Internships

The OHSU Community Outreach, Research and Engagement's (CORE) Internship Program allows undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to experience community engaged research and partnership in action. 

CORE Interns work on a wide range of community research projects for local non-profit and government organizations. Projects use research best practices; data-driven decision-making; evidence-based approaches; program evaluation; and community assessments to advance public health issues confronting local communities. CORE Interns may also support OHSU investigator-led community-engaged research studies.

CORE Interns have a variety of responsibilities that depend on the specific projects our office and community organizations are currently working on. Due to the large number of projects, we are often able to match students with tasks that fit their interests and learning objectives. Students will develop skills in some of the following areas: 

  • Apply a culturally sensitive and equity lens to all projects
  • Apply descriptive and inferential statistical methods to analyze public health issues
  • Apply ethical principles that govern the practice of public health
  • Apply evidence-based approaches to public health and social issues and programs
  • Apply principles of research design to assess health and social problems
  • Assess and interpret literature
  • Collect data for research projects, health assessments, program evaluations, etc.
  • Develop, implement, and evaluate public health interventions, programs, and policies
  • Design data collection tools
  • Develop presentations and reports for academic and community audiences
  • Develop strategic plans
  • Interpret and synthesize public health data and concepts in formats that are appropriate for community as well as academic partners
  • Participate in local research coalitions to support community education and project development
  • Solicit and integrate input from community and organization stakeholders
  • Test research questions

Qualified candidates will have:

  • A strong desire to learn and work in diverse and rural communities
  • Basic understanding of public health and/or social research
  • The ability to respond quickly to change and stay focused
  • The ability to manage multiple tasks and work on multiple projects at the same time
  • Current undergraduate or Graduate student majoring in the fields of science, public health, psychology or another related field

Apply to our program

To view our position description, click here. 

To apply to our internship program, click here. Current resume is required.

Questions about our process or want to learn more about our internship program? We would love to talk with you! Please email us at coreinternship@ohsu.edu

Past intern projects

CORE has helped students gain valuable work experience, develop meaningful professional relationships, and introduced them to many diverse and rewarding opportunities. Students are exposed to community-based projects across the state of Oregon where they will have the opportunity to work with program stakeholders at the community level. In addition, students meet weekly with OHSU CORE staff where they receive constructive feedback on current projects and assignment of additional tasks and projects.

Some projects students have previously worked on include:

Graphic icon of a teacher in front of a white board addressing students.

Students met monthly with community-level program stakeholders and CORE staff to design an evaluation plan for a teen tobacco cessation program. Students gained skills in conducting a thorough literature review, adapting measurement tools, developing a logic model, and designing evaluation questions and a data collection plan.

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Students analyzed data from a program intending to reduce older adults' loneliness and social isolation. They gained skills in compiling, cleaning, and analyzing data using RStudio and Microsoft Excel. In addition, students also gained skills in interpreting data, data visualization, identifying recommendations, and developing a brief report outlining analysis. 

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Students supported a project that aimed to understand the health, economic, and workforce landscape of a small county in Oregon by pulling data from Decennial Census 2020, American Community Survey, Oregon Department of Education, Oregon Health Authority, and the Oregon Hunger Task Force. Data visualizations were created using Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.

Icon of a bowl containing fruit and vegetables.

Students developed a pre/post survey to assess knowledge and behavior change among program participants enrolled in a community garden project. Students gained skills in survey design, utilization of data management software (Qualtrics), quantitative and qualitative data analysis and interpretation, and reporting. 

Graphic icon of a group of 4 people.

Students worked with researchers at OHSU CORE to interpret results from a community readiness assessment on engaging Latinos/Hispanics in cancer early detection research. Students developed a one-page community-friendly infographic which was used to report and disseminate findings to the community in an easy to understand format using plain language approaches. 

Learn more about our programs and partnerships

We are currently accepting applications for spring and summer terms. 

Deadlines to apply: 
•    Spring term: Jan 12, 2024
•    Summer term: Apr 5, 2024

Questions? Email

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Need more Info?

Contact us coreinternship@ohsu.edu