LHSI Intern: Health Policy Research Intern

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. Kelsey Binion 

Department/Office: Public Health; Health Policy & Management 

Overview of the internship site: Academic experts throughout Indiana collaborate with state and local health organizations to conduct research that informs the state’s health system performance, policy, and programming, ultimately aiming to improve Hoosiers’ health and well-being. Interested in addressing Indiana’s most pressing health issues? If so, the Fairbanks School of Public Health’s Department of Health Policy Management has the internship for you! The Health Policy Research Intern will work with two research hubs and their teams: The Center for Health Policy (CHP) and Well Being Informed by Science and Evidence in Indiana (WISE Indiana). Both hubs’ missions are to generate evidence that informs decision-making in Indiana and beyond. To do so, researchers in public health and other health-related fields partner with various agencies, like the Indiana Department of Health, the Indiana Primary Health Care Association, and the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, and they conduct research and evaluation projects that address the health and well-being of Indiana residents. Collectively, the CHP and WISE Indiana are working on over 45 projects, with many more being planned. Each project has a distinct focus, with several aimed at addressing substance misuse, mental health services, social determinants of health, and population health and analytics. As an intern, you will have the unique opportunity to work on various projects across two research hubs that develop and refine your research skills, network with state and local health organizations, collaborate with researchers across the state, communicate how these projects are making a difference in Hoosiers’ lives, and more! 

Website for more information: Center for Health Policy: https://fairbanks.indianapolis.iu.edu/research-centers/centers/health-policy/index.html 

https://www.linkedin.com/company/iu-center-for-health-policy/posts/?feedView=all  

WISE Indiana: https://indianactsi.org/community/monon-collaborative/wise-indiana/  

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Assist with data entry/maintenance and survey development using Excel, REDCap, etc.  
• Attend various team meetings on both a monthly and/or weekly basis.  
• Attend outreach events and/or conferences depending on the assigned projects.   
• Contribute and update presentations, brochures, infographics, abstracts, and/or manuscripts.  
• Assist in dissemination efforts about research projects (e.g., newsletters, social media, annual reports).  
• Provide research assistance to assigned projects, which may include reviewing articles, conducting interviews, organizing data, etc. 

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

Project-specific qualifications: 

• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint).  
• Familiarity with Zoom and Microsoft Teams.  
• Strong interpersonal communication skills.  
• Solid organizational skills, including multi-tasking and time management.  
• Ability to problem solve and work independently.  
• Ability to maintain a professional demeanor with other staff, faculty, and other external stakeholders.  
• Willing to learn various programs for tracking and implementation of scholarship and research (e.g., REDCap, Qualtrics, EndNote, etc.)  
• An interest in learning more about health care and public health in Indiana. 

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.