LHSI Intern: Medical Education Research Assistant (Anatomy)

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 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. Andrew Cale

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

Overview of the internship site: Are you interested in investigating or improving how anatomy is taught in medical school? This internship will focus on researching the anatomical sciences in medical education. Potential projects could involve systematic reviews of the existing literature on topics such as training for teaching assistants, social media use, and anatomical variation, or the development of new curricula for teaching gross anatomy or neuroanatomy using novel methods such as 3D printing, flipped classroom, clinical cases, or active learning. 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. Work may be remote or in-person depending on the specific task. Dr. Cale has three project descriptions. For this one, select Dr. Andrew Cale (Anatomy) 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 in an office setting and a lab setting; with dress code casual, lab attire (e.g., scrubs, lab coat, closed-toe shoes) may be required on some days but will be provided by principal investigator

Project-specific qualifications: Pre-requisite coursework/experience: Background in biological sciences or related coursework, Writing experience

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 2027 or after (usually a current freshman or sophomore in Spring 2025)
• Current full-time IUI undergraduate
• minimum overall GPA of 2.0
• All majors welcome

To apply:

LHSI accepts at least 75 interns per year. Complete the application for LHSI at lhsi.indianapolis.iu.edu 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.