Health and medicine programs

Canada's largest health science competition for high school students, run by a chartered HOSA association since 2014. Members enter one of about 30 events, from medical terminology to veterinary science and medical law, and the top three in each earn a place at the International Leadership Conference. You join through a chapter at your own school, or start one: five students, a president and a teacher advisor. The online Fall Leadership Conference runs November 15–22, 2026; SLC 2027 is in Toronto, March 1–3, and is high-school only.

A paid summer in a UCalgary health research lab the summer after Grade 12, funded by Alberta Innovates. You find a faculty supervisor first, then apply together. Applications open November 23, 2026 and close January 25, 2027; students without a UCalgary ID request one first.

Paid six-week health research at ULethbridge through Alberta Innovates' High School Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS), for Grade 11 students. The 2027 program runs July 2 to August 13. Applications close March 26, 2027, and your three references (two science or math teachers and one community member) are due March 29. Afterwards you present your research to a Grade 11 science class.

A University of Waterloo biology contest on Grade 11 and 12 content, open to schools worldwide. Teachers register students from mid-February until April 9, 2027, for the April 22, 2027 contest.

Volunteer placements in AHS regional hospitals and clinics offering direct exposure to clinical environments, health administration, and medical technology. South Zone placements available for students in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and surrounding communities.

Youth-led mental health groups in more than 150 high schools, colleges and universities: members plan their own initiatives, run awareness events and advocate on the mental health issues that matter to their community. Jack.org provides training, monthly coaching calls and annual funding to chapters.

Paid six-week health research at the U of A through Alberta Innovates' High School Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS). Applications close mid-March.

Paid research in biomedical and health sciences at UCalgary through Alberta Innovates' High School Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS), for Grade 11 students at central Alberta high schools. The award is a $3,000 stipend for six weeks from early July to mid-August. Applications for 2027 launch in January to February 2027.

Postponed: U of T states Med YSP is pushed to Summer 2027. The program runs hands-on medical modules (human physiology, microbiology) with labs, lectures and discussions for high school students, open to Canadian and international applicants.

Regional neuroscience knowledge competitions for high school students in Calgary and Edmonton. Winners advance to the national Brain Bee where competitors analyze brain tissue and patient diagnoses. Top finishers represent Canada internationally.

The national exam is written in early April, with a training camp at UBC Okanagan for those selected. The Canadian Biology Olympiad is the qualifying route toward Canada's International Biology Olympiad team.

A day on a medical campus: hands-on health-science workshops and career panels with clinicians. Your school registers about six weeks ahead.

Registration is closed. UCalgary states the camp form "is no longer available" while the service is being updated. Active Living runs multi-sport and recreation summer camps on campus; sign up for their notification list for the next intake.

Exposure to Olympic-level sports science, biometric tracking, and physiological recovery research at state-of-the-art testing facilities used by Canada's national athletes. Students learn how elite performance data is collected and analyzed.

A national biology exam written online each April, covering biochemistry, cells, metabolism and genetics at a senior high school level. Schools with five or more students are also ranked as teams.

Youth volunteers who give Alberta Children's Hospital a youth voice on its programs and services, through consultations and meetings with staff. Recruitment runs each year from June 1 to September 7; apply through the hospital's volunteer portal.

Former patients and their siblings advise the Stollery and Alberta youth health care on programs, policies and platforms. Interviews run through the summer for a September start; apply through the hospital's MyImpact page.

An eight-week, in-person summer placement in health data science and health informatics research, matched to a Centre for Health Informatics faculty member by your interests. The 2026 round opened December 15, 2025 and closed January 5, 2026; expect the same winter window for summer 2027.

A paid summer in Sunnybrook's focused ultrasound labs in Toronto, helping with engineering, experiments and programming for medical devices that treat the body with sound. Students from outside Toronto can apply if they can work in Canada and find their own place to stay. The 2026 deadline was February 20, with a cover letter, resume, transcript and teacher evaluation.

A paid summer research job at SickKids in Toronto, open to students in their last year of high school who start post-secondary in the fall. You work on a project under a SickKids researcher, who must supervise you, and present at the August symposium. If you have not heard back by early April, the position has likely been filled.

A paid six-week summer internship in a SickKids research lab in Toronto for Black, Filipino and Indigenous high school students. Biology and chemistry help but are not required. You need to be at the lab in person every day. The 2026 program ran July 6 to August 14 and applications have closed; check the Kids Science page for the next round.

A paid eight-week summer internship working full time with a biomedical research group at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute in Toronto. The page sets no rule on where you live, but the work is in person at Mount Sinai or Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital. Places are very competitive. Applications for summer 2026 have closed; a one-week March Break placement also runs.

A summer camp where you shadow healthcare workers in areas like nursing, laboratory and pharmacy, meet people across the professions, and work through patient simulation scenarios. Before starting you complete training modules, watch privacy and security videos and sign a confidentiality agreement. It costs $40 a day, with scholarships available. Applications for 2026 have closed; details for 2027 are posted June 1, 2027.