Internship
About Internships
Experience A Valuable Research Internship
Only strong research teams can produce truly original research findings. To develop evidence-based solutions that have the power to revolutionize healthcare, health-systems researchers work closely with managers, professionals and providers throughout the healthcare system, as well as with patients—the people who are the very focus of health systems and health-systems research.
Gain hands-on research training
That’s where the Health Systems Research Internship comes in. A distinctive feature of the Telfer School’s Master of Science in Health Systems, the internship places you for one semester in a top research-intensive institution, enabling you to learn from leading Canadian researchers how health-systems research is conducted and how groundbreaking research results are translated into practice.
Here are some examples of participating healthcare institutions where our students have completed their internships:
- The Hospital for Sick Children
- The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
- British Columbia Women's Hospital and Health Centre, Maternity Care Research Group
- Health Canada, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Office of Community Medicine
- The Ottawa Heart Institute
- Canadian International Development Agency
Your supervisor will help you find the best internship placement to help you gain the skills and knowledge required to become an accomplished health-systems researcher.
Connect with research leaders
Your internship will make it possible for you to participate in research projects, ideally positioning you to hone your research skills and deepen your knowledge of health systems. Your internship is also a perfect opportunity for you to further your thesis research and take advantage of the expertise of leading health-systems researchers.
Gain hands-on research training. Connect with research leaders. Choose the Telfer Master of Science in Health Systems degree.
Student Testimonials
Elizabeth Gagnon
"As part of the Master of Science in Health Systems program, I had the privilege to undertake a 12-week research internship in Europe. The internship first included the completion of the European Training Consortium (ETC) Summer Course on “Assets for Health” at the Glyndwr University in Wrexham, United Kingdom. My participation in the summer course has provided me with an opportunity to engage in discussions with health professionals, researchers and fellow students from various European countries, on how to promote resources for health at all system levels and across sectors and geographic borders. Following the summer course in Wrexham, I worked in the Health and Society (HSO) department at the Wageningen University and Research Center in the Netherlands. The research project I was involved in focused on developing a set of indicators of health and well-being in the workplace, based on a search of the relevant literature and key informant interviews with local experts. In addition to strengthening my research skills and expanding my knowledge, this research project has allowed me to witness the growing attention and respect given to workplace health promotion in the Netherlands and to experience myself the quality of working life of this country. Since graduating from the Health Systems program, I have continued perfecting my research skills through a research assistantship with the Montfort Hospital Research Institute. I have recently begun a Master’s in Social Work at the University of Ottawa to develop practical expertise, particularly in the field of social gerontology."
Michael Falconi
"During the internship portion of my Masters in Health systems, I had the opportunity to work at Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital under the supervision of Dr. William Hogg and Dr. Sharon Johnston. For the duration of the placement I investigated the use of interactive voice response systems for collecting automated performance measurement data in primary care offices. To do this I conducted a scoping review and gained firsthand experience in synthesizing a large amount of data into a usable document. Furthermore I had the opportunity to present the results at the NAPCRG annual meeting that took place in Ottawa. Overall this experience was very enjoyable. It provided me with an additional opportunity to hone my research skills alongside my thesis work and gain valuable feedback from additional supervisors on my research performance. Following my masters I started a medical degree at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and am currently in my third year. I am thankful for both this internship experience and for all of the skills gained while developing my thesis, Awareness and Motivation in collaborative practice for disaster management, under the supervision of Dr. Tracey O’Sullivan and Dr. Craig Kuziemsky. The overall program has provided me with a wealth of knowledge that I have taken forward and used to the betterment of both community and individual patient wellbeing".
Christine Fahim
"I completed my Masters degree in 2012 under the supervision of Dr. Tracey O’Sullivan and Dr. Dan Lane. My master’s thesis was aimed at exploring the perceptions of health and social service providers who had responded to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. I was therefore interested in an internship program that would allow me to explore the logistics involved in coordinating an emergency response for a disaster-stricken nation. I pursued a three month internship at the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Europe situated in Copenhagen. While at the WHO, I was primarily involved in the International Health Regulations (IHR) Unit under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Hoffman. The purpose of the IHR was to provide a legal framework to guard the public against health threats that can spread internationally. Particular emphasis was placed on security threats at country borders associated with trade and travel. While there, I was able to apply firsthand practical principles to bolster country emergency preparedness. I travelled to Tbilisi, Georgia in an IHR assessment mission aimed at strengthening Georgia’s IHR mission documents and assisting in the implementation of IHR strategies. My experience at the WHO was unforgettable and allowed me to gain appreciation for the practical application of the theories that I had been studying over the course of my master’s degree. In addition, travelling to Copenhagen allowed me to gain appreciation for a new culture while also developing international research networks. Moreover, it provided me with opportunities upon returning to Canada, including presenting country emergency preparedness recommendations to the Public Health Agency of Canada in Ottawa."
