Graduate-Level Health Equity Internship

About the role

The Health & Medicine health equity internship program is designed for current and recent graduate students to gain hands-on experience in health policy careers with a focus on advancing health equity and addressing structural inequities.

Responsibilities

• Researching and analyzing policy and writing reports, briefs, or fact sheets relevant to public health, health care, health workforce, and Health & Medicine projects
• Helping track the progress of bills and ordinances at the state, county, and city level and advocating for Health & Medicine’s position on each
• Planning, sharing resources for, and following up on health policy forum and roundtable events
• Organizing information and coordinating projects related to health policy and public health capacity building
• Joining staff at various collaborations and coalitions

Requirements

Applicants must be currently enrolled in (or recently graduated from) a graduate degree program in the greater Chicagoland area. Graduate students residing in the Chicagoland area and enrolled in online graduate programs out of state are also eligible.

Qualifications

We are especially interested in applicants pursuing careers focused on health policy, public health, social work, and advancing health equity through addressing root structural causes.

Skills

While projects vary depending on organizational needs throughout the year, interns may be involved with the following types of work:

• Researching and analyzing policy
• Writing reports, briefs, or fact sheets
• Tracking the progress of bills and ordinances
• Planning, sharing resources for, and following up on health policy forum and roundtable events
• Organizing information and coordinating projects
• Collaborating with staff at various collaborations and coalitions

Benefits

This paid internship runs from October through December 2026 and offers $16 per hour for graduate students pursuing careers in health policy, public health, social work, or related fields.

Pay

$16 per hour

Schedule

October through December 2026

Benefits

The program supports the next generation of professionals who believe in our mission of health equity and social justice. It provides paid internships as an important step toward creating and sustaining a diverse, equitable, accessible, and inclusive workforce.

Health & Medicine’s Internship Program Model

In 2018, Health & Medicine created an Internship Equity Committee charged with developing a new model for internships, called the Equity Intern Program. The new model replaced unpaid intern labor with paid internships and established a “one door” application process. Providing paid internships is an important step toward creating and sustaining a diverse, equitable, accessible, and inclusive workforce.

About Health & Medicine

Health & Medicine is an independent policy center that conducts research, educates, and collaborates with other groups to advocate policies and impact health systems to improve the health status of all people. Our mission is to build power and momentum for social justice and health equity in Illinois.