Apprenticeships in Science and Engineering (ASE)

Apprenticeship opportunities for high school students are administered through Saturday Academy's "Apprenticeships in Science & Engineering" program. This includes funding for students to participate in 8-week long summer internships with a Center scientist mentor.  To qualify for a position at ONPRC, students must be 16 years of age (usually between their junior and senior years of high school).   For more information about this program, visit Saturday Academy.

Biomedical Research Immersion Experience (BRIE)

BRIE is a collaboration between the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce and the Oregon National Primate Research Center/OHSU. Through this program, 16 high school students may visit the Primate Center for 3 hours on each of 5 consecutive Fridays in the Spring of each year. Students meet with various West Campus scientists and experience hands-on activities that support learning about the research that is occurring in a particular area. The 5-visit series culminates in a 3-hour job shadow. While suspended during the pandemic, BRIE will resume in the Spring of 2025.

Summer fellowship program

Seven to ten fellowship awards ($3500 each) are available each summer to support undergraduate students who will enter their junior or senior year of college following their summer apprenticeship.  A $600 travel stipend is available to students who live and attend university outside the state of Oregon. Fellows complete a project during their 10-week apprenticeship and present the results of their research at the culminating Summer Science Symposium.  Updated project descriptions and application information are uploaded each September.  Applications are due in late January each year.

USF Application due January 24, 2025
Position descriptions for Summer 2025

Provost scholar program

This 10-week Provost Scholar Program funds two students each summer.  Selected participants will receive a $3,500 stipend; travel reimbursement, housing, and meal costs may also be provided. Fellows complete a project during their 10-week apprenticeship and present the results of their research at the culminating Summer Science Symposium. Eligible applicants will have completed at least 2 years in an accredited 4-year institution in the state of Oregon by the start date of the program. Applicants must come from a group that is recognized as historically underrepresented in the health and science professions (including African-American/Black, Native American/Alaskan Native, Pacific Islander, and Hispanic/Latino).  Applications are due in late January each year.

Provost Scholar Application due January 24, 2025
Position Descriptions of ONPRC Provost Scholar Program 2025

Due to onboarding requirement timelines at OHSU, we can only accept students who are U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or DACA students.

For more information about our summer internship programs, please contact Kayla McDaniel at mcdankay@ohsu.edu

The number of graduate students who are pursuing their dissertation research in the laboratories of Center scientists has grown dramatically.  Because of this increase, the Center has increased its commitment to graduate student support, by paying for the first year stipend of three graduate students in each of the interdisciplinary graduate programs at OHSU.

• Behavioral Neuroscience
• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Cell and Developmental Biology
• Molecular and Medical Genetics
• Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
• Physiology and Pharmacology
• Program in Molecular and Cell Biology

Partners in science

This program, administered by The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, provides a generous stipend of $6,500 to encourage and enable full-time middle and high school science teachers to participate in research.  Selected teachers conduct research projects under the direction of ONPRC/West Campus scientists for 8 weeks during each of two consecutive summers. Scientist mentors at OHSU’s West Campus are identified during the Spring and teachers are recruited at the start of the school year

For a list of mentors and projects and to apply to this program at the Oregon National Primate Research Center/OHSU West Campus, contact Kayla McDaniel, mcdankay@ohsu.edu or 503-346-5055. For  more information about this program, visit the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust website.

Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) offer students enrolled in an AVMA-accredited veterinary medical school and are US citizens clinical learning experiences tailored to suit the needs of the individual student. In this year-round program, students can spend two weeks with the Division of Comparative Medicine (DCM) at ONPRC on the OHSU West Campus. Students will spend time with all the units that support DCM, including the Clinical Medicine Unit, Surgical Services Unit, Behavioral Services Unit, Resources & Logistics Unit, and Pathology Services Unit. Students may, by special arrangement, request extended externships with a specific DCM mentor, a specific ONPRC DCM unit, or the OHSU Marquam Hill and Waterfront Campuses.

International students: OHSU is unable to provide immigration sponsorship for externship positions.  Under federal immigration regulations, visitors in B-1 or J-1 status can only participate in supervised observation and cannot touch animals.  Applicants with other immigration statuses (i.e., F-1, EAD, etc.) may be able to participate fully in the program.  To determine if you can participate in the program as an international applicant, please contact the OHSU Office of International Affairs at oia@ohsu.edu.

All students are requested to submit a curriculum vitae/resume with a letter of interest that includes a statement of career goals and expectations from the externship. This information allows us to schedule the most appropriate externship for each student.   

IMPORTANT

1. A current Cooperative Education Agreement Contract must be established to support the externship.
2. Students must pass a criminal background check conducted by OHSU public safety and a drug screen before accessing OHSU facilities.
3. Students must meet all OHSU Occupational Health requirements.

