massachusetts high schooler with genuine research ambitions in cancer biology or biomedical science, CURE is one of the most substantive free research opportunities in the country — embedded inside a network of institutions that collectively represent some of the world's most impactful cancer research.