The MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions has partnered with the RASI program, which provides learners that face systemic barriers with research mentorship and research opportunities. For the upcoming MAP 2025 Summer Student Program, please apply to the COS RASI (Community of Support Research Application Support Initiative) program as a RASI mentee for access to the MAP 2025 Summer Student Program. The application portal to be a RASI mentee can be found here. Please see the FAQ section at the bottom of this page.

 **Please note that the deadline to apply for the RASI program is Sunday, February 16th. Registration to the RASI program is mandatory, in order to gain access to research opportunities within the MAP Summer Student Program. Summer research opportunities will be accessible on February 17th, 2025 on the RASI portal** 

MAP is recruiting Black, Indigenous, and other undergraduate racialized students to join our team as summer students.

Summer students work with MAP scientists and staff on health equity research projects.

About the program

The MAP Summer Student Program is an opportunity to:

• Gain research skills, experience, and mentorship, to help prepare for graduate school or other career goals
• Access professional development resources available through MAP and St. Michael’s Hospital
• Participate in skill-building workshops related to professional development
• Connect with other undergraduate students who are interested in health equity research

Students are paid $18.86/hour, 37.5 hours per week. The program is 12 weeks long, starting June 2nd, 2025.

Who should apply

Applicants must be:

• Interested in building research skills and exploring a career in research that aims to reduce health inequities
• Self-identified as a Black, Indigenous or other racialized person
• Currently enrolled in a university/college undergraduate program in Ontario, Canada, in the Fall 2025 following the Summer Program. Students enrolled in medical school or who will be starting medical school in the Fall are NOT ELIGIBLE for this program‌. This is to ensure we are providing opportunities for undergraduate students who don’t always get the chance to be exposed to research. 
• Available to participate full-time (37.5 hours/week) for the full 12-week program (June 2- August 22, 2025)
• Able to work in or around the MAP offices in downtown Toronto, as needed. Hybrid or remote positions may be available. If you are an Indigenous student living in a remote community or on a reserve, travel support for in-person activities may be available. Please see the FAQ section at the bottom of the page.
• Please note that if you are selected to participate in this program, you will be required to submit proof of three COVID-19 vaccinations as per Unity Health Toronto Policy.

Application process

The application deadline to the RASI program is 11:59 pm EST on February 16th, 2025. This is a requirement in order to gain access to the MAP 2025 Summer Student Program application once it goes live on February 17th, 2025.

Once you have submitted the RASI application, you will join the RASI network of mentorship and summer research opportunities, one being the MAP 2025 Summer Student Program, once you have been screened and your application has been accepted by RASI.

On Monday, February 17th, the profiles and research project descriptions of the MAP PIs (Principal Investigators) recruiting students for the MAP Summer Student Program will be made available on the RASI Summer Research Access Portal. As a RASI mentee, you will be able to apply to the MAP 2025 Summer Student Program by applying to work with a MAP PI and choosing one of their projects. You will be able to apply to up to three MAP PI projects you would love to work with between February 17th – February 28th, 2025.

A research team member from MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions will reach out to you through the RASI portal if you have been selected by a MAP PI for an interview. Interviews conducted by the PI’s research team and a member or volunteer from the MAP Anti-Racism Equity Advisory will be panelists at the interviews. Interviews will run between March 10th – March 21st, 2025.  

PIs will send out offers between March 24th – March 28th, 2025. After receiving their offer, students must accept between 24-48 hours.  Please note that the RASI portal will only allow students to accept up to one summer research opportunity, so please choose wisely! After accepting an offer, students will not be giver greater access to other roles. 

Dates	Tasks
February 16, 2025	RASI Summer Research Access Portal application deadline
February 17 – February 28, 2025	Students apply to summer research positions
March 3 – March 7, 2025	PI teams screen student applications
March 10 – March 21, 2025	PIs interview students
March 24 – March 28, 2025	PIs send offers
March 24 – March 30, 2025	Students accept offers between 24-48 hours of receiving them
June 2 – August 22, 2025	MAP 2025 Summer Student Program

We hope to make this application process as simple as possible. As a reminder, due to our new partnership with RASI, the entire application will be done through the RASI portal – a one-stop shop. Should you have any questions regarding the MAP 2025 Summer Student Program, please send an e-mail to: martha.taylor2@unityhealth.to

The program starts on June 2nd, 2025.

FAQs

• Can we apply to the MAP 2025 Summer Student Research Program directly, without applying through RASI?
  • Given our partnership with RASI, interested students must be RASI mentees first. Once students sign-up for RASI, they will then gain access to the RASI portal, through which they can apply for the MAP 2025 Summer Student Research Program on February 17^th, 2025.
• What happens if I don’t apply by February 16th, 2025?
  • Unfortunately, you will no longer be able to apply for the MAP 2025. Summer Student Program. There will be no extensions granted to apply for the RASI and MAP programs.
• What are the health equity research programs available to select from this year?
  • The participating Principal Investigators and their respective research projects available will be made visible on the RASI portal on Monday, February 17th, 2025. You may visit the Our Scientists page MAP website for a current list of scientists and their research project to garner a sense of the types of health equity projects our centre prioritizes.
• Why are travel supports to attend in-person activities being offered to Indigenous students living in remote communities or on reserves?
  • MAP is committed to the growth of Indigenous students and learners, and understands that anti-Indigenous racism has resulted in barriers to success for Indigenous students, particularly those who live in remote communities and on reserves. Therefore, in order to mitigate the transportation and financial barriers that could hinder these students from attending our in-person activities, MAP will ensure that funds are allocated for eligible Indigenous students. 
• How long will it take to apply for access to the RASI portal?
  • The application form should take around 15 minutes.
• What is a RASI mentee?
  • RASI mentees are students who have successfully applied to gain access to the COS RASI initiative and RASI Summer Research Access Portal.
• The RASI application questionnaire asks for my cumulative GPA. Should I be concerned?
  • Both MAP and RASI prioritize providing summer research opportunities to those with little to no research experience. We fully recognize barriers to research opportunities and barriers in education many students of colour experience first hand.  Additionally, the MAP Summer Student Program highly values the lived experiences of students and the transferable skills they can bring to research opportunities. 
• I have accessibility needs. Do you consider the accessibility needs of students and offer accommodations for the application process and throughout the program? Is the portal disability-inclusive?
  • Accessibility is considered as part of the selection process as a demographic group for RASI. It can inform some of the mentor matches made and the content developed. The portal has minimal color contrast, simple copywriting and easy navigation.