If you are looking for a hands-on internship experience in a research program that directly influences clinical practice and care delivery, the Department of Research & Evaluation’s Summer Internship Program might be right for you.

This program can provide you with an educational and hands-on experience that will accelerate your professional development. You will also learn a great deal about Kaiser Permanente, a uniquely integrated health care delivery system and one of America’s leading health care organizations.

Program highlights include:

  • The full integration of interns into scientific teams.
  • Project assignments with specific expected deliverables, deadlines, and resources at hand to complete projects.
  • Projects designed to meet Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) practicum requirements.
  • In-depth exposure to the Kaiser Permanente research world, including research administration.
  • Networking opportunities with Kaiser Permanente Southern California’s executive leadership and staff.

Intern projects

Each intern works on distinct projects that significantly contribute to the advancement and success of our research efforts. Here are a few recent projects:

A post-marketing observational surveillance and safety study

Objectives:

  • To understand and execute the processes involved in introducing a non-formulary vaccine into an integrated health care system for research purposes.
  • To compare the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction in recipients of HEPLISAV-B with recipients of another hepatitis B vaccine.

Testing an algorithm to detect second breast cancer events in early-stage breast cancer

Objectives:

  • To work with Kaiser Permanente Southern California oncologists to assess outcomes for patients with high and low use of early-stage breast surveillance services (such as carcinogenic antigen lab tests).
  • To determine rates of documented breast cancer recurrence using a validated algorithm.

Language concordance in patient-physician pairs

Objectives:

  • To determine if patients in emergency department with chest pain received recommended care based on whether the physician fluently spoke the same language as the patient.
  • To improve outcomes after emergency department evaluation for patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Reducing unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions

Objectives:

  • To evaluate the effectiveness of an acute sinusitis intervention study.
  • To determine if a best-practice alert within Kaiser Permanente’s electronic health record system reduced unnecessary prescription of antibiotics

 

Learn more about our program
For more details about our summer internships, please contact us at RE-internships@kp.org.

Testimonials

""Kaiser Permanente’s RE Summer Internship Program was an invaluable experience that deepened my understanding of epidemiology and introduced me to fungal diseases—an area of research I had never explored before. The program not only expanded my knowledge but also sharpened my data analysis skills in a meaningful way. I would highly recommend this internship to other students, as it offers a well-structured and immersive experience that fosters both academic and professional growth.""
- Lauren Tran, summer 2024
"“Participating in the RE Summer Internship Program was an invaluable experience. It provided me with hands-on exposure to research. The mentorship and guidance I received were instrumental in enhancing my skills and understanding of the field. This internship not only deepened my passion for public health but also played a pivotal role in securing a full-time position with Kaiser. I am grateful for the opportunity and the professional growth it facilitated.”"
- Esmeralda M. Campos, summer 2023