LHSI Intern: Research Assistant, child development in western Kenya

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. Megan S. McHenry 

Department/Office: Medicine anRiley Hospital for Children; Pediatrics 

Overview of the internship site: Contribute to pediatric global health research while working here in Indiana! I am a pediatrician and researcher who studies child development in western Kenya. Our team welcomes three different types of students within the LHSI role: 1) an excellent writer and copyeditor curious about the process of research studies, 2) a motivated pre-medicine/nursing student interested interesting in reviewing and summarizing current research on studies related to global health or early childhood development, OR 3) psychology/pre-medicine student interested in performing research aimed to improve child development with our team in Kenya. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Duties will vary based on the student. Tasks may include, but are not limited to, writing, doing data entry, verifying data entries, learning to use research databases such as REDCap, assisting on implementation projects, reviewing articles and scientific papers, and extracting data. 

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

Hours per week: 10, scheduling is Flexible to the student's schedule (does not have to be within regular work hours) 

Project-specific qualifications: Should have ability to use Microsoft Word, be motivated, organized, hardworking, and an eagerness to try new things. There is a lot of individual autonomy as the majority of the work is done independently. However, the entire 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)
• 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 between 2-4 internship sites on that application. All available sites are listed in Handshake and will start with the position title “LHSI Intern.”