Forecasting and Research Fellowship/Internship - Healthcare

State of Washington•Thurston County – Olympia, WA

6d•Remote

About The Position

This Fellowship/Internship is an unpaid opportunity intended to provide participants with practical experience, professional growth, and exposure to public service. Fellow/Interns will engage in meaningful work, collaborate with experienced professionals, and develop knowledge and skills applicable to future career opportunities. This posting will be utilized for multiple intern hires. The Office of Financial Management (OFM) serves as the backbone of Washington state government. Our mission is to make our state a better place by connecting people, budgets, policies, data, and systems for state agencies and the Legislature. Our team includes budget advisors, researchers, and other experts, all dedicated public servants working towards an equitable future for every Washingtonian. The Office of Financial Management’s mission is to provide accurate and timely information, fiscal services, and policy support that the Governor, Legislature, and state agencies need to serve the people of Washington State. The Forecasting and Research Division provides high-quality data and objective analyses on key issues affecting state policy and budget development, including economic trends, population estimates, health care, education, and public safety. This position is part of the Health Care Research Center that provides objective health care research, analyses, and forecasts for Washington State. On a temporary, volunteer basis, this position will conduct research, organize and summarize credible information sources, and develop an information management approach to support Objective #4 of the State Health Plan and Resource Strategy. This position will help identify and monitor emerging trends in health care delivery and technology and translate findings into usable summaries, tracking tools, and briefing materials for public-sector health system planning.

Requirements

Advanced degree preferred, such as MPA, MPH, MLIS, MS, PhD, or related degree; or equivalent training, knowledge, and experience in applied research, policy analysis, information science, public health, data science, or a related field.
Demonstrated experience conducting applied research, policy analysis, literature reviews, environmental scans, or knowledge management projects.
Ability to assess source credibility, identify policy-relevant themes, and prepare clear written summaries for a public-sector audience.
Ability to work collaboratively with multidisciplinary research, policy, and program staff while completing defined deliverables within agreed-upon timelines.
Strong commitment to professional ethics, confidentiality, impartiality, accessibility, and public-sector data governance standards.
Currently enrolled in, or recently graduated from, a graduate or advanced undergraduate program in public policy, public administration, public health, information science, library science, health services research, data science, statistics, economics, or a related field.
Foundational coursework or introductory experience in research methods, policy analysis, information management, data organization, or health policy.
Strong interest in applied public-sector research, health system planning, health technology, rural health, health equity, or health care delivery transformation.
Ability to work under close supervision, ask questions, incorporate feedback, and contribute effectively to team-based projects across OFM F&R units.
Capacity to commit to the required number of hours and complete assigned tasks within defined timelines.
Commitment to professionalism, confidentiality, impartiality, ethical conduct, and compliance with public-sector data governance requirements.

Nice To Haves

Experience with SharePoint lists or libraries, Excel, databases, dashboards, citation tools, taxonomies, tagging systems, or other information management tools.
Experience preparing annotated bibliographies, literature reviews, policy scans, research briefs, or executive summaries.
Familiarity with health care delivery models, telehealth, artificial intelligence, digital health, health system consolidation, private equity, rural health, health workforce issues, or Certificate of Need policy.
Ability to organize complex information into a repeatable monitoring process and explain recommendations clearly to non-technical audiences.
Fellows: advanced or terminal degree completion preferred.
Interns: current enrollment in a graduate degree program preferred.

Responsibilities

Conduct environmental scans and targeted research on emerging trends in health care delivery, technology, system organization, workforce, facility financial sustainability, and health information.
Review academic literature, policy reports, agency publications, trade publications, and other credible sources aligned with Objective #4 topic areas and questions.
Develop and maintain a source inventory and practical monitoring approach for recurring review of high-value sources on the internet.
Design a structured tracking tool, such as a SharePoint list, Excel workbook, database structure, or other information management tool, to capture emerging trends and relevant metadata.
Recommend fields, tags, and categories for organizing information by topic area, source type, affected population, geography, equity relevance, rural health relevance, access/quality/cost implications, data needs, and potential Certificate of Need considerations.
Prepare brief written summaries of selected trends, including why the trend matters for the State Health Plan, potential implications, limitations, and suggested next steps.
Collaborate with OFM staff to refine the monitoring process, test the tracking tool, and identify where additional subject matter expertise or data may be needed.
Produce defined outputs, such as a source inventory, tracking tool, process guide, annotated research summaries, final memo, or presentation.
Comply with OFM policies on confidentiality, information security, ethics, records management, and public-sector data governance.