Division of Comparative Medicine (DCM) – ONPRC

Initial externships in DCM at ONPRC are typically two weeks long and involve rotations through all units to give externs a comprehensive overview of the breadth of expertise and coordinated efforts in optimizing animal health and well-being and animal models and research outcomes. Students who return for a second externship can focus on one or more particular areas of the list below. Under certain circumstances, externships for more than two weeks may be arranged in which students may choose to focus on specific areas starting in their 3^rd week. Please be advised that while we welcome externships longer than two weeks, scheduling longer and more focused visits depends heavily on unit and mentor availability. 

Clinical Medicine and Resources & Logistics Units

Under the direction and oversight of DCM veterinarians, externs will have rotations in the Colony Hospital working with nonhuman primates (NHPs) in the breeding colonies and with clinical veterinarians working with NHPs assigned to various research projects. In Colony Hospital, externs can gain experience with critical care and chronic case management and insight into how to coordinate that management with the behavioral dynamics of the group and future research assignment needs. For research-assigned NHPs, externs can evaluate animals assigned to research projects, learn about the research project objectives and dynamics, and learn how the veterinary and scientific personnel interface to provide excellent animal care and well-being in pursuit of scientific objectives. Overall, NHP clinical experience can include physical exams, developing treatment plans, venipuncture, catheter placement, IV fluid therapy, wound triage and management, suturing, bandaging, and performing radiography and ultrasonography.  The conceptual objectives include understanding 1) the critical role of NHPs as models of human disease and physiology; 2) the various roles and responsibilities of the laboratory animal medicine veterinarian involved in supporting and facilitating biomedical research; 3) the scope of laboratory animal medicine as a specialty of veterinary medicine and the paths and requirements for board certification by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM).

Pathology Services Unit

Extern rotations in the Pathology Services Unit (PSU) offer exposure to post-mortem examinations of NHPs in support of research protocols and diagnostics. An extensive archive of microscopic material, including teaching sets, will permit the examination of normal histology and disease entities. Additionally, six to eight hours of prepared didactic/lecture material covering the Diseases of Laboratory Primates and the Gross Morbid Anatomy of Nonhuman Primates. During the academic year, preceptors can participate in the weekly review of Joint Pathology Center (JPC) (formerly called Armed Forces Institute of Pathology) Wednesday Slide Conference material and ONPRC Pathology Services Unit case reviews. Double-headed microscopes are available for a one-on-one review of microscopic material, and a digital photomicrography camera permits the review of slides on a monitor in real-time.  The DCM in-house clinical pathology laboratory is also a resource and a component of the Pathology rotation.

Surgical Services Unit

Rotations in the Surgical Services Unit (SSU) offer exposure to many medical and research-related surgeries. PowerPoint presentations of our most frequently performed procedures along with written narratives and, when possible, hands-on training with anesthetized animals before necropsy (non-survival surgery) is available.  Procedures for externs can include placement of intubation, placement of a cephalic catheter, laparotomy and exploratory surgery, endoscopy, CSF aspiration, and bone marrow biopsy.  Externs may also scrub in and assist in survival procedures such as cesarean sections, embryo transfers, and endoscopy as time and caseload permit.

Behavioral Services Unit

Extern rotations through the Behavioral Services Unit (BSU) allow students to learn about macaques' behavior and social hierarchy.  Working with the BSU technicians, they will learn how we attend to the behavioral needs of captive macaques and various aspects of behavioral management. A primary focus of the BSU is putting animals in social housing. Externs will learn how we pair house macaques, monitor pair and group dynamics, and coordinate these processes with clinical and research needs. Externs also learn about positive reinforcement training, providing appropriate novel enrichment and methods to alleviate behavioral problems when they arise.

Department of Comparative Medicine (DCM) – OHSU Marquam Hill and Waterfront Campuses

OHSU’s Department of Comparative Medicine (DCM) provides care for all animals involved in research on the OHSU Marquam Hill & Waterfront Campuses. OHSU’s animal program is AAALAC-accredited and supports a wide variety of biomedical research activities. DCM provides nearly 100,000 square feet of animal space, with five faculty veterinarians and approximately 50 employees. Species housed include rodents, zebrafish, ferrets, rabbits, finches, pigs and sheep.

Veterinary student externs will participate in experimental surgeries, anesthesia support, post-surgical care, physical exams, treatments, preventive medicine, biological sampling, handling, and husbandry of multiple laboratory animal species. Students will gain an understanding of animal welfare and regulations, as well as the operation of rodent biosurveillance programs.

The overarching goal of DCM’s externship program is to provide students with real-world exposures that will allow them to develop an appreciation and understanding of the breadth of roles and opportunities available within the field of laboratory animal medicine. The course material is also relevant to students wishing to pursue careers in private practice working with exotics/pocket pets, companion animals, and large animals.

