About

The WFIRM Virtual Regenerative Medicine Academy is a free one-week online program for middle and high school students ages 14–18, hosted by the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Open nationally and internationally — unlike the 4-week SREP, which is restricted to North Carolina residents — the Virtual Academy gives students from anywhere access to WFIRM's faculty researchers, graduate students, and industry professionals through daily Zoom sessions. The curriculum covers research and technologies in regenerative medicine, career pathways in STEM and biomedical fields, and near-peer mentorship from WFIRM graduate students. A distinctive structural feature is the hands-on component: all participants are required to purchase approximately $50 in household materials before the program and use them in daily virtual activities — a deliberate design choice to make the online experience more than passive observation. Students who can travel to Winston-Salem may attend an optional in-person workshop, tour, and graduation ceremony at WFIRM on the final day of the program.

The Virtual Academy is an introductory program, lighter in rigor and commitment than the 4-week SREP. What it offers is genuine institutional access — WFIRM is one of the world's foremost regenerative medicine institutes, and the Virtual Academy's speakers and mentors are drawn from the same faculty and graduate student community that conducts its active research.