Summer Research Intern

The Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS) invites rising college senior students to participate in an eight-week summer internship program that provides training and skills development in public health research about prescription medications. The long-term goal of the program is to assist students whose backgrounds have historically been underrepresented in biomedical and clinical research to build necessary skills for their career interests in public health, medicine and other related fields.

The Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics brings together researchers with expertise in medicine, epidemiology, biostatistics, health services research, economics, legal, regulatory and the social sciences to evaluate the effectiveness of prescription drugs in relation to their risks and costs, to study how medications are prescribed by physicians and used by patients, to develop methods to optimize prescription drug use, and to understand how medicines are approved and regulated after their marketing. 

Learning Outcomes:
• Experiential and didactic learning about pharmacoepidemiology content areas through division meetings, including journal club sessions, webinars, and guest presentations
• Completion of a summer research capstone project under the supervision of a faculty member with the opportunity to present findings to faculty
• Mentoring through career development meetings, one-on-one faculty and intern meetings, and strategic, long-term mentor/mentee pairing to guide further career planning
• Past summer research projects include comparing opioid use disorder treatment among pregnant populations in rural versus urban settings and examining clinical trial characteristics of FDA drugs approved via the accelerated approval pathway 
• Opportunity to audit summer courses offered by faculty at Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health and in other Harvard venues

Eligibility:
The fellowship program is best suited for rising senior undergraduate students with an interest in public health, epidemiology, medicine, pharmacy, biostatistics and/or health services research and policy, who are enrolled in a four-year degree program and who self-identify as Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, or other Pacific Islander.  US citizens, permanent residents and international students who are matriculated at U.S. colleges/Universities may apply (visa restrictions may apply). Prior research experience is not required, but applicants must be able to convey an interest in research and how this program will help them to achieve their long-term career goals. Quantitative coursework, skills, or experience is preferred, but not required.

Internship Expectations and Compensation:
We anticipate the 2024 summer internship to be held in-person and will update all applicants of any changes to the format. Interns are expected to participate in the program on a full-time basis in the designated format (i.e. in-person) for the duration of the fellowship and will receive a summer stipend of $5,000, as well as housing and additional funding to cover travel to and from Boston, as needed. Health insurance and retirement benefits will not be offered during this program. Additionally, interns will receive a temporary BWH-issued laptop to perform work duties.

Important Dates:
The application deadline is February 16th, 2024. The anticipated start day is Monday, June 10th, 2024 and the program will conclude on Friday, August 2nd, 2024.

Contact: pharmacoepi[underscore]intern@bwh[dot]harvard[dot]edu

Website: drugepi.org