Duke STAR Program.

The article focuses on the Duke STAR (Summer Training in Academic Research) Program, an eight-week internship designed to expose high school and college students, particularly from historically marginalized communities, to pediatric clinical research. Supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the Biogen Foundation, the program pairs students with faculty mentors to conduct original research projects that meet International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) authorship criteria, resulting in peer-reviewed publications. Since its inception in 2013, the program has successfully published 36 projects involving 185 trainees, with over half of participants from populations underrepresented in medicine. The program also includes high school teachers in leadership roles and offers practical professional development, financial stipends, and ongoing alumni engagement, including a pilot advanced research skills program for returning graduates.