LHSI Intern: Transplant Research for Equity and Access Team (TREAT)

Program Summary:    

This internship is offered as a part of the Life-Health Sciences Internship Program (LHSI). This program connects 125 IU Indianapolis 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 2025 and end in May 2026 and are paid $13/hour for up to 10 hours per week. Work-study is accepted but not required.  

Supervisor: Dr. Adam Wilk 

Department/Office: Regenstrief Institute; William M. Tierney Center for Health Services Research 

Overview of the internship site: The leading goal of TREAT is to improve equity in access to each step of the transplant process through research and effective community engagement. TREAT strives to ensure all individuals with organ failure have equal opportunities to receive a transplant. We work to achieve this goal through several means. 

1) We enhance the collection of surveillance data on the early steps of transplant care, including (for kidney transplantation) a referral from a dialysis facility to a transplant center, and the start of the transplant evaluation process at the transplant center. 

2) We conduct important epidemiologic and mixed methods research (performing statistical data analysis + conducting interviews or focus groups) to identify and measure the biggest barriers and facilitators of access to transplant. 

3) We develop and enhance measures of care quality for health care providers at all steps along the transplant care pathway. These measures, when well-aligned with one another and with our system-wide goals of equity in transplant access, can effectively encourage health care providers to change their policies and care practice routines to help meet the needs of all patients. 

4) We test the efficacy and effectiveness of interventions to improve access to transplant, and we disseminate and implement these interventions across the region and nation. Our team's past interventions have included distributing feedback reports to dialysis facilities and transplant centers with information on their patients' transplant care experiences and outcomes, and providing education to dialysis facility staff about new national policies that affect their patients.  More information on our projects: https://sektc.org/all-projects/ 

Website for more information: https://www.regenstrief.org/projects/treat/

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Interns' duties will vary with the mix of active TREAT projects but commonly include: 

- performing systematic reviews of the scientific literature on transplant-related topics 

- conducting surveys, interviews, and focus groups, and analyzing results data 

- statistical analysis of large datasets 

- supporting the recruitment of study participants for different types of research studies (e.g., surveys, interviews, focus groups) 

- coordinating and facilitating team meetings 

- maintaining communications with study team members and external partners (e.g., from other research institutions, from community-based organizations) 

- developing fact sheets and infographics to help disseminate our research findings to different focal populations 

Work Environment and Dress Code: The work is performed primarily in an office setting; with dress code: Casual attire acceptable except when interfacing with visitors or representing Regenstrief outside of Regenstrief (full Personal Appearance Policy can be provided on request) 

Project-specific qualifications: Interns should be highly organized, reliable, and motivated to support equitable access to needed health care services for historically marginalized populations, including minoritized racial and ethnic groups, residents of low socioeconomic status communities, and individuals with limited education. 

Interns who get the most of our working with our team will be those who are interested in gaining exposure to careers in research on the health care system and health policy. 

We will be eager to work with students from underrepresented groups, including students from minoritized racial and ethnic groups, first-generation college attendees, and individuals with disabilities, among others. 

Hours per week: 10; generally flexible, though interns should plan to attend weekly and monthly team meetings when possible; times of any weekly meetings will vary by project 

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 2027 or after (usually a current freshman or sophomore in Spring 2025)   

Current full time IU Indianapolis undergraduate in 2025-26  

minimum overall GPA of 2.0   

All majors welcome 

To apply: 

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