Research and Data Intern

Equal Opportunity Employer

The mission of the Health Federation of Philadelphia is to promote health equity for marginalized communities by advancing access to high-quality, integrated, and comprehensive health and human services.  Health equity is at the heart of all our work. We believe in and are firmly committed to equal employment opportunity for employees and applicants. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion, disability, sex or gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, military or veteran status.  This commitment applies to all aspects of the Health Federation of Philadelphia’s employment practices, including recruiting, hiring, training, and promotion.

JOB SUMMARY

Who we are: The Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention (CDIP), within the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH), works to make healthy living more accessible for residents. We recognize that health is shaped by structural factors including systemic racism and other social, economic, and political forces; thus, we work to change systems, policies, and environments to improve health. We take a data driven approach to program and policy design, looking to evidence-based solutions when possible and contributing to building that evidence base with our own research. Chronic disease focus areas include preventing disease related to tobacco use, poor nutritional environments, lack of physical activity opportunities, and other known  risk factors. Our injury prevention work focuses on the gun violence crisis in Philadelphia. We work collaboratively with partners across the City to advance these goals.

CDIP’s work focuses on identifying and addressing health disparities in the City and is guided by a commitment to health justice.

Our values: At CDIP, we value health justice. Our work is guided by a commitment to all people’s health and humanity. We believe:

• All people have the right to live to their fullest potential.
• All communities have the right to create environments that allow them to grow and thrive.
• Public health policy will be developed in full partnership with the community.
• Knowledge comes in many forms and many places in our society.
• Progress only happens when we treat people, communities, partners, and staff with care and respect.

Join us! We are seeking a Research and Data Intern with interest in public health data analysis and research. Candidates should have knowledge of social science research and some experience working with data and have professional, communication and presentation skills.

The Research and Data Intern will work with the Director of Research and Evaluation and other staff to support analytic activities across a variety of CDIP program areas, including those related to chronic disease, tobacco control, gun violence prevention, primary care access, nutrition, physical activity, and the built environment. Interns in this position will work with the Director to develop a research project to support CDIP program areas, this includes conducting descriptive analyses, developing research hypotheses, conducting statistical testing in R, and preparing results for multiple audiences. Interns in this position may also be asked to perform data collection, build data collection tools, perform literature reviews, clean and analyze data, and prepare and present findings for other projects, as needed. Research factors of interest in CDIP include the environments where people live, work, play and receive medical care; demographic and other social determinants; health behaviors of individuals; and the policy environment.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Responsibilities/Duties

• Data collection, e.g. phone surveys, direct observation, interviewing
• Creating data collection instruments, e.g. online surveys, paper tools, interview guides
• Performing reviews of literature, other government white papers and initiatives, metrics, etc.
• Cleaning and analyzing data in Excel, R, ArcGIS, and/or NVivo
• Development and testing of research hypotheses to support CDIP program areas
• Prepare written and oral presentations of work conducted
• Participate in division meetings
• Support research documentation with the City’s Institutional Review Board

Education

• In progress Master’s-level degree seekers at educational institutions in Philadelphia, with a focus in social science research methods such as epidemiology, public health, demography, data science, economics, or a related field.

OR

• Any equivalent combination of education and experience determined to be acceptable by the Department of Public Health.

Skills/Experience

• Demonstrated ability to communicate via a variety of methods e.g., writing, data graphics, and presentations
• Knowledge of and experience with epidemiology or social science research methods, including study design, methodology, and preparation of scientific reports
• Experience in data collection and data analysis is a plus
• Ability to summarize findings for a variety of audiences, e.g. scientists, policy makers, and the public is a plus
• Interest in using data skills in an applied setting to advance health policy goals.
• Experience with REDCap or Qualtrics a plus.
• Strong mapping abilities using software (e.g., ArcGIS, Leaflet) a plus.
• Experience with interactive data visualization (e.g. Tableau, Shiny) a plus.

Work Environment:  Standard office setting with extended periods at workstation and periodic use of office equipment. Staff are expected to come into the office; based on conversations with supervisor, a combination of in-office and remote work may be allowed per City and Department policy.

Position Type and Work Schedule:  Part time, temporary position from August 2025 through May 2026, at 10 hours/week. Typical office hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.

Travel:  Some local travel between sites to attend meetings.

Physical Demands:  Limited physical demands. Associate will work primarily in an office setting.

Salary and Benefits:  The pay rate is $23/hour.  This position does not qualify for benefits.

DISCLAIMER

The Health Federation reserves the right to modify, interpret, or apply this job description in any way the Company desires. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by an employee assigned to this position. This job description in no way implies that these are the only duties, including essential duties, responsibilities and/or skills to be performed by the employee occupying this position. This job description is not an employment contract, implied, or otherwise. The employment relationship remains “at will.” The aforementioned job requirements are subject to change to reasonably accommodate qualified disabled individuals

The Health Federation of Philadelphia (HFP) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation or preference, marital status or any classification protected by federal, state or local law.