Public Health Graduate Intern

As a non-profit hospital system, Houston Methodist’s service extends beyond the hospital walls. This community commitment is demonstrated through the Community Benefits Department. Established in 1993, the Community Benefits Department focuses on providing access to high quality, affordable health care services to indigent populations across Greater Houston while ensuring health equity for racial, ethnic and social minorities. In recent years, Houston Methodist contributed more than $1.5 billion annually in charity care and community benefits support. The department partners with over 80 local non-profits, charity clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers via the department’s grant programs, in-kind services, specialty care partnerships, volunteer programs, and community engagement events. The department is also responsible for community health needs assessments across the hospital system, as well as determining the system’s health care access priorities and creating plans for addressing these priorities. The current health care access priorities for the hospitals include: access to primary care services with a focus on preventive care, access to specialty care services, reducing barriers to accessing mental health care, including treatment for substance abuse disorders, and addressing non-medical risk factors that contribute to negative health outcomes. 

The Community Benefits Department seeks a public health graduate intern to support the department’s programs and assist with community health needs assessments across the hospital system. Graduate interns can be eligible for stipends while they complete their practicum work and internship. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Contributes to the department’s governmental reporting requirements, including state hospital reports and the annual community health needs assessments and implementation plans. 
• Helps track and consolidate community benefits data across the hospital system
• Updates and contributes to the department’s community health needs assessments, including research, surveys with community members/patients, and focus conversations with regional experts. Provides current information to the department and leadership on emerging community health needs throughout the year. 
• Assists with program evaluation of the department’s key program areas: community grants, ICARE In Action (volunteer program), closed-loop referral system for community resource referrals, breast cancer screening initiative, and in-kind specialty care programs. 
• Supports the tracking and analysis of incoming data from community surveys, research studies, and public courses.  
• Provides day-to-day assistance to programs as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Current student or recent graduate of a Masters in Public Health program
• Strong research skills
• Interest in engaging directly with community members; ability to communicate in Spanish is a plus
• Expertise in Excel; experience utilizing survey software and Tableau 
• Strong interest in working on projects that serve the underinsured and uninsured populations.
• Experience or training in program evaluation and program design.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to write, edit and proofread written materials. 
• Ability to coordinate and prioritize multiple projects simultaneously

WORK REQUIREMENTS

The Houston Methodist Community Benefits Department works a hybrid schedule, which requires some days in the office at the Houston Methodist Hospital in the medical center. In addition, graduate interns may be asked to do some community surveys in the field at community-based organizations and community clinics. Ideally, a candidate would be in the hospital offices for a few hours per week for supervisor meetings and project meetings. The department can work with the student’s schedule to create a work schedule that includes some in-hospital hours, some in-the-field hours, and some remote flexible hours for research and writing. We are asking for a minimum of 30 hours, up to 40 hours per week for the Summer semester.