What are the responsibilities and job description for the Applied Public Policy Graduate Intern (Hybrid - Boston/Quincy, MA) position at UMass Chan Medical School?
Category: Interns
Location : North Quincy, MA
Shift: Day
Exempt/Non-Exempt: Non Exempt
Business Unit: ForHealth Consulting
Department: ForHealth Consulting - Training & Workforce Development - W400800
Job Type: Temporary
Union Code: Non Union Position-W00-Non Benefited
Num. Openings : 3
Post Date : April 9, 2025
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 masters 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 15 to 18 hours each week of a traditional 14-week semester or up to 40 hours per week for 10 weeks over the summer.
APP Graduate Interns work in one of these MassHealth departments:
- Office of Accountable Care and Behavioral Health: contributes to improving and streamlining whole-person, member-centric care including behavioral health, physical health, and health related social needs for non-dual eligible MassHealth (Medicaid) members, through coordinated and aligned fee-for-service and managed care policy, plan management, and performance engagement.
- Office of Long-Term Services and Supports: contributes to managing a robust system of support for members of all ages who need services to enable them to live with independence and dignity in their daily lives, participate in their communities, and increase their overall quality of life.
- Finance/Operations: contributes to the management of various policies, strategies and procedures including pricing, MassHealth Standard Operating Procedure Eligibility, federal regulations/policies, etc.
- Quality and Health Equity Program: contributes to making equity a core pillar of value-based care including incentives for providers and plans in three domains: demographic and health-related social needs data, equitable quality and access, and capacity and collaboration.
- Housing, Homelessness, and Health Policy Team: contributes to designing agency policy around assisting members who are experiencing homelessness or housing instability, including developing strategies for connecting housing and healthcare.
- Administrative
- 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.
REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
- Masters 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.
