As part of the UCI-HBCU Summer Research Program, attendees participate in workshops preparing them for graduate school, receive coaching in self-care practices, participate in research activities with a UCI nursing faculty mentor, attend professional development seminars, and have support as they prepare their graduate school applications in the year following the summer program. The 8-week summer program begins mid-June 2025 and ends mid-August 2025 at the UCI campus.

After the intensive summer research training, attendees are expected to continue to participate in the monthly program until June 2026.

Program benefits include:

  • Travel, room, and board covered
  • $6,000 summer stipend
  • Mentored research experience
  • PhD application support

Applications accepted on a rolling basis starting 12/01/24. Application Deadline 2/15/2025.

Students enrolled in a nursing program at a Historically Black College or University are eligible to apply according to the following criteria:

  • Have a ≥ 3.0 GPA
  • Have completed a research methods course (preferred)
  • Be a nursing student entering their last year of a nursing program (e.g., BSN, RN-to-BSN, MSN, DNP) in Fall 2025

Learn more about the Summer Research Program, our research and clinical faculty mentors and their areas of specialty, as well as what it’s like to live in sunny Irvine, California.

Research mentors

Nakia Best,PhD, RN

Research: Data analytics to study school nurse health services impact on student health and education

Miriam Bender, PhD, RN

Research: Directs Center for Nursing Philosophy & studies micro-system care delivery models

Dawn Bounds, PhD, PMHNP

Research: Directs CYFER lab & studies youth risk and resilience, trauma, and integrative mental health
Watch video ›

Michelle Fortier, PhD

Research: Co-Directs Center on Stress and Health; mHealth approaches to pediatric pain, health disparities

E. Alison Holman, PhD, FNP

Research: Mental and physical health effects of personal and collective trauma; media exposure, acute stress & CVD
Watch video ›

Yuqing Guo, PhD, RN

Research: Maternal-infant health, child mental health, emotion regulation, attachment, health disparities

J. Mark Lazenby, PhD, APRN

Research: Nursing philosophy, cancer

Jung-Ah Lee, PhD, RN

Research: Geriatric nursing — dementia caregiver research, care systems’ management
Watch video ›

Adey Nyamathi, PhD, ANP

Research: HIV/AIDS, TB, and HCV among vulnerable populations
Watch video ›

Jung In Park, PhD, RN

Research: Health informatics, machine learning, and big data analytics to address health disparities
Watch video ›

Nancy Pike, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, CPNP-AC/PC, FAHA, FAAN

Research: Quality of Life, Health Outcomes, Biobehavioral, Neurocognition, Memory / Executive Function, Self-Care, Mental Health, Adolescent Transition, SDoH, Adolescents and Young Adults with Congenital Heart Disease, Quantitative / Qualitative

Amir Rahmani, PhD

Research: Co-Directs Institute for Future Health; e-health, wearable Internet-of-Things, health informatics

Sanghyuk Shin, PhD

Research: Directs Infectious Disease Institute; infectious disease epidemiology, TB/HIV co-infection
Watch video ›

Clinical mentors

Stephanie Au, DNP, FNP

Research: Medical-surgical nursing
Watch video ›

Mike Bueno, PhD, RN

Research: Adult/older adult nursing, male caregiving, hemodialysis
Watch video ›

Shelley Burke, DNP, RN

Research: Women’s/children’s health

Susanne Phillips, DNP, FNP

Research: Health policy

Candice Whealon, DNP, MSN, APRN, FNP-C

Research: Nursing burnout, integrative health
Watch video ›

Applications accepted on a rolling basis starting 12/16/24.

By applying, students understand that they are giving their consent to disclose application information to the University of California.

To apply, please submit all the following documents in the order listed as a single PDF file no later than February 15, 2025: 

  1. Application form 
  2. Statement of purpose. Describe your interest and professional goals pertaining to pursuing a PhD in Nursing, your research interests, and reason for your interest in the UCI Summer Research Program. Minimum font size 11 pt., with at least 1-inch margins.
  3. Curriculum vitae/resume 
  4. An unofficial copy of your university transcript. Students who have incomplete grades that remain unresolved must provide a statement explaining the reason for the incomplete(s), the steps that will be taken to resolve the incomplete(s) and the timeline for doing so.
  5. A faculty letter of recommendation. The faculty member must be a full-time faculty member at your university.

Apply today ›

Contact NursingHBCU@hs.uci.edu for more information.

Apply now
Apply to the UCI-HBCU Summer Research Program
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