Current Opportunities for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Program and Policy Internship (Spring 2015)

Opportunity Type: Internship
Application Deadline: As soon as possible
Description: Description and Requirements: The Partnership Center offers interns a unique opportunity to gain valuable professional experience and build leadership skills. Our hands-on internship program is designed to mentor and cultivate leaders, strengthen their understanding of the Department and the President’s initiative on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and prepare them for future service opportunities. We typically select two interns for each of the Spring, Summer and Fall academic semesters. Interns are valued members of the Partnership Center team. They work independently and on teams on projects that advance the Partnership Center's efforts to build and support partnerships with faith-based and community organizations in order to better serve individuals, families and communities in need. Responsibilities include conducting research projects, writing newsletter articles and blog posts, supporting webinars and assisting with office responsibilities. Depending on an intern’s interests and skill set, s/he may focus on a particular area of the Partnership Center’s work, but interns support the work of the entire office. They are supervised by the Intern Coordinator, who works with the Director to develop each intern’s portfolio. Opportunities include: A unique view of policy from inside the executive branch of government, including the potential to interact with White House staff; A chance to develop skills in administration and policy in a team environment; An excellent opportunity to work with and learn about a variety of agencies within the large and diverse HHS organization, including the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and others.

Office for Civil Rights Student Academic Internship Program

Opportunity Type: Internship
Description: Mission The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) conducts public education, outreach, complaint investigation and resolution, and other compliance activities to ensure that people living in the United States have equal access to health care in all HHS-funded programs without facing unlawful discrimination or impermissible disclosure or use of protected health information. OCR enforces Federal laws that prohibit discrimination by health care and human service providers that receive funds from DHHS. Such laws include Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the Community Service Assurance Provisions of the Hill-Burton Act, and the HIPAA Privacy, Security and Breach Notification Rules. Civil Rights Division The student will support the policy development, interpretation, and dissemination work of the Division through assistance in research and analysis of issues affecting vulnerable populations and the development of informational and technical materials for the public and OCR staff. Specific tasks may include legal research on questions arising from statutes administered by or affecting the Department; drafting of proposed opinions on individual investigations or other matters where formats and precedents have been established; review and analysis of state and Federal legislative proposals and of research and draft reports; and participation in the provision of technical assistance to investigators and other field office staff. The student will draft resource materials for staff and the public; develop briefing materials for OCR and department executive staff; and attend and summarize meetings on topics related to OCR's priority initiatives. The student may also assist senior staff with special projects associated with Presidential and Secretarial Initiatives and OCR's enforcement and outreach activities.

Public Health Internship Program

Opportunity Type: Internship
Description: Introduction The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) is seeking applicants for the Public Health Internship Program. Public Health Interns will complete a one semester rotation within one of HRSA’s Bureaus or Offices. The public health internships at HRSA is an unfunded practicum experience for graduate and undergraduate students in good standing at schools of public health and public health programs in the United States. The HRSA Public Health internship provides an unparalleled opportunity for professional growth and development as a public health practitioner and will prepare the intern to be an ambassador for the important work of HRSA in his/her professional discipline, work setting, or community. The intern will have frequent contact with HRSA’s public health experts in one of a wide-range of disciplines including (to name just a few): rural health policy, HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, health systems, and program analysis and evaluation. The intern will have an opportunity to participate in training and development activities at HRSA that may include: Orientation to HRSA and government office work Attendance at seminars/webinars available to all HRSA staff Exposure to HRSA program analysis and evaluation methodologies Shadowing HRSA staff across a wide range of public health disciplines Program Objectives The Public Health Internship Program at HRSA is designed to align with HRSA’s strategic plan as well as support the individual intern’s progress toward a career in public health. To this end the program will: (1) Develop the public health workforce (2) Strengthen HRSA’s partnership with schools of public health and the pipeline of public health professionals (3) Orient the future public health workforce to HRSA’s mission, programs, and leadership Description of Duties Although specific projects of the Public Health Intern will depend on initiatives within the office of placement during the intern’s appointment, the following list provides an idea of the scope and breadth of the intern's work at HRSA. Support the management of grants and programs at HRSA Participate in HRSA’s public health seminar series and related staff development activities Plan and coordinate meetings of public health experts/practitioners Shadow and conduct informational interviews with key HRSA staff Apply skills to goal-based projects in the range of competency areas specified by the student’s school’s curriculum Application Students who are interested in participating in a public health internship at HRSA may contact the HRSA Learning Institute at: HLI@hrsa.gov. The subject line of your message should read “public health internship.” Attach the following items to your message: resume, unofficial transcript, a brief personal statement addressing your goals for the internship (500 words or less). The personal statement should specify any programs within HRSA that align with your goals for the internship as well as any competencies you wish to develop. Documents in .pdf format are preferred.

Contact Information

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20201
http://www.hhs.gov/