Intern - Evaluation and Learning

MOTHER CABRINI HEALTH FOUNDATION•New York, NY

5d•$25 - $25•Hybrid

About The Position

The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation (“MCHF”) provides grants to improve the health and wellbeing of vulnerable New Yorkers, bolster the health outcomes of diverse communities, eliminate barriers to care, and bridge gaps in health services. We are motivated by the example of Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, who worked tirelessly toward social justice and dedicated her life in service to the poor. Consistent with the ethical principles, tenets, and teachings of the Roman Catholic faith, our Foundation supports initiatives that enhance access to affordable quality healthcare and healthcare-related services and address unmet healthcare and healthcare-related needs of communities across New York State. This includes addressing the social determinants of health. Our goal is to build a brighter future for generations of New Yorkers regardless of faith. We offer paid, entry-level summer internships for college students or recent graduates. These internships provide motivated and ambitious individuals with challenging tasks and exposure to the day-to-day operations of a professional foundation. Evaluation and Learning Department The Evaluation and Learning Department (“E&L”) builds, curates, and applies evidence to guide the Foundation’s grantmaking to advance the health and well-being of the most vulnerable New Yorkers. Our work helps the foundation: understand issues and strategies related to healthcare and social determinants of health; assess the expected impact, pros, cons, costs, and ROI of different strategies; monitor and evaluate the progress and success of grants; and use evidence to guide strategic decisions on whether to start, continue, exit, course correct, or expand grantmaking investments. E&L works closely with the Programs and Grants team and External Engagement team in support of 4 program areas: (1) Access to Healthcare; (2) Basic Needs [which includes Food and Nutrition, Access to Benefits and Social Services, Housing, and Economic Security & Mobility]; (3) Healthcare Workforce; and (4) Mental and Behavioral Health. For more information on each of these program areas, see: Grants & Programs - Mother Cabrini Health Foundation.

Requirements

Graduate student in good academic standing.
Should be currently enrolled in a master's level program in areas related to the Foundation’s mission, such as, but not limited to, public health/healthcare, social work/social welfare, public policy/public administration/social policy, nonprofit management, etc.
An interest in gaining experience in research and program evaluation to guide strategy.
Some coursework and/or prior experience in research and program evaluation is required.
Basic conceptual understanding of quantitative and qualitative methods is required.
Some prior knowledge and strong interest in one or more of the 4 Program Areas: (1) Access to Healthcare; (2) Basic Needs [which includes Food and Nutrition, Access to benefits and Social Services, Housing, and Economic Security & Mobility]; (3) Healthcare Workforce; and (4) Mental and Behavioral Health.
Ability to prioritize assignments, work both collaboratively and independently, and proactively identify challenges.
Excellent writing and communication skills.
Must have great interpersonal skills and bring in a collaborative spirit, being comfortable with iterations and the evolving nature of the work.
Candidates must be able to work legally in the US (e.g., US citizen, permanent resident, or with a valid work visa.
Vaccinated against COVID-19.
Clear background check.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Research, Evaluation, and Learning Officer, the Intern will support the E&L team by helping research priority issues, learning about effective strategies, and assisting with evaluating the impact of the Foundation’s grants.
The position’s responsibilities encompass synthesizing knowledge and crafting high-quality knowledge products (which may include issue briefs, summary reviews, presentations and/or data visualization).
Conduct literature reviews on issues related to healthcare and the social determinants of health for ongoing landscape assessments on MCHF.
Identify best practices and effective or innovative strategies in a specific field.
Identify and monitor key indicators and relevant policies in different areas of MCHF grantmaking.
Build a library of key reports and studies on specific topics.
Develop and implement a learning agenda and monitoring and evaluation plan for grant portfolios to help E&L understand program implementation challenges, programmatic approaches, key outputs and outcomes, potential for deeper investment, and how grant strategies fit into the current state of knowledge and practice within the field.
Support engagement with topic experts: Identify and engage topic experts on issues of interest to the Foundation.
Contribute to the development of questions for engagement with topic experts.
Contribute to thematic analysis of knowledge provided by topic experts through interviews, studies, and reports.
Contribute to reports summarizing findings and recommendations for MCHF strategy based on engagement with experts.