What is MYHealth?
MYHealth is a health research training program for high school students in Southeast Michigan. MYHealth takes place 100% online and uses fun, and interactive activities to not only teach participants, but to empower them as they engage in research by designing and completing their own real-life research project in teams.
MYHealth was founded in 2022 in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan. New students can enroll each Spring to participate in MYHealth Summer Launch. The MYHealth program continues to be developed and facilitated by faculty, staff, and undergraduate students at the University.
WHAT HAPPENED IN MYHEALTH
All MYHealth students started with Summer Launch and were invited to continue participating in MYHealth in our academic year program: Impact Projects. Impact Projects students met weekly in teams to plan and complete their own research project. After completing the first year of the program, students were invited back to mentor first-year students as Peer Leaders.
Throughout Summer Launch, participants met regularly in small groups to engage in interactive activities and learn about the basics of health research, research methods & ethics. Activities included panels with real-life health researchers, healthcare professionals, and researchers-in-training. Teams also spent time each day playing games and getting to know each other.
Roughly 50 high school students from all over Southeast Michigan joined MYHealth Summer Launch each year. Most Summer Launch participants had no previous research experience, although some may have taken a research class or participated in a research-focused club, camp, or other extracurricular activity.
Being part of MYHealth also meant being part of a research study where we are trying to understand the impact of our program on students' feelings and beliefs about science, research, and careers. MYHealth Summer Launch (HUM00213914) is a research study approved by the University of Michigan Institutional Review Board (IRBMED).
Note: The MYHealth program ended in April 2026. The team is actively seeking funding to restart the program.
Health research training from real-life health researchers
MYHealth Faculty
Melissa DeJonckheere, PhD
Lisa Vaughn, PhD
Tammy Chang, MD, MPH
Shanna Stryker, MD, MPH
Paul Chandanabhumma, PhD, MPH
Combined, the MYHealth program faculty bring decades of experience in qualitative, mixed methods, and community based research. Their research experiences span topics ranging from type 1 diabetes, chronic illnesses, climate change, primary care, mental health services, and much more.
Undergraduate Facilitators
Throughout MYHealth, students work in small groups and teams to master the skills involved in health research. Activities are developed and facilitated by a team of undergraduate students at the University of Michigan - we call them our "Facilitators." Facilitators are rigorously trained to lead small groups, foster meaningful discussions, and mentor new health researchers.
Contact MYHealth
