Description

Join a collaborative clinical research team focused on advancing the understanding of how cancer therapies impact cardiovascular health. This internship offers hands-on exposure to clinical cancer outcomes research within the growing field of cardio-oncology, with a particular emphasis on gastrointestinal and thoracic cancers.

Interns will work closely with a physician-scientist mentor and multidisciplinary research teams in a leading academic medical environment. This experience is designed to provide foundational research training, exposure to clinical oncology workflows, and practical experience with patient data collection and analysis.

Role Summary

This internship provides an educational and collaborative research experience for individuals interested in medicine, oncology, cardiovascular research, public health, or clinical sciences. Interns will gain introductory knowledge in cardio-oncology research principles, clinical cancer outcomes research, and patient data abstraction from electronic health records and radiation oncology systems.

Through mentorship and guided training, interns will:

• Learn principles of clinical research design and execution
• Develop skills in patient clinical data collection and interpretation
• Gain exposure to oncology treatment planning and cardiovascular risk assessment
• Participate in scientific discussions, literature review, and research presentations
• Work alongside recognized scientists and researchers in a state-of-the-art research environment

Primary Responsibilities

• Review research project background and objectives with mentor
• Participate in clinical research activities, including planning, preparation, data collection, evaluation, and analysis
• Conduct chart review and collect patient clinical data from electronic medical records and radiation oncology systems
• Extract and organize laboratory, imaging, treatment, and health history data
• Perform literature searches and review scientific publications related to cardio-oncology and cancer outcomes research
• Analyze and interpret research data
• Prepare summaries, presentations, posters, and research communications
• Participate in weekly research meetings, seminars, and networking activities

Learning Objectives

By the end of the internship, participants are expected to:

• Understand the fundamentals of clinical research design and methodology
• Gain introductory knowledge of cardio-oncology concepts and cardiovascular complications related to cancer therapy
• Become familiar with cancer staging, treatment modalities, and cardiovascular risk factors
• Develop experience conducting chart review and clinical data abstraction
• Learn principles of healthcare data management and analysis
• Strengthen scientific communication and presentation skills

Systems & Tools Training

Interns will receive training on:

• REDCap - clinical research database management and data entry
• CS-Link - electronic medical record data collection
• Mosaiq and Eclipse - radiation oncology treatment planning systems and radiation dose data collection

Internship Activities & Timeline Phase 1: Introduction & Orientation

• Orientation to research objectives and cardio-oncology concepts
• Training in protected health information (PHI) handling and institutional compliance protocols
• Introduction to electronic medical record navigation and radiation treatment planning systems

Phase 2: Foundation Building

• Begin supervised clinical data collection from patient records
• Learn to identify cardiovascular risk factors and cancer treatment variables
• Develop familiarity with radiation dose metrics and cardiac substructure analysis

Phase 3: Skill Development & Analysis

• Participate in data analysis and interpretation activities
• Attend weekly team meetings and research discussions
• Prepare preliminary findings and data summaries
• Practice scientific communication and presentation delivery

Phase 4: Independent Research & Project Development

• Conduct increasingly independent research activities
• Contribute to data interpretation and project discussions
• Develop poster and presentation materials
• Participate in broader healthcare workforce and research initiatives as appropriate

Ongoing Activities Throughout the Internship

• Weekly mentorship and progress meetings
• Participation in research team meetings and literature discussions
• Attendance at academic seminars and investigator lecture series
• Networking opportunities with peers and faculty
• Continued training in healthcare data management and clinical research methodologies

Additional Information

• This role does not involve handling biological specimens or laboratory samples.
• Interns will work with protected health information (PHI) during primary clinical data collection.
• All PHI access and data handling will occur on institution-approved systems and devices.
• Comprehensive training on patient privacy, data security, and compliance protocols will be provided before any data access is granted.

Ideal Candidate

• Interest in medicine, oncology, cardiology, public health, or clinical research
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Interest in scientific inquiry and healthcare research
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Prior coursework or exposure to biology, health sciences, or research methods is helpful but not required

Qualifications

This role is designed to be 100% onsite, giving you the opportunity to collaborate closely with your team and immerse yourself in the energy of our workplace. Please note that hybrid or remote work options are NOT available for this position at this time.

Required Education & Experience

• Must be 18 years of age or older.
• Must have a HS Diploma or GED.
• Must reside in the greater Los Angeles area or surrounding cities while conducting all activities related to the intern or visitor appointment.
• INTERNS: Those participating for academic credit must receive academic credit for the duration of the internship.
• VISITORS: Must be receiving funding from an eligible sponsoring institution (employer, educator, funder, etc.).

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