Duke-Margolis Summer Experience Internship Program

Program Overview 

The Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy is committed to improving health, health equity, and the value of health care through practical, innovative, and evidence-based policy solutions. Through its health policy analysis and development, the Institute advances actionable and effective solutions to address the most daunting health care challenges. The Institute educates the next generation of health care leaders with the interdisciplinary perspective to solve complex problems

The Margolis Summer Experience Program is a summer internship program that offers students opportunities to contribute to a variety of health policy projects through a collaborative and mentored summer research experience.

Internship Goals

• Learn through challenging and meaningful activities
• Link academic learning to policy and practice
• Gain professional experience within the field of health policy
• Build positive relationships with faculty and staff
• Identify, clarify, and/or confirm direction as it relates to your academic studies and future career path Develop strong networking/mentoring relationships
• Strengthen our Margolis student community
• Have fun in the process!

Program Description

The Duke-Margolis Summer Experience gives approximately 20 undergraduate and graduate students—enrolled at Duke and at colleges and universities around the country—a 10-week, in-depth exposure to health policy through mentored research opportunities aimed at improving health, health equity, and the value of health care.

Interns will support the team’s efforts to conduct rigorous analyses and communicate their findings. Individual tasks will be project-specific, but will include assignments such as literature reviews, data analyses and visualizations, and writing/editing a broad variety of work products, including project reports, policy briefs, blog posts, and article submissions for peer review. 

Program Information

This is a paragraph.

• Program Dates: May 19, 2025-July 25, 2025
• Location: Durham, NC or Washington DC
• Compensation:  Paid, dependent on education level. Approximately 40 hours per week. Housing is not included in the compensation package 

*Interns must be located as the same location as their mentors
*This is an in-person experience with no remote option; the day-to-day activities will be determined by the supervising mentor.

Qualification and Eligibility 

Eligibility 

• Currently enrolled students at the undergraduate, graduate/professional, Ph.D. level, and recent graduates (less than 3 months). Our program is available to all Duke University and non-Duke University students. 
• International students currently enrolled at a US based institution can participate as long as they can provide proper documentation for their visas and must physically be located in Durham. 
• All applicants must be able to or willing to physically reside in Durham, NC, or Washington DC for the summer

Qualification
Each mentor and their projects require unique skill sets. Applicants should demonstrate the skills and qualifications outlined in the individual job descriptions that they apply for.

General skills that most mentors will look for: 

• Strong written and oral communication skills 
• Experience with literature reviews, conducting qualitative/quantitative research
• Ability to work independently and be able to contribute towards the collaborative team
• Strong organizational skills
• Leadership skills
• Demonstrates a strong interest in the research topic of the mentor project

Application Dates- *dates for Summer 2025 are available!*

1. The annual application period will open on: January 14, 2025
2. The application process will close on: February 17, 2025
3. Interviews: Hiring Mentors will conduct and manage their own interview and selection process. Mentors will only offer to candidates who meet the qualifications and skill sets of the mentors' project needs and requirements. 
4. Offers: Offers will be made on a rolling basis with final offers to be made no later than March 28, 2025
5. All applicants will be notified of their status no later than March 31, 2025.

Application Instructions

1. Applicants will apply directly to the project descriptions posted on Handshake
   • Non-Duke students- If your school does not have Handshake, please review the postings in the PDF link via the Intern Applicant Portal 
   • Duke students- please review all project descriptions via Handshake 
2. Please make sure your application matches with your level of education. There will be separate application portals and projects for undergraduate and graduate/PhD applicants.
3. Letters of recommendations or references forms are not needed to complete your application. 

All applicants must submit:

• Resume/CV
• Unofficial Transcript(s) 
  • Scanned copies of paper transcript produced by the institution 
  • Electronic copies produced by the institution 
• Statement of Interest