Internships & Fellowships

THE SOCIETY OF THE PURPLE STETHOSCOPE

Dr. Susan Blumenthal cares deeply about encouraging young people to pursue careers in science and health. She is a treasured mentor for the many young people that she takes on as interns and fellows, each of whom is inducted into her Society of the Purple Stethoscope, the color of the medical instrument that she used as a medical student. Her interns and fellows go on to assume diverse leadership roles as physicians, government officials, scientists, lawyers, and public health experts, taking their own purple stethoscopes with them as a reminder of their work with “Dr. B”.

ORGANIZATION:

New America

newamerica.org

Susan Blumenthal, M.D.

4globalhealth.org

Organization Description:

This position is located in the office of Former Assistant Surgeon General of the United States, Rear Admiral Susan Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.A (ret.). Dr. Blumenthal currently serves as a Senior Fellow in Health Policy at New America where she focuses on health care reform implementation, women’s health, obesity prevention, food insecurity, and global health issues. The Health Policy Program at New America is committed to achieving a high quality, coordinated, effective, and economically sustainable health care system. The program has a special focus on applying technology to advance health. The program aims not only to discover best practices in medicine and health promotion, but also to communicate these practices to the broadest possible audience, including policy makers, health care professionals, and especially consumers of health care, through scholarly work, convening workshops, briefings, and conferences as well as with original journalism.

New America is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy institute that invests in new thinkers and new ideas to address the challenges and opportunities facing the United States. The think tank’s mission is animated by the American ideal that each generation will live better than the last. That ideal is today under strain. Our education and health care systems are struggling with problems of quality, cost and access. The country requires creative means to address its fiscal challenges and pay for needed public, social and environmental investments. Abroad, the United States must fashion sustainable foreign and defense policies that will protect its citizens and interests in a rapidly integrating world

An internationally recognized health expert and leader, Rear Admiral Susan J. Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.A. (ret.) served as U.S. Assistant Surgeon General, the first Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women’s Health and Senior Science, Medical, and Global Health Advisor in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and as a Senior Health Advisor to the White House. As a leading advocate, policymaker, and national spokesperson on critical health issues facing America and the world, Admiral Blumenthal has been named by the New York Times, the National Library of Medicine, and the Medical Herald as one of the most influential and important women in medicine. She has received honorary doctorates, been decorated with the highest medals of the US Public Health Service, been awarded the Health Leader of the Year Award the Commissioned Officers Association, and named a Rock Star of Science for her pioneering contributions to improving health in our nation and globally.

INTERNSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP DETAILS

Position Title:

Health Policy Intern or Fellow

Internship and Fellowship Description:

Interns must be currently enrolled in a college or university. Fellows must have an undergraduate degree or are enrolled in a graduate or medical degree program.

The health policy intern or fellow will work closely with Rear Admiral Blumenthal (ret.) on issues including national health policy and reform implementation under the Affordable Care Act of 2010, global health, women’s health, the application of health information technology, obesity prevention, food insecurity, global health issues including HIV/AIDS and other important health concerns.

This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to New America’s Health Policy Program that is framing health policy recommendations for the Administration, Congress and the American public to address critical health challenges and opportunities facing the United States and the world. Health policy interns and fellows will work on a range of initiatives and help organize briefing sessions of leading experts from medicine, public health, business, and government to inform the health policy agenda of our nation.

Duties and Responsibilities include:

Conduct research on national and global health and on emerging health issues (e.g. pandemic flu, obesity, women’s health, health disparities, disease prevention, mental health, bioterrorism)
Provide research and administrative support to New America’s Health Policy Program and contribute to its activities and reports
Assist in the preparation of scientific and health policy papers and news articles for publication and where appropriate, serve as co-author
Manage social media for SNAP to Health, a project on addressing obesity and strengthening nutrition for participants of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamps Program.
Update several health websites, write blogs, use social media, and identify new information resources
Help organize and attend meetings and conferences with Federal agencies, public health officials, leaders in the health care field, consumer organizations, and international groups
Assist in the development and writing of memos, letters, reports, speeches, and slide presentations
Gather current health and legislative information and data
Assist with administrative tasks

This internship and fellowship may also include a number of special exposures to Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Government such as visits to the White House, U.S. Capitol, Embassies, Federal agencies and national health organizations.

Qualifications Required:

Applicants must have excellent writing skills, a background in health and science and experience in internet research as well as word processing skills and PowerPoint experience.

Geographic Location:
Washington, D.C.

Internships and fellowships are available year round.
No deadline for application; applications reviewed on a rolling basis.

Application Instructions

Please email health@newamerica.org with the following materials: