LHSI Intern: Health Policy Research Assistant

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: Professor Aparna Soni 

Department/Office: Public Health; Health Policy and Management 

Overview of the internship site: An opportunity for undergraduate students to immerse themselves in health policy research relevant to state-level and federal US health policy decisions. Professor Aparna Soni (Department of Health Policy & Management, Fairbanks School of Public Health) is recruiting a temporary, hourly undergraduate assistant to assist with her research on Medicaid policy. The Assistant will work with Professor Soni on research projects related to how Medicaid policy affects treatment for substance use disorders (including opioid use disorder) and other health outcomes. The work may be particularly relevant for students interested in pursuing careers in health policy research or graduate degrees. 

Website for more information: www.AparnaSoni.com 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: The research assistant will assist Professor Soni with conducting literature reviews in the areas of health insurance, Medicaid, US health care reform, and substance use disorder policy. The research assistant may also assist with editing and proofreading manuscripts, conducting data analysis in Excel or similar programs, and preparing data visualizations. 

Work Environment and Dress Code: The work is performed primarily in an office setting with dress code N/A 

Project-specific qualifications: The ideal candidate is interested in US health policy topics, particularly in the areas of health insurance, Medicaid, US health care reform, and substance use disorder policy. Experience working in Excel or similar data analysis software is an added plus but not necessary. 

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 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.