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Eight photos of PACaRI interns in a collage format. In the middle is a screenshot of the interns on zoom and surrounding that image is photos of the interns in their scrubs doing different tasks or posing for the camera in groups.

The Pediatric Anesthesia Clinical and Research Internship (@PACaRI) at Boston Children's Hospital (BCH) was established in 2010 to close that gap for prospective medical and healthcare-allied students. By offering high-quality mentorship, and unparalleled hands-on learning and research opportunities, @PACaRI provides exposure to the realities of medical practice and helps students decide whether a medical career aligns with their interests, aptitudes, and values.

 

More than 60 partnerships with colleges and universitiesMore than 40 faculty members192 internsOne hundred percent acceptances to medical schools

Applications for the 2026-27 academic year and the 2026 summer program will open in July 2025.

PACaRI's mission statement

The mission of the program is to inspire future healthcare professionals to be compassionate, forward-thinking, innovative, resilient, and lifelong learners.

The program:

  1. Complements the didactic training of undergraduate and graduate students to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs.
  2. Encourages individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in research, to pursue further studies or careers in research.
  3. Encourages individuals, including those from groups underrepresented in the medical field, to pursue healthcare studies.

Program track

Academic track
September-May (9 months)

Tailored track for graduate students

Clinical:

  • Hands-on experience and training as an anesthesia technician in the operating room

Research:

  • Clinical and bench research
    • Presentation of the research findings at Anesthesia Grand Rounds
    • Presentation at national conferences and publication of manuscript when possible

Education:

  • Targeted lecture presentations and workshops

Academic advising:

  • Medical school application and 1:1 mock interview

Summer track
May-August (12 weeks)

Tailored track for undergraduate students

Clinical:

  • Hands-on experience and training as an anesthesia technician in the operating room

Research:

  • Literature review on selected research topics in teams
  • PACaRI Grand Rounds presentation

Education:

  • Targeted lecture presentations and workshops

Academic advising:

  • Medical school application and 1:1 mock interview

Additional requirements

Applicants must:

  • Commit to at least 20-25 hours per week for the duration of the program
  • Meet at least one of the following criteria:
    • Be pursuing college credit from their college or university 
    • Be pursuing grant funding from their college or university 
    • Have a letter of support from an academic advisor/professor to participate in the PACaRI Program
  • Be detail-oriented, self-directed, and eager to learn
  • Have an interest in healthcare field 
  • Have statistical analysis skills (preferred)

These are rare experiences for pre-medical students, and they were exceptionally influential in my road to medicine. I know that I'll be taking all the skills that I obtained during the PACaRI program into medical school when I matriculate there in the fall.

Rachel Scali, PACaRI 2023. MD Candidate, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (Class of 2028)

Meet our founder and director

Izabela C. Leahy, PhD, MS, RN

Executive Director, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care & Pain Medicine

Research Associate in Anaesthesia, Harvard Medical School

Contact Us

Contact the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine
617-355-7737