The National Center for Health Research is a nonprofit think tank that bridges the gaps between research, healthcare, and health policy. Our work helps improve the lives of adults and children across the country. We have the following openings:
Special Assistant to the President, National Center for Health Research
This is your opportunity to get involved in communicating to the public about health policy, keep a small nonprofit running smoothly, and directly help women navigating today’s health insurance system.
The National Center for Health Research is a small nonprofit located just a few blocks from the White House but miles away in terms of health policy goals. We need a smart, dedicated, multi-tasking professional who wants to make a difference on a national and personal level. In addition to helping with articles and social media, the ideal candidate will have excellent interpersonal skills.
The position involves traditional nonprofit office work, as well as working with other staff to help hundreds of women who have serious health problems and are having trouble getting their health insurance companies to agree to cover medically necessary surgery.
The successful candidate will have excellent written and oral communication skills, be very detail-oriented, have a good sense of humor, and the desire to do good.
This position is full-time, and requires a college degree and office experience. Starting salary in high $20’s with excellent benefits and opportunity for advancement.
For more information about the National Center for Health Research, see www.center4research.org. Applicants should send a cover letter and resume to info@center4research.org. No calls please.
FELLOWSHIPS
6-Month and 12-Month Fellowship Positions open at National Center for Health Research with Opportunity for Renewal or Advancement
Senior Fellow:
Terrific opportunity for someone with a PhD or MD or similar doctorate who recently completed their degree or post-doc or wants to move into the policy arena. We are seeking an experienced professional with expertise in quantitative research who can interpret and “translate” research findings into compelling and persuasive information for the public, policy makers, and potential funders. A doctorate in epidemiology/public health, medicine, psychology, or closely related field is required. Excellent oral and written communication skills are required. Grant-writing skills are a plus. $45,000-50,000/year plus benefits for full-time work for candidate with a doctorate or medical degree (must be at least 32 hours per week).
Apply now for a Fellowship beginning as soon as possible. Send a resume and cover letter to Amelia Murphy at aam@center4research.org. For more information about our Center, see www.center4research.org and www.stopcancerfund.org. For more information about our policy work, see the policy and media sections of those websites. No calls please.
Fellow: An MPH or ABD
An MPH or ABD in epidemiology/public health, psychology, or closely related field is required. Other skills as described above. The starting salary is $35,000-40,000/year for a full-time position.
Learn first-hand about the Washington policy scene by gaining hands-on experience! We are a non-profit think tank that makes a difference in the lives of millions of adults and children. We work closely with the national and international media to get our message out to the public. We connect with policy makers and decision makers on a national level to change public policy. We work with independent researchers from around the country to bring fair, unbiased and non-corporate-funded information to the public about timely health issues such as the safety of medical products and treatments, dating violence, women’s health, affordable health care, and so much more.
The ideal candidate will be attentive to details, well-organized, dedicated to health issues, have excellent oral and written communication skills, and work well individually and as part of a team. Preference will be given to candidates with the ability to critique quantitative research data on medical or public health issues and to explain it in an interesting way to a lay audience. This is a part-time (at least 32 hours/week) or full-time 6-month position, eligible for renewal or promotion after 6 months. Our office is a few blocks from the White House.
We will fill this position asap, so do not apply if you are not available soon. To learn more about us, check out www.center4research.org and www.stopcancerfund.org. No calls please. Please send your resume and cover letter describing how your interests and expertise fits our work as soon as possible to info@center4research.org. Include your available starting date and numbers of hours per week in your cover letter. Please note: this is not a telecommuting position.
INTERNSHIPS
Fall, Spring, and Summer Internships are available for undergraduate or graduate students or recent graduates who are available at least 24 hours/wk for at least 3 months.
Through these internship opportunities, you will learn first-hand about the Washington policy scene by gaining hands-on experience in several possible areas, including government relations/public policy development, communications/media relations, and/or non-profit fundraising/development. We are a non-profit think tank that makes a difference in the lives of millions of adults and children. We work closely with the national and international media to get our message out to the public. We connect with policy makers and decision makers on a national level to change public policy. We work with independent researchers from around the country to bring fair, unbiased and non-corporate-funded information to the public about timely issues that matter to adults and children, such as obesity, the safety and affordability of medical products and treatments, sexual assault, and so much more.
