NYU Langone Health: A Working Summer That Opens Doors

In the Department of Ophthalmology at NYU Langone Health, Prep for Prep students experience medicine not as spectators, but as contributors. The partnership, launched in 2019, was built around a simple but powerful idea: to give young people a paid, meaningful opportunity to see medicine in action.

“I really wanted to give kids the opportunity to experience being around some of the highest-level doctors you can possibly imagine,” says Dr. Kenneth Wald, Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of Retinal Services at NYU Langone Health. 

The program is funded annually by the Manhattan Eye & Ear Ophthalmology Alumni Foundation, led by Dr. Paul Orloff, and emphasizes structure, mentorship, and compensation. Each year, Prep for Prep students interview for three coveted slots. By mid-June, the selected interns don white coats and begin an eight-week rotation through NYU’s world-class medical environment.

They assist with patient flow and testing; observe surgeries; and attend lectures alongside residents, fellows, and attending physicians. “It’s not shadowing, it’s not volunteering,” Dr. Wald emphasizes. “They become employees at NYU.”

That distinction transforms the experience. Interns aren’t simply observers—they’re active participants. Dr. Wald notes that Prep for Prep interns consistently display “maturity, enthusiasm, and initiative,” making them stand out among their peers.

The impact is evident in the stories that emerge each summer. During the pandemic, Ogechi Nwankwoala (P9 XXVIII/Exeter, Johns Hopkins) Boston University, completed her shift despite having a final exam later that day. Another student, Krystal McCook (P9 XXIX/Choate, Barnard), returned to visit the department after her internship simply to reconnect and have lunch. Many alumni have since gone on to medical school, carrying forward the lessons and professionalism they developed during their internships.

Dr. Wald says the partnership has become self-sustaining, with strong institutional support ensuring its future. “The program is completely on autopilot,” he says proudly.

“I think it will go on and on.” 

When Ogechi Nwankwoala (P9 XXVIII/Exeter, Johns Hopkins), Boston University, began her internship at NYU Langone Health, she was a pre-med student eager for hands-on experience. Through Prep for Prep’s Student Internship Program, Ogechi was matched with the Department of Ophthalmology at NYU Langone Health, where she worked closely with Dr. Kenneth Wald, a retina specialist. “I would shadow Dr. Wald, and eventually, I was allowed to participate. I would look through the slit lamp at people’s eyes ... I took scans on the OCT machine ... I also was able to go into the operating room quite a few times.”

The experience—during the height of COVID-19—proved transformative. “It was the first time where I could see myself as a working professional in a career that I really, really wanted to do,” she recalls. “I firsthand saw how medicine can be transformative in every way.”

Now a second-year medical student at Boston University, Ogechi says the internship continues to shape her path. “I wrote about my internship at NYU so much in my medical school applications ... I felt so encouraged there and so supported. Dr. Wald and all the staff would

always say, ‘You are going to be such a great doctor.’”