Applied Public Policy Graduate Intern

Overview

Under the direction of the Executive Director, Workplace Equity & Inclusion or Designee, the Applied Public Policy Scholarly Project Graduate Internship Program is a collaboration between ForHealth Consulting at UMass Chan Medical School and Massachusetts’ Medicaid agency (MassHealth). The program offers a unique opportunity for currently enrolled master’s students or Doctoral students or candidates to participate in a scholarly project aligned with their academic calendar, program requirements, and the needs identified by MassHealth.

Under the direction of the assigned MassHealth manager, the Applied Public Policy Scholarly Project Graduate Intern (APP Graduate Intern) is responsible for project-based tasks to support a designated department under the on-going tutelage of a professional mentor. These tasks may be administrative or research oriented and require advanced analytical and communications skills. Primary communications will be in a team environment with a focus on collecting input for assigned projects. Specific job responsibilities will vary by department and include information gathering, analysis, writing, and editing.

This is a temporary, unbenefited position. Selected interns are compensated at a competitive rate and expected to work 16 hours each week of a traditional 14-week semester or up to 40 hours per week for 10 weeks over the summer.

This is a hybrid position that may require Interns to work on-site at the MassHealth office in Boston or Quincy, MA one or two days per week. Remote work requires a private, secure space with reliable internet and adherence to data privacy standards. 

APP Graduate Interns work in one of these MassHealth departments:

• Operations: Contributes to the management of various policies, strategies and procedures including pricing, MassHealth Standard Operating Procedure Eligibility, and federal regulations and policies.
• Dental: Contributes to critical policy and program development for the MassHealth dental program, including provider communication and outreach, program implementation, and other urgent agency priorities.

Applicants must submit a resume and cover letter that clearly indicate the specific MassHealth department(s) they are interested in. If applying to multiple departments, applicants should list all departments in order of preference. 

Responsibilities

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Perform complex and varied executive and administrative tasks that require a high degree of independent action and the setting of priorities and procedures.
• Conduct advanced research to assist other team members.
• Create reports and perform in-depth data analysis.
• Implement and manage tasks in accordance with departmental objectives.
• Create and deliver basic presentations highlighting policy choices, challenges, and decision options discovered during the course of the work performed.
• Perform assigned project tasks within specified timeframes.
• Meet and Report weekly to an assigned professional Mentor.

Qualifications

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s degree candidate formally registered in final year of an academic program with 18 or more credits earned working towards the completion of a graduate degree, including but not limited to public health, public policy, health professions including nursing, medicine, and allied health, human services, economics or finance, health management or administration, law, statistics, informatics, or social and behavioral health.

• Advanced analytical and communication skills.

• Attention to detail with the ability to collect and record information from a wide variety of sources

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and standard office tools.

• Reliability and ability to set consistent work hours.

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Doctorate candidate formally registered in a program pursuing their terminal degree in certain fields, including but not limited to public health, public policy, health professions including nursing, medicine, and allied health, human services, economics or finance, health management or administration, law, statistics, informatics, or social and behavioral health.

• Experience working at the intersection of health care and social services.

• Familiarity with Massachusetts health care and/or social services sectors.

• Background in policy design, data analysis, or project implementation.