The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) is a research and education organization based in Washington, D.C. It is a values-driven organization that its staff has built from the ground up. Its leaders are in the trenches with staff—committed to advancing science and moving mountains to conserve high-quality, long lives.
The National Minority Quality Forum is looking for a talented and enthusiastic Health Communications Intern to join our team. This internship opportunity is ideal for those eager to gain practical experience in health communications, health education, culturally competent messaging, and community engagement while developing their skills in a professional setting. This is an ongoing role with the potential to continue across academic terms and, depending on performance and organizational needs, to be considered for a future full-time opportunity.
Position Summary:
As a Health Communications Intern, you will support NMQF’s work translating complex health, science, and data into clear, culturally competent messaging for the communities we serve. You will help develop health education materials, digital and social content, and campaign assets; conduct research on health disparities and social determinants of health; and support outreach to patients, partners, and community organizations.
This internship is designed to provide hands-on experience, mentorship, and opportunities to develop a strong professional portfolio. You will report to NMQF’s Manager of Internal Communications and Communications Project Management, who provides performance oversight and internship guidance. Your day-to-day assignments will primarily support NMQF’s Health Communications Director, and you may also be asked to support other members of NMQF’s Center for Communications and Public Affairs as needed.
This is an ongoing, part-time internship rather than a short-term seasonal placement. It is designed to grow with the intern’s skills and interests over time, with the potential to continue across academic terms and to take on increasing responsibility. Please see “Duration and Future Opportunity” below for details.
Responsibilities:
- Health Education Content Development: Assist in developing health education and health literacy materials—fact sheets, toolkits, infographics, patient-facing explainers, and web copy—that translate clinical, scientific, and policy information into plain, accessible language.
- Culturally Competent Messaging: Help ensure health communications are culturally and linguistically appropriate for the specific communities and audiences each campaign is intended to reach, integrating cultural awareness into messaging strategy.
- Campaign and Content Support: Support the development and execution of multi-channel health communications campaigns, including messaging frameworks, digital content, email, and social media assets tied to priority disease areas and health observances.
- Research and Reporting: Conduct literature reviews and background research on health disparities, social determinants of health, disease burden, and effective health communication practices; summarize findings into concise briefs and reports for internal teams and organizational leadership.
- Patient Navigation and Advocacy Support: Help develop culturally appropriate patient navigation and patient empowerment resources by researching best practices in the integration of clinical and social care, and by supporting programs such as the Lift Every Voice Patient Network.
- Community and Partner Engagement: Assist with outreach to and communications with patients, community-based organizations, clinicians, and partner organizations, including drafting outreach emails, event descriptions, and follow-up materials.
- Media and Digital Support: Support media outreach and digital promotion, including drafting social media copy, website updates, newsletter items, and promotional materials for webinars, briefings, and community events.
- Quality Assurance and Editing: Proofread and fact-check written materials for accuracy, clarity, plain-language readability, and consistency with NMQF brand and writing standards.
- Project Coordination: Track assignments, deadlines, and project statuses in Asana; maintain organized files in Google Workspace; and support coordination across COMMS and other NMQF Centers.
- Performance Tracking: Help compile campaign performance information—reach, engagement, registrations, and other available metrics—and assist in summarizing results for internal reporting.
- Meeting Support: Assist with meeting and event preparation and follow-up, including agenda development, note-taking, and action-item tracking.
- Team Collaboration: Participate in team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and creative reviews, contributing feedback and ideas, and flexibly supporting additional COMMS projects as needed.
Qualifications:
- Learning Mindset: Enthusiasm for learning about health communications, health education, health equity, patient advocacy, and community engagement.
- Writing and Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex health, scientific, and research information into clear language for patients and general audiences.
- Research and Analysis: Ability to gather information from credible sources, identify key findings, and synthesize research into useful summaries and recommendations.
- Cultural Competency: Awareness of and interest in how culture, language, literacy, and lived experience shape the way health information is received and acted upon.
- Organization and Time Management: Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple assignments and meet deadlines.
- Attention to Detail: Commitment to accurate, polished work, including careful proofreading, fact-checking, and documentation.
- Initiative and Resourcefulness: Willingness to ask thoughtful questions, follow up when needed, and take ownership of assigned work.
- Judgment and Professionalism: Ability to handle information and external interactions with integrity, discretion, and sound judgment.
- Collaboration: Ability to work independently and as part of a team, with a positive and professional approach to collaboration.
- Technical Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace; familiarity with project-management and virtual-meeting platforms is preferred.
Not required, but a plus:
- Public Health Coursework or Experience: Coursework, internship, volunteer, campus, or professional experience in public health, health education, health promotion, or a health-focused nonprofit or community-based organization.
- Plain-Language and Health Literacy: Familiarity with plain-language writing, health literacy principles, or accessibility standards for patient-facing materials.
- Graphic Design: Ability to create graphics, infographics, and other visual assets (Canva or Adobe Creative Suite experience preferred).
- Video Editing: Experience editing short-form video for social media, web, or educational use, including trimming interview and event footage, adding captions and subtitles, and creating thumbnails, quote cards, and other promotional video assets (CapCut, Adobe Premiere Pro, Canva, Descript, or comparable tools).
- CMS and Email Platforms: Experience with content management systems such as WordPress and email platforms such as Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or HubSpot.
