For over a decade, the Institute for Health and Social Justice Summer Internship has offered students and young professionals interested in current health and social justice issues the opportunity to gain hands-on experience working at a non-profit healthcare organization.

Each intern works closely with a mentor from one of PIH’s departments to complete an individualized ten-week project, based at our Boston office. Projects are based on PIH’s programmatic needs, affording summer interns the opportunity to make significant and concrete contributions to the work. In addition to working on their own project, interns often find that their talents and skills allow them to contribute to the variety of other tasks being taken on by their teams.

The internship program also includes an enrichment component that provides interns with a unique insight into the mechanics underneath the hood of PIH’s work. By attending two lectures per week, interns learn about the wide range of work happening in various PIH departments and at our partner organizations. These talks present opportunities for interns to ask specific technical questions as well as engage in broader discussions about global health disparities. 

“The IHSJ internship was a fantastic way to learn about the core principles that guide PIH’s work as well as providing a venue from which to become deeply engaged in the fight for social justice and human rights,” says former summer intern Joan Van Wassenhove.

Past interns have gone on to pursue diverse careers with other international NGOs and  local social health agencies. A number of interns have gone on to complete degrees in medicine or public health. A few interns have also made PIH or our partner organizations their permanent home. For example, Joan returned to PIH after completing her graduate program and currently works in Haiti as the Associate Nutrition Coordinator; and former intern Peter Luckow is now the Director of Operations at Tiyatien Health, our partner project in Liberia.

Internship Coordinator Lauren Spahn’s goal is that all of our past interns, regardless of where they end up, continue to keep in contact with each other and with PIH, thus carrying out our vision of building a global movement for health and social justice.

Although the internship is unpaid, PIH encourages applicants who are currently pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees to contact their schools to check if the internship can either fulfill a course requirement or be funded through a scholarship program.

The application deadline for summer 2011 is Friday, February 18, 2011 at midnight EST. Of the over 400 applicants who applied last year, 20 were selected for the summer internship program. This year’s applicants will be notified of their status by April 1, 2011.

Read more and submit your application.