Akron Student Selected for Prestigious Pre-Med Internship

Andrew Cooke, of Akron, Ohio, has been selected to serve at the prestigious Northwestern Medicine Summer Pre-Med Internship program in Chicago. The students are studying under a physician mentor, while rotating to 45 specialties and attending sessions on timely topics related to the current state of medicine from leading physicians and hospital executives.

Cooke, who plans to graduate in 2024, is a Biochemistry major at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. He was one of 51 undergraduate students selected from more than 1,600 applicants. Student academics and a commitment to community service were considerations during the acceptance process, as well as ensuring the class would include a mix of students from different backgrounds, locations and life experiences.

“We strive to provide a blend of both academic work and observation, and we are pleased to offer these dedicated students who have already shown a passion for medicine an 8-week, paid opportunity to work with some of the leading experts in medicine,” said Micah J. Eimer, MD, cardiologist and medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Glenview, Evanston and Deerfield Outpatient Centers. “What I’m realizing now is how impactful it also is for the physicians, who are provided a moment to ‘step back’ from their packed schedules and work demands, and take some time to provide individual guidance and inspiration to a younger adult who has shown a passion for the study of medicine.”

The program has grown three-fold since its inception, now attracting students from across the country as well as Puerto Rico and Canada. To date,196 pre-med students have completed the program, with many now in medical school.

The current class has the opportunity to shadow and learn from more than 45 leading physicians at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, in the northern suburbs at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital and the Northwestern Medicine Outpatient Centers in Glenview and Gurnee; Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital in Palos Heights and Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield.

For more information, please go to Northwestern Medicine Pre-Med Internship Program.