- Data Analysis and Presentation: Experience using data to develop summaries, presentations, slide decks, or other materials for nontechnical audiences.
- Project-Management Tools: Familiarity with platforms such as Asana or similar project-management systems.
- Language Skills (Spanish preferred): Foreign-language proficiency, particularly Spanish, and the ability to assist with translating materials.
Education and Experience:
- Currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in public health, health communications, communications, journalism, health education, health promotion, or a related field; or recently graduated from an undergraduate degree program.
- Undergraduate applicants in their junior or senior year are preferred, although candidates with relevant experience from other academic levels or backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Benefits:
- Hands-on Experience: Gain practical experience in health communications, health education, research, campaign development, and community engagement.
- Mentorship: Receive mentorship and guidance from experienced health communications and public affairs professionals.
- Portfolio Development: Produce health education, research, and communications materials that demonstrate practical health communications skills.
- Networking: Build connections within the communications, public health, health policy, patient advocacy, community, and biopharmaceutical sectors.
- Long-Term Opportunity: An ongoing role with the potential to continue across academic terms and to be considered for an extension or a future full-time opportunity, based on performance, staffing needs, and position availability.
- Recommendation: Letter of recommendation upon successful completion of the internship, upon request.
- Academic Credit: Potential for academic credit, if applicable.
- Flexible Scheduling: Distribute weekly work hours across weekdays as needed between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET to accommodate school commitments, in coordination with the intern’s supervisor.
Duration and Future Opportunity:
- Anticipated Duration: This is an ongoing role, with opportunity to . Note that this does not guarantee employment through a particular date or create a contract for a fixed term.
- Extension and Full-Time Consideration: Depending on your performance, NMQF’s future staffing needs, and position availability, you may be considered for an extension or a future full-time opportunity. Neither an extension nor a transition to full-time employment is guaranteed.
- Professional Growth: Interns who demonstrate strong performance are given opportunities to take on more independent and complex assignments over time, including ownership of recurring deliverables and support of higher-visibility campaigns and projects.
- Employment Status: Part-time, hourly, non-exempt, and remote. Employment with NMQF is at will, meaning that either you or NMQF may end the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause or advance notice, subject to applicable law.
Compensation:
- Pay: Paid internships at NMQF are $18.40 per hour, for all hours worked.
- Hours: 20 paid hours per week. Hours may be distributed flexibly across weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET to accommodate school commitments and organizational needs, in coordination with your supervisor.
- Weekends: Off, except for occasional event support requested in advance and based on your availability.
- Location: This is a remote position. Based on availability, interns may occasionally be asked to attend or assist with in-person events, including community health events, congressional educational briefings, or other NMQF activities. NMQF will cover approved airfare, lodging, and ground transportation required for business travel.
To Apply:
Join us on this exciting journey to advance health equity through health communications, health education, and community engagement. Apply now and help contribute to meaningful work.
Resume: Please complete your application on Indeed, and include your resume in PDF format (recommended), Google Doc, or Microsoft Word format — updated to reflect your current educational and professional history.
Additional materials: The following materials can be submitted directly via the Indeed application if possible, or can be included as links within your resume, or in an appropriate response field within the application:
- Writing sample(s) from your educational, personal, or professional experience that demonstrate relevant research, analytical, or writing skills. Samples may include health education or patient-facing materials, research summaries, academic papers, articles, blog posts, or comparable work.
IMPORTANT NOTE on Application Follow-up: Due to volume of applications, you will only hear from us if we’ve selected you to move forward in the evaluation process.
Please do not reach out to follow up on the status of your application.
Thank you for your patience, and we look forward to reviewing your application!
Pay: $18.40 per hour
Benefits:
Application Question(s):
- This is an ongoing, part-time internship of 20 paid hours per week, scheduled on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET, with the potential to continue across academic terms. Please confirm that you can meet this commitment, and tell us: (1) how many hours per week you are available, (2) which days and time blocks you are typically free, (3) your earliest available start date, and (4) how far into the future you expect to be available.
- A core part of this role is translating complex health, scientific, or research information into plain language for patients and the general public. Briefly describe a time you explained a complicated topic to a non-expert audience, whether in a course assignment, job, volunteer role, student publication, or personal project. What was the topic, who was the audience, and what did you change about the way you explained it?
- Please list the tools you have hands-on experience with and note your comfort level (beginner, intermediate, or advanced) for each: design tools (Canva, Adobe Creative Suite), video editing tools (CapCut, Adobe Premiere Pro, Descript), website or CMS platforms (WordPress), email platforms (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, HubSpot), and project management tools (Asana). If you have not used these, tell us what comparable tools you have used. Experience with these specific tools is not required for this position.
- Please share links to your portfolio, personal site, or two to three work samples that demonstrate your writing, research, or content creation skills. Samples may include health education or patient-facing materials, research summaries, academic papers, articles, blog posts, social media content, graphics, or video. Coursework, volunteer, student organization, and personal projects are all welcome.
- Please confirm (1) whether you are currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in public health, health communications, communications, journalism, health education, health promotion, or a related field; or recently graduated from an undergraduate degree program, and (2) indicate whether you are an undergraduate applicant in your junior or senior year, or neither.
Language:
Work Location: Remote
