LHSI Intern: Pediatric HIV, immunology and global health

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. Alka Khaitan 

Department/Office: Riley Hospital for Children; Pediatrics 

Overview of the internship site: Participate in global health research in pediatric HIV and immunology with opportunities to present at conferences and contribute to manuscripts. 

I am a pediatric infectious disease physician scientist with a  research focus  in pediatric HIV, immunology and global health. Our research aims to understand the pathogenic mediators of inflammation and the consequences of prolonged inflammation in children with HIV. We perform  comprehensive evaluations of immunologic, cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurocognitive outcomes in a Kenyan cohort of children with perinatal HIV. We also study immune exhaustion as a barrier to HIV cure in children. Students interested in translational research, infectious diseases, pediatrics or global health will have opportunities to learn and contribute to our work through project management, data organization, analysis of results and manuscript preparation. 

Website for more information: https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/43672/khaitan-alka 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Duties will vary based on the student’s interests. Activities may include, but are not limited to reviewing and summarizing literature, organizing and maintaining databases, developing forms for research, data analysis and interpretation, drafting figures and manuscript preparation. 

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

Project-specific qualifications: Students should be eager to learn, hardworking and have excellent organizational and communication skills. Ease with working on Microsoft Excel and Word is important. Experience with statistical analysis and programming is a bonus but not required. 

Hours per week: 10; 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.