Intern/Aide

Summary

This summer internship offers a structured, mentored experience designed to build foundational skills in research administration, healthcare operations, and professional communication. The intern will actively support ongoing research initiatives while gaining exposure to leadership practices, strategic coordination, and the organizational systems that enable high-impact health services research. The program emphasizes guided reflection and professional development to support career exploration and preparation for future roles in academic medicine and healthcare research. The intern will receive structured training in research administration within a health systems research environment. This includes hands-on experience in grant development, project coordination, regulatory processes, and research operations. The intern will work closely with experienced research leaders and administrative staff to gain exposure to the full lifecycle of federally funded research, from proposal development through project execution and reporting. Emphasis will be placed on developing skills in communication, organization, problem-solving, and navigating complex institutional systems. 

Interns will Learn the Research Lifecycle: Gain exposure to the end-to-end process of research, including proposal development, submission, award management, and project closeout.

Develop Grants Management Skills: Assist with coordinating components of grant submissions, including formatting, document preparation, and deadline management.

Understand Regulatory and Compliance Processes: Observe and support activities related to IRB submissions, data use agreements, and federal compliance requirements. 

Job Purpose

Provides temporary administrative or laboratory support to a department while gaining practical work experience.  

Job Duties

• Assists with grant submission preparation (biosketch formatting, document assembly, deadline tracking).
• Creates and maintains submission checklists and timelines.
• Helps compile supporting documents (letters, facilities pages, other attachments).
• Tracks spending proposals and funding cycles (VA, NIH, foundations)
• Sits in on grant planning meetings and summarizes key action items.
• Coordinates meetings (scheduling, agendas, note-taking, follow-ups).
• Develops and updates project trackers (Excel, Smartsheet, etc.)
• Monitors project milestones and deliverables.
• Assists with onboarding materials for new research staff or fellows.
• Supports reporting efforts (monthly summaries, progress updates).
• Assists with IRB submission preparation (formatting, document tracking—not content authorship unless appropriate)
• Tracks protocol approvals and expirations.
• Organizes regulatory binders or electronic files.
• Learns basics of data use agreements and compliance requirements.
• Conducts a process mapping exercise (e.g., “How a grant gets submitted at our center”).
• Identifies inefficiencies or bottlenecks in workflows.
• Helps analyze basic operational data (turnaround times, submission volume, etc.).
• Develops a simple dashboard or tracking tool.
• The intern will complete a capstone project synthesizing their learning, with the opportunity to present recommendations to program leadership.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Must be enrolled in high school, trade/vocational school or higher education institution. 

Baylor College of Medicine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Equal Access Employer.