The Duke Supporting Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE) Program is a partnership between the Center for Precision Health and the Sarnoff Foundation and is supported by the American Heart Association. This 10-week summer experience in cardiovascular research is designed for college students entering their sophomore, junior, or senior year who are exploring careers in a healthcare-related field. Students will present their research at a poster session at the end of the program.
The 2026 Duke SURE Program will be held May 18 - July 24 and will support up to five students. Applications open January 1, 2026.
Applications will be accepted from January 1 through February 1, 2026.
Application Requirements
The application includes the following requests:
- Two letters of recommendation. If you are currently involved with a Duke lab, one of those letters must be from the PI of that lab.
- Unofficial Transcript
- Two brief essay questions on interest in cardiovascular medicine and relevant research experiences
Finalists may be asked to attend a virtual interview.
Eligibility
At a minimum, SURE recipients:
- Must be interested in a health care-related field.
- Must display exemplary academic performance.
- Must be full-time undergraduate, rolling into their sophomore, junior or senior year.
- Must be able to dedicate 10 weeks between May and July.
- Must present at a symposium at the end of the program.
- Must meet immigration requirements: At time of application, the student must be a United States citizen, or a foreign national holding a valid student, exchange or permanent resident visa, including an F-1, H1, H1B, J1, PR, TC or TN visa.
Program Benefits
Students will receive a $6,000 stipend plus additional funding to attend a professional scientific meeting. Campus housing and travel expenses will be provided to non-local students.