Graduate Student Summer Research Internship & Training Program

As part of the internship, students will:

• Gain practical experience working on projects with U-M faculty at the forefront of the field of global health equity. Under faculty mentorship, students will be exposed to a variety of activities that have them working across disciplines.
• Participate in a learning community with other interns in the program. Interns will work with their peers in a structured training and professional development program that introduces students to the Center for Global Health Equity’s best practices for partnership-building and creating impact in the field of global health equity.

Through this program, interns will:

• Explore current topics in global health equity.
• Learn about the center's principles and approach to global health equity work, including building equitable global partnerships, co-designing solutions for complex global health challenges, and creating impact that improves people’s lives in low-resource settings.
• Develop skills in interdisciplinary collaboration and problem-solving, preparing students to pursue future passions and projects without being restricted to the standards of one particular discipline.
• Gain practical experience in research design and methodology for global health equity
• Expand their professional network and be exposed to possible career pathways in global health equity.

Eligibility. This program is open to U-M graduate students enrolled in any discipline, including Master’s, Doctoral, and other professional degree programs. This program is based at the U-M Ann Arbor campus. Virtual or hybrid work arrangements may be possible, depending upon the needs of the project and faculty mentor.

Students will need to be available in person May 8-9, 2025 in Ann Arbor for a mandatory orientation and introductory workshop. They will then need to be available at least 20 hours per week from May 19 - July 25, 2024. A closing session will be held the week of July 28, 2025. Students must be enrolled at the University of Michigan in Fall 2025 (August 2025 graduation dates do not qualify).

Application. Students apply to the center's competitive internship program in M-Compass. The application will open in mid December 2024. Before applying, students must review the list of available research projects on the center's website, which will be available in mid December 2024. When applying, students select the project they would like to work on.

Application Deadline. February 14, 2025

Before starting an application, students should review the list of available research internship projects for Summer 2025.

View Projects

Apply in M-Compass

More information about the program can be found on the M-Compass page. The application will open in December.

Time Commitment

Students accepted to the center's competitive internship program provide support to a U-M faculty member or faculty team working on a research project with a global health equity focus. Through a competitive application and matching process, students will be placed on teams according to the needs and interests of all parties.

Projects take place over a ten-week period in spring/summer 2025. The nature of the activities will depend on the needs of the particular faculty members and research projects. Students will be exposed to a number of research activities such as proposal development, data analysis, project coordination, or literature searches that have them working across disciplines.

Interns are expected to work at least 20 hours per week. This time commitment includes participation in the center's weekly research training sessions. Alongside peers in the 2025 internship cohort, students will convene to talk across projects, discuss selected readings, work on case studies, participate in specialized training and skill-building opportunities, and interact with experts in the field on a variety of topics relevant to the field of global health equity. 

Timeline

An in-person program orientation will be held May 8-9, 2025 in Ann Arbor. Internships take place from May 19-July 25, 2025, with a wrap-up and reflection session the week of July 28, 2025. Final deliverables are due August 22, 2025.

Stipend

The center compensates interns with a stipend of $5,000, paid out in two installments of $2,500 (after five weeks and ten weeks in the program). To receive this stipend, students are expected to satisfactorily complete all activities assigned by faculty mentors and produce deliverables in a timely manner. Students are also expected to participate in all professional training sessions and produce a final written report submitted to the center after the program ends.

Deliverables

Student interns will produce at least one deliverable mutually agreed upon by the student-faculty team. Students will participate in post-internship reflection and processing leading to a written report that ties their experience to future professional and academic goals and to the center's ultimate goal— people living longer and healthier lives in low- and middle-income contexts.

The center is committed to training the next generation of leaders in global health equity to enter the workforce equipped with practical experience and the critical skills needed to succeed. Each cohort of research interns will form a community of practice to support student academics and fosters student professional development.

Weekly Training Programming

This program creates an infrastructure for ongoing student learning at multiple stages of the internship program. We customize a series of trainings and workshops to complement faculty-mentored research experiences that we situate within the broader field of global health equity. These trainings intentionally prepare students for their internships, provide support during the internship, and create space for post-internship reflection that helps students articulate what they’ve learned, finalize deliverables, and translate their experience into future goals.

Students will participate in weekly learning sessions across the course of their internship, as well as a pre-internship introductory session and a post-internship reflection session. The program consists of a mix of case studies, research skill-building sessions, deep dives into current topics in global health equity, and meet-the-experts interactive conversations with leaders in global health equity at various career stages. Each session lasts approximately two hours and includes time for students to talk about their progress in the internship, share ideas and challenges, and reflect upon their experience.

The learning plan for the professional development training program will be available at the orientation in May 2025.

Questions?

Contact Alana Rodriguez
Education Project Manager
[email protected]