Our interns become part of our team by working on various projects such as:
- Helping to gather information, whether from the Internet, from magazine, newspaper and journal articles, or contacting researchers and other experts to ask questions.
- Writing or co-authoring articles for print, fact sheets, press releases, briefing materials, and letters to Congress and the Executive branch. Editing and assisting with our website, co-authoring reports, grant proposals, and journal articles.
- Attending briefings on Capitol Hill, policy panel meetings, and policy-oriented meetings with representatives from other non-profit think tanks and advocacy organizations. You can attend meetings with Members of Congress and their staff and be in the front row when we are testifying at Advisory Panel meetings of the FDA, the National Institute of Medicine, and other federal agencies.
- Researching and analyzing data, reviewing and critiquing research studies, and presenting information at professional meetings and policy forums.
- Communicating with major media and with the public via outreach efforts.
- Assisting with fundraising activities, including event planning and other development issues.
- Performing outreach to college campuses, students, and other young adults.
We offer three kinds of internship experiences:
Communications and policy internship: Learn about the Washington, D.C. policy scene while working on communicating about a range of health issues. Work with national media and gain experience writing and editing articles, reports, and press releases, and using the Internet to influence people and policies.
Research and policy internship: Learn about the Washington, D.C. policy scene by researching the stakeholders’ positions on a range of healthcare issues. Develop your research skills and prepare for graduate school or a research position.
Marketing internship: Learn how non-profit policy organizations operate by working to increase the impact through social media following, developing strategies, researching grant funding sources, and building relationships with donors and partner organizations.
Topics include cancer prevention and treatment, obesity, safety of medical treatments and products, women’s health, dating violence; toxic exposures; and other health issues.
We are especially interested in at least one intern with a solid background in public health and/or biostatistics and one who is fluent in Spanish and will help with translating health articles into Spanish, and responding to inquiries to our online health helpline that are in Spanish.
If you’re interested in an internship, please send a resume and cover letter describing the dates and time commitment (hrs/week) you are available to info@center4research.org. As with most non-profits, internship stipends are rarely available, so please describe any financial requirements.
The internships that offer stipends require completion of at least 3 years of college and a commitment of a minimum of 20 hrs/week for 12 weeks. Preference is given to college grads or graduate students who can make a greater time commitment.
- The Marcy Gross internship offers a stipend of up to $500 to work on women’s health and reducing violence against women.
- The Ruth Nadel internship offers a stipend of up to $750 to a college graduate interested in working on women’s health issues.
- In addition, we offer the internship named after Ros Brannigan to a college graduate to work on lung cancer issues.
What our 2016 interns say:
“I cannot thank you enough for this wonderful internship. I’m grateful for this opportunity to have learned so much from this organization. I feel far more prepared for my future now! Honestly, everyone in this office is so lovely, not to mention incredibly impressive, and I’ve gained so much just from being around all of you.”
“Thank you so much for the incredible semester. You have created a welcoming and stimulating work environment, and I am grateful for everything I have learned from it. From briefings to staff meetings, I feel as though you were always willing and excited to be mentors and teachers.”
What our 2015 interns said:
“Overall, I feel like I gained a much better understanding of the field of health policy. I really enjoyed getting to do data analysis, getting to write 
articles, and learning more about 21st Century Cures.”
“This internship was amazing because it allowed me to gain a wide range of experiences and skills. My number one take away from this internship is the importance of scrutinizing research, big pharma, and news, which is a very important lesson and will have a lasting impact on me.”
“The most valuable experiences during my internship were writing articles for the website, and attending briefings on Capitol Hill. Writing articles made me feel like I was contributing to the company, and that I had learned enough from the people here to examine and synthesize research on my own. The briefings were a great way to see how our focus fit into the broader scope of domestic health policy issues.”
Click to read an interview with our former intern Samantha Kahn, a senior at the University of Pennsylvania.