Classroom Concepts to Clinical and Research Settings: Interning at the Center for Autism Research at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Zoe Anyanwu (‘28) is a Psychology major in the College for Arts and Sciences. This summer, she participated in an internship at the Center for Autism Research at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She reflects on how this experience helped her build meaningful connections and inspired her to continue pursuing research in the future.This experience was supported by the Franklin Opportunity Fund, an internship funding opportunity for Benjamin Franklin Scholars.

This summer, I worked as a research intern at the Center for Autism Research (CAR) at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). In this position, I helped manage and review research data collected through the Social Attention & Language Lab. This experience gave me valuable insight into the research process and allowed me to better understand the work that takes place behind the scenes to support scientific discovery. 

I had the opportunity to attend talks from professionals working in different areas of autism research and care, including psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, and speech-language pathologists. Beyond what I learned from these talks, one of the most meaningful aspects of the experience was building connections, both professionally and personally. I enjoyed learning about the interests of the other student interns and forming relationships with them.  

I was very satisfied with the mentorship and supervision I received. I worked in a small group with a research assistant whose recent experience as an undergraduate allowed her to relate to me and help me understand pathways for my future. She was an excellent guide and resource throughout the experience. I also had the opportunity to speak and work with several principal investigators at CAR. Learning about their individual career paths and how they reached their current positions gave me valuable insight into the different paths available to me within psychology and research. 

Although I had learned about autism and its diagnostic requirements in the classroom, this summer gave me the opportunity to expand significantly on that foundational knowledge by shadowing clinicians during the diagnostic process at the Regional Autism Clinic. Through my experience at CAR, I learned more specifically about social communication differences associated with autism and how these differences can be studied. Reflecting on the experience made me realize how much more meaningful classroom concepts can become when I am able to see their application in research and clinical settings. 

My experience at CAR encouraged exploratory, self-directed learning. As part of the program, I created my own presentation on a topic that interested me. I chose to explore the intersection of autism and the law, specifically examining how social communication differences may affect interactions between autistic individuals and police during interviews. This project allowed me to move beyond the daily responsibilities already assigned to me and take ownership over my learning by independently exploring an area that connected my interests in psychology, autism, and the criminal justice system. 

The financial support from BFS was extremely important in pursuing this experience. As a student from Maryland, I needed to cover expenses such as housing, groceries, and transportation. Without this support, I would have had to devote more time and energy to managing these expenses rather than fully immersing myself in the internship.  

This internship provided me with a great deal of clarity about the type of work I may want to pursue in the future. Before this summer, when I imagined becoming a clinical psychologist, I was primarily focused on therapy and intervention. However, through participating in the research process and hearing psychologists speak about their own experiences, I realized that research is a much larger interest of mine than I had previously recognized. This realization motivated me to pursue further research opportunities as an undergraduate, including my current enrollment in Penn’s Research Experience in Abnormal Psychology course. Through this course, I am gaining experience with additional stages of the research process, broadening my research skills, and exploring new topics that interest me. My experience at CAR has also made me excited about the possibility of continuing to work in research after graduation, before pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology. Overall, this summer expanded my understanding of what a career in clinical psychology could look like and showed me that research will play an important role in shaping the psychologist I hope to become. 

Interested in reading more accounts from BFS? Click Here