Specifically, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the practice of clinical laboratory animal medicine in common research species.
• Develop insight regarding the regulations and oversight of the use of animals in research, teaching, and testing.
• Develop an understanding of the role of the veterinarian in overseeing the care and husbandry of animals used in research.

Course structure includes a wide variety of activities and opportunities, including: discussion-based and hands-on learning, small and large animal clinical management, anesthesia and surgical management, rodent health surveillance and testing, regulatory and IACUC training, didactic learning, journal club, and concluding seminar.

Contact us

If you need additional information or if you are interested in enrolling in the veterinary externship program, please contact us! 

Oregon National Primate Research Center externships

Jeff Stanton, DVM, MA, DACLAM
Attending Veterinarian
Head – Compliance, Education, and Training Unit
Training Program Director – Oregon State Laboratory Animal Medicine Residency Consortium
Oregon National Primate Research Center
Division of Comparative Medicine – Mail Code L584
505 NW 185^th Avenue
Beaverton, OR 97006
 (503) 346-5283 (office)
stantoje@ohsu.edu 

OHSU – Marquam Hill and Waterfront Campuses externships

Jennifer Kopanke, DVM, PhD, DACLAM
Head, Clinical Medicine, Surgery, and Training
Department of Comparative Medicine
Oregon Health & Science University
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road
Mail Code L110
Portland, Oregon 97239
503-494-1515 (office) 
503-494-8425 (main)
kopanke@ohsu.edu

The Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) is proud to participate in the Oregon State Laboratory Animal Medicine Residency Consortium (OSLAMRC) which includes the following primary institutions:

• Oregon State University, College of Veterinary Medicine – Corvallis, OR
• Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Marquam Hill Campus – Portland, OR
• Oregon National Primate Research Center, OHSU West Campus – Beaverton, OR

Up to three veterinary resident positions in laboratory animal medicine are available each year or alternating years, one at each of the three primary institutions above. Please see below for application instructions.  

The OSLAMRC program is recognized by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) to prepare veterinarians for careers in the veterinary specialty of laboratory animal medicine (LAM) and meets all requirements to support preparation for ACLAM board certification. The program is three years and includes a combination of didactic training and supervised clinical experience in conjunction with mentored research and submission of a first-authorship manuscript to a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Clinical and pathology training includes lectures and seminars covering a range of pertinent topics in laboratory animal models, species biology, clinical and pathologic aspects of diseases, facility management and design, human resources management, and regulatory affairs and oversight.

The OSLAMRC is a multi-institutional residency program. Residents are expected to spend the majority of their time at their respective home institution, but will also complete rotations at the other primary institutions listed above. Additionally, optional rotations are available at the following participating institutions:

• Legacy Research Institute –Portland, OR
• Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center –Portland, OR
• Hatfield Marine Science Center –Newport, OR

Participation by multiple institutions provides LAM residents unique opportunities for exposure to a wide breadth of animal species, research projects, and faculty expertise and perspective, with emphasis on comparative and preventive medicine. Concurrent graduate degree programs are available.

Candidates must be highly motivated, have strong academic records, and possess excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills. Qualified applicants must 1) have a DVM/VMD degree or equivalent from an AVMA-accredited college of veterinary medicine (or have completed all ECFVG requirements), 2) have passed the national veterinary licensure examination (NAVLE) by the initiation of the program, and 3) be currently licensed to practice in at least one state in the U.S.

Each of the member institutions hires their own residents. Please contact the appropriate person listed below to request information about applying to a specific institution. Depending on funding availability and institutional needs, applications may be through the Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program (VIRMP) website, where complete application requirements.  Applications for the resident positions may also be posted independently of the VIRMP, so please contact the appropriate person below with any application questions.

Please direct inquiries according to institution(s) of primary interest, but multiple institutional inquiries are welcome.

For the Oregon National Primate Research Center of OHSU, contact:
Jeff Stanton, MA, DVM, DACLAM
OSLAMRC Program Director
Head – Education & Training Unit
Associate Professor and Clinical Veterinarian, Division of Comparative Medicine
stantoje@ohsu.edu
Oregon Health & Science University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.

For Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine, contact: 
Jennifer Sargent, MS, DVM, DACLAM
OSU Site Director - OSLAMRC
LARC Director/Campus Attending Veterinarian, OSU College of Veterinary Medicine
jennifer.sargent@oregonstate.edu  
Oregon State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.

For Oregon Health & Science University Marquam Hill Campus, contact:
Kim Saunders, DVM, DACLAM
OHSU Site Director – OSLAMRC
Director and Professor, Department of Comparative Medicine
saunderk@ohsu.edu
Oregon Health & Science University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.