UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Academy

# UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Academy The Hillman Academy is the flagship high school research program of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and the University of Pittsburgh. Over seven summer weeks, students work with a Pitt faculty, staff, or trainee mentor to perform authentic research in a biomedical or computational domain, spread across nine research sites on the Pitt and UPMC campuses - from cancer biology and pathobiology to computational biology and surgery. ## What You'll Do - Conduct mentored research 30-35 hours per week in a working lab or office (a small number of computational internships run remotely) - Choose among sites including CompBio, COSBBI, Surgery, Cancer Biology, TDX, Pathobiology, ICI, VISION, and WCRC - Attend professional development sessions and build scientific communication skills - Present your summer research at the program's closing symposium ## Who Should Apply High school students in good academic standing; applicants must be at least 15 by the program start for computational sites and at least 16 for laboratory sites. Graduating seniors may apply if not enrolled in college courses during the session. The 2026 session ran June 15 - July 31 with applications open December 3, 2025 - February 15, 2026; the next cycle typically opens in early December. Participation is free, and stipends are offered to qualified students from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedicine. ## Outcomes Alumni leave with a mentored research project at an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a symposium presentation, and lab experience that anchors competitive college applications in the sciences.