LHSI Intern: Autism Spectrum Disorder/Intellectual Disability (Psychiatry)

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. Jill Fodstad

Department/Office: Riley Hospital for Children and Medicine; Psychiatry

Overview of the internship site: Contribute to research projects focused on improving access to evidenced-based care for individuals across the lifespan diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual// disability, or other developmental disabilities. Dr. Fodstad is a licensed clinical psychologist and doctoral level board-certified behavior analyst. She is an expert in delivering evidenced-based care for persons with developmental disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, who also have co-occurring psychiatry/severe behavioral conditions. My research focuses on identifying, developing, and disseminating improved pathways for accessing evidenced-based care in healthcare settings. I am looking for a few motivated applicants to help with various aspects of ongoing projects in the following areas: 1) an excellent writer and copy-editor curious about the process of research studies; 2) a student interested in reviewing and summarizing current research on studies related to health care service delivery/evidenced-based care and developmental disabilities; and 3) student interested in performing research aimed at improving the quality of life of persons with developmental disabilities and their caregivers.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Duties will vary based on the student. Tasks may include (but are not limited to): entering data in databases, verifying/checking data, coding/analyzing qualitative data, assisting with manuscript/poster development (potential opportunity for co-authorship), preparing study mailings, recruiting/consenting human subjects, transcribing and checking accuracy of qualitative interview data, reviewing articles and scientific papers, extracting data.

Work Environment and Dress Code: The work is performed primarily in an office setting with dress code of casual or business casual

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

Project-specific qualifications: Should have ability to use Microsoft Word and Excel; will need to have/be able to complete within 2 weeks of start date the Human Subjects Protection certification through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) program. Ideal applicant should be motivated, organized, hardworking, an eagerness to try new things. There may be a lot of individual autonomy as some of the work could be done independently. However, the project is collaborative, emphasizing the importance of inter-personal professional skills.

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 125 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.