LHSI Intern: Medical Education Research Assistant (Media & Medicine)

Program Summary:    

This internship is offered as a part of the Life-Health Sciences Internship Program (LHSI). This program connects 125 IUI undergraduates per year with internships on campus with faculty and staff in a variety of health and science related campus areas/programs. All LHSI internships start in August 2026 and end in April 2027 and are paid $14/hour for up to 10 hours per week. Work-study is accepted but not required. 

Supervisor: Dr. Andrew Cale (Media and Medicine)

Department/Office: Medicine; Anatomy, Cell Biology, & Physiology

Overview of the internship site: Are you curious as to how popular media such as television shows, movies, comics, and/or social media can be used in medical education? This internship will focus on using popular media to improve how different topics such as bioethics, communication skills, or various scientific topics are taught in the context of medicine. Under the supervision of the principal investigator, the intern(s) will be involved with designing and implementing a research project, reviewing relevant literature, collecting and analyzing data, and writing up or presenting the subsequent results. The intern(s) may also be required to learn or develop new research skills such as statistical or qualitative research software or survey construction depending on the specific project. Dr. Cale has three project descriptions. For this one, select Dr. Andrew Cale (Media and Medicine) on the LHSI application.

Website for more information: https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/44839/cale-andrew  

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Typical duties, responsibilities, and tasks for this position may include (but are not limited to): regular research meetings with principal investigator, literature review (finding, reading, and summarizing academic literature), project management (planning study design, setting deadlines, etc.), data collection and analysis (quantitative and/or qualitative), academic writing (abstract writing, manuscript preparation), conference presentation (if appropriate)

Work Environment and Dress Code: The work is performed primarily an office setting; with dress code casual

Project-specific qualifications: Pre-requisite coursework: Background in biological sciences or related coursework

Desired qualities: maturity, attention to detail, strong work ethic, excellent time management, excellent communication, willingness to learn

Hours per week: flexible based on student needs (10 maximum); flexible within regular work hours

By the end of the LHSI program, you will:

• Carefully consider, explore, and articulate your career goals, including an analysis of how you arrived at that path and what steps you need to take next. (Community Contributor, Communicator)
• Understand your role and strengths on a professional team and analyze who you would like to become as a professional. (Communicator)
• Gain and strengthen skills relevant to next steps after graduation, such as communication, collaboration, teamwork, analysis/synthesis/evaluation, independence, confronting/challenging failure, problem-solving and perseverance, and constructive criticism. (Problem Solver, Communicator)
• Convey ideas and knowledge effectively through an ePortfolio and presentation of your internship work. (Problem Solver, Communicator)
• Set and meet your own additional learning goals identified with your supervisor.

LHSI Qualifications    

• must be graduating May 2028 or after (usually a current freshman or sophomore in Spring 2026)
• Current full-time IUI undergraduate, full time IU Indianapolis in 2025-26
• minimum overall GPA of 2.0
• All majors welcome

To apply:

LHSI accepts at least 125 interns per year. Complete the application for LHSI at go.iu.edu/lhsi and select 3-4 internship sites on that application. All available sites are listed in Handshake and will start with the position title “LHSI Intern.” You will meet with at least 2 of these if selected for interviews.