Operations Research Intern Jobs in Houston, TX (NOW HIRING)

This research internship position is designed for candidates seeking research experience in Hospital Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The position will provide research experience and mentorship to prepare the intern for graduate, medical, public health, or health services research careers. Under the mentorship of Hospital Medicine faculty, the intern will participate in projects focused on healthcare quality, patient safety, clinical outcomes, care transitions, healthcare operations, and population health.
In addition to research activities, the intern will contribute to projects that may include evaluation of inpatient outcomes, hospital length of stay, care transitions, patient safety measures, utilization of healthcare resources, operational efficiency, and implementation of evidence-based practices. Interns will gain exposure to study design, data collection and analysis, including clinical data extraction, electronic health record (EHR) review, literature reviews, manuscript preparation, and presentation of research findings.
Key responsibilities include:
• Conduct literature reviews and evidence synthesis related to hospital medicine, quality improvement, patient safety, and healthcare operations.
• Review and analyze patient electronic health records to identify, extract, and summarize clinical and operational data relevant to research and quality improvement initiatives.
• Learn and utilize institutional data platforms, including REDCap, Epic reporting tools, and other analytics systems, to support data collection, management, reporting, and analysis.
• Assist with development of project databases, dashboards, reports, and presentations for research study teams.
• Participate in the design, implementation, and evaluation of quality improvement and health services research projects.
• Assist with preparation of abstracts, posters, manuscripts, and presentations for conferences.
• Participate in weekly research team meetings by providing project updates and contributing to discussions regarding quality, safety, efficiency, and patient outcomes
All duties and responsibilities are carried out in compliance with institutional policies, ethical research standards, and applicable federal and state regulations.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
This research internship is designed to provide research experience in inpatient care, with focus on patient care delivery and outcomes. Through mentored research and quality improvement projects, the intern will develop analytical, technical, and scientific skills relevant to future careers in medicine, public health, healthcare administration, and biomedical research.
Training Activities and Expected Learning Outcomes
1. Clinical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Research
Under the mentorship of Hospital Medicine faculty, the intern will conduct literature reviews, collect and analyze clinical and operational data, and contribute to quality improvement and research projects focused on inpatient care delivery. The intern will learn principles of study design, data interpretation, evidence-based practice, and healthcare quality measurement. Through these activities, the intern will develop skills in research methodology, critical thinking, scientific communication, and scholarly dissemination through abstracts, poster presentations, and manuscripts.
2. Electronic Health Record Review and Clinical Data Analysis
The intern will systematically review and analyze electronic health records to identify, extract, and summarize key clinical and operational information related to hospitalized patients. The intern will gain proficiency in REDCap and other institutional data platforms for data collection, management, reporting, and analysis. Through these activities, the intern will develop familiarity with clinical documentation, healthcare workflows, medical terminology, quality metrics, and real-world patient data while strengthening data management and analytical skills.
3. Healthcare Operations and Performance Measurement
The intern will gain experience evaluating healthcare delivery processes and operational performance measures, including hospital length of stay, readmissions, care transitions, discharge efficiency, resource utilization, and other hospital medicine metrics. The intern will learn to develop and interpret reports and dashboards using institutional analytics tools, identify opportunities for process improvement, and communicate findings to interdisciplinary stakeholders. Through participation in research and/or quality improvement meetings and project reviews, the intern will gain insight into healthcare leadership, quality management, and systems-based practice.
Collectively, these experiences will provide the intern with a strong foundation for future graduate, medical, public health, or healthcare administration training. Through reviewing electronic health records, analyzing clinical and operational data, utilizing research and analytics platforms, participating in quality improvement initiatives, and contributing to scholarly dissemination, the intern will gain valuable exposure to healthcare delivery, patient-centered care, evidence-based medicine, and health systems science.
The internship will also strengthen critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, professionalism, teamwork, organization, attention to detail, and data interpretation skills. Working with different key stakeholders across clinical and research settings, including physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, analysts, and researchers, the intern will gain valuable interdisciplinary experience and a deeper understanding of healthcare delivery, clinical research, and quality improvement. These experiences will help prepare the intern for future careers in healthcare, research, and healthcare leadership.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
1. College graduate with a degree in health, science, public health, data science, healthcare administration, or related field and cumulative GPA of at least 3.5.
2. Undergraduate coursework and/or research experience in health sciences, biological sciences, public health, healthcare administration, data science, epidemiology, biostatistics, medicine, or a related discipline.
3. Strong communication, critical thinking, organization, teamwork, professionalism, adaptability, and self-motivation to effectively contribute to research and quality improvement projects.
4. Demonstrated interest in healthcare delivery, patient outcomes, health services research, quality improvement, healthcare operations, or population health.
5. Not currently enrolled in a degree-granting program, with future intent to enroll in a graduate, medical, public health, healthcare administration, or biomedical research
ADDITIONAL APPLICATION INFORMATION
Preferred Areas of Interest: Hospital Medicine, Quality Improvement, Patient Safety, Population Health, Healthcare Operations, Health/Clinical Informatics, Outcomes Research, Health Services Research, and Healthcare Analytics.
POSITION INFORMATION
Offsite work arrangements are subject to approval and may be modified or revoked at any time based on business needs, performance considerations, or regulatory requirements.
This position may be responsible for maintaining the security and integrity of critical infrastructure, as defined in Section 113.001(2) of the Texas Business and Commerce Code and therefore may require routine reviews and screening. The ability to satisfy and maintain all requirements necessary to ensure the continued security and integrity of such infrastructure is a condition of hire and continued employment.
It is the policy of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state or local laws unless such distinction is required by law. http://www.mdanderson.org/about-us/legal-and-policy/legal-statements/eeo-affirmative-action.html