Graduate Students
Assistantships
Stanford Students
Stanford offers teaching and research assistantships to graduate students within Stanford. Research assistantships provide students the opportunity to work on a research project under the supervision of a faculty member. Teaching Assistants work with a faculty member who has primary responsibility for a course, or assist a group of students in several courses. To determine assistantship eligibility, please contact your home department.
Research Assistantships (RAship) for Masters Students
Prior to beginning an RAship, the Student Services Team will verify eligibility with the student's home department. If you are interested in onboarding a Master student for an RAship, contact Jessica Mondragon at jessxm@stanford.edu
Research Assistantships (RAship) for PhD Students
If a PhD student is interested in completing their thesis in a Pathology lab, please inform the PI, your home department, and Jessica Mondragon, jessxm@stanford.edu.
Typically, the first 2 years of a PhD student's academic progress are funded by grants/fellowships within their home departments. By year 3, the faculty member committing will need to provide financial support. However, the student may have funding from grants/fellowships that can support them beyond year 3. Once this external funding ends, the faculty member becomes responsible for the associated costs. For additional details, please email jessxm@stanford.edu
Visiting Student Researchers
Non-Stanford Students
A Visiting Student Researcher appointment provides students the opportunity to engage in research on the Stanford campus using Stanford research facilities. Such instances might include a student at another university who is engaged in graduate-level research in a field of interest to the faculty member, or a person doing a laboratory rotation as part of a more extensive research study or grant.
Students interested in a Visiting Student Research appointment with a Pathology faculty at Stanford are encouraged to reach out to a lab of their choice. You can find a list of our labs here.
If you are considering providing a Visiting Student Research appointment and for more information on the process and criteria, please contact Jessica Mondragon at jessxm@stanford.edu.
Other Opportunities
Stanford-HBMC Summer Research Program
The Stanford-HBMC Summer Research Program provides a stipend to students from Historically Black Medical Colleges (HBMCs). The stipend covers travel and living expenses for a summer internship at Stanford University, plus an additional stipend for discretionary funds, such as day-to-day expenses or emergencies. For more information on the criteria for unpaid internships or to start the process, please contact hbmc-reach@stanford.edu.
Additional information on Research Programs can be found here.
Visiting Observer Program
Non-Stanford students
Stanford Medicine's Department of Pathology Visiting Observers Program is an opportunity to delve into the fascinating field of medical diagnostics and research. Whether you're a medical student eager to explore pathology or a seasoned professional seeking to expand your expertise, our program provides a unique chance to learn from leaders in the field. Stanford Pathology offers two observation opportunities, Visiting Observer which contains your observation for 30 days or less and Stanford Healthcare Observation which is for 30+ days.
Conditions for Visiting Observership:
- Allowed 30 consecutive days Not for credit Not requiring hands on training
- No VISA sponsorship
- Not allowed to add experience on resume. May ask host for letter of recommendation but cannot be on Stanford letterhead
- Visiting Observers, under the supervision of their host, can observe patient care, procedures, or the use of special equipment at SHC or SCH. They can not participate in patient care, conduct any administrative work, access any protected health information, or use any of the information that he or she is exposed to for research purposes. Visiting Observers cannot take any pictures, audio, or recordings of patients.
- Not allowed to be given any cases to look at independently or handle any information that has any patient identifier
Conditions for Stanford Healthcare (SHC) Observers
- Allowed excess of 30 days and/or requesting hands on activity
- Visiting Scholars and IRB fall under this category regardless of duration/task
- Background screening needed (fee required)
- Health screening needed
- Allowed to be on resume
- No VISA sponsorship
- Not allowed to be given any cases to look at independently or handle any information that has any patient identifier.
If you would like to host an observer or apply as a Pathology Observer, please read about the program here: Visiting Observers Program.
Please do not reach out to faculty members regarding observerships. Individuals who reach out to faculty will not be considered for an observer position.