The Wilmer Eye Institute is delighted to invite all students attending LCME or COCA accredited medical schools to apply for a summer research elective between the first and second year of medical school.  The program will be offered to six students for the summer of 2026 (7-9 weeks duration) and will be based at the main Johns Hopkins Medical Campus in Baltimore, Maryland. Our department will provide a stipend of $3,000 to offset the cost of travel and lodging.

Students will be paired with a faculty mentor in the division of cornea, oculoplastics, retina, or glaucoma. Upon completion of the program, students will be encouraged to submit an abstract to a national meeting and submit work for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Students will also have the opportunity to gain clinical experience in ophthalmology and attend weekly Grand Rounds, conferences, and resident didactics.

To Apply

The program is open to all medical students who have successfully completed their first year of medical school.

Please submit your application at this link. 

One letter of recommendation must be emailed directly from the letter writer to Maliya Johnson ([email protected]).

The deadline to submit all materials is February 13, 2026 and students will be informed of application status by March 9, 2026.

Please email Maliya Johnson ([email protected]) with any additional questions or concerns.