- Programs & Eligibility
- Center for Clinical Ethics Internship
- CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate Program
- CPRTP Summer Research Program
- DACCPM Summer Research Program
- DISCOVER Program
- High School Summer Program
- IDEAS Lab
- ITERT Summer Program
- Radiation Oncology Advanced Development and Applied Research for Medical Students
- Med Students SOAR Program
- Neuro-Oncology Clinical Research Summer Program
- Partnership for Careers in Cancer Science and Medicine
- Partnership for Excellence in Cancer Research Summer Program
- STRONGER Scholar Summer Research Experience
- Summer Imaging Research Program
- Summer Program in Cancer Research
- Therapeutics Discovery and Development Internship Program
- University Outreach Summer Programs
- UPWARDS Summer Program
IDEAS Lab
As the need for improved cancer care grows, there is an increased interest in the development of new medical technologies. Â鶹ӳ» MD Anderson Cancer Center¡¯s Division of Surgery¡¯s IDEAS Lab is an internal innovation hub intended to provide faculty and staff with the means of translating unmet clinical needs into novel medical technology, particularly focusing on physical devices to be used in patient care. With this goal, the IDEAS Lab is uniquely positioned to provide engineering students with an understanding of how engineering directly contributes to cancer care through our internship program.
The IDEAS Lab internship is modeled after needs-driven innovation, pulling from various systems design engineering processes in the context of medical device research and development, and trains students in a cancer-focused interdisciplinary framework to include clinical care, engineering, business, intellectual property, and regulatory. As such, our internship is comprised of three parts: clinical immersion, biodesign education, and project work. Accepted students can expect the following activities during their internship with the IDEAS Lab:
- Observe a variety of surgical procedures across different surgical specialties to understand clinical workflows and the role technology plays in a clinical setting
- Attend an 8-week biodesign workshop series to learn how to:
- Identify and evaluate unmet clinical needs using literary and market research
- Elicit design criteria from clinical stakeholders to drive novel medical device design ideation
- Rapid prototype novel concepts across fidelity stages to reach a minimum viable product
- Conduct medical device strategy development to include regulatory, business, and intellectual property assessments to identify the pathways for translating the novel concept to the patient bedside
- Advance projects within the IDEAS Lab project portfolio to include hands-on research and development work by applying any of the listed activities above
By the end of the internship, students will have the didactic and practical experience of working on medical technology projects across various stages of the research and development process to prepare themselves for future careers in academia and industry. Students will present their work in poster format at the CATALYST Summer Training Programs Poster Symposium and the Division of Surgery Intern Showcase at the end of the program.
Applications open November 17
Eligibility
- Must have one of the following designations for the summer of the program year:
- Undergraduate freshman
- Undergraduate sophomore
- Undergraduate junior
- Undergraduate senior
- Incoming graduate student
- Graduate student
- **Undergraduate seniors not attending graduate school or graduating graduate students in spring of the program year are ineligible
- Must be enrolled in an engineering (mechanical, electrical, biomedical) degree program at a degree-granting institution within the United States.
- Must commit to the full 10-week program and not be involved in other summer employment, programs or course work; must not plan to return to school prior to the end of the summer program; and must not plan to take any personal vacation or make other commitments during the summer program.
- Summer program awardees are strictly prohibited from partial, early or late program participation. Please consult with your school, academic advisor, or P.I. to ensure that there is no conflict in schedule before you apply to this program.
- MD Anderson¡¯s normal hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am ¨C 5:00 pm. Exact intern work schedules will be subject to their mentors¡¯ needs and expectations.
Stipend, Housing, Expenses
- Trainees are eligible for a stipend for the duration of the 10-week training period. Students are expected to pay for their own expenses using these funds, including housing, living, and transportation. Paychecks and Stipend are based on actual days worked and will be issued on the 5th and 20th of each month, deducting the required federal tax.
- MD Anderson is located in Houston, Texas, in the heart of the Texas Medical Center. There is no on-site summer student housing. Students are expected to identify their own modes of housing; options may include extended-stay hotels, short term rentals, and other private and commercial rentals. Many public transportation options are available for those without vehicles. Although staff can assist in finding housing, the applicant is responsible for arranging and paying for their own housing and transportation.
Mentor Match Process
Students will be matched with mentors based on the students¡¯ skills and interests, and with mentors¡¯ project¡¯s needs. Students should include specific engineering skillsets and interests in the personal statement area of the application. Although we attempt to best match students with mentors in accordance with student interests, matches are based on project needs and preferred matches may not be feasible in all circumstances.
Program Contacts
Savannah Esteve Morreale, MBE, PMP, IDEAS Lab Program Director
John Tran, MS, PMP, IDEAS Lab Program Coordinator
Questions? Contact us!
IDEASLab@mdanderson.org
Our Labs
Learn more about our faculty and research taking place in our labs.
Conferences
View conferences available for continuing education credit.