Ethnic inequalities in healthcare

This internship is part of the CARE-HSC study, which examines the role of formal and informal caregiving in shaping health outcomes and access to services. A key component of this research is the development of a survey on caregiving, designed to explore the experiences of caregivers from ethnically minoritised groups and the barriers they face in accessing support. The intern will contribute to this by conducting a scoping review to identify and evaluate existing measures of caregiving burden, unmet need, experiences of discrimination and access to services, helping to refine survey questions.
Beyond preparing the survey, the intern will contribute to ongoing research within the team by conducting quantitative research using large-scale healthcare datasets to investigate ethnic health inequalities. They will also gain hands-on experience with Data Monitoring Board processes, assist with research governance documentation, and attend at least one board meeting.
The intern will have the opportunity to contribute to an academic publication, drafting a section of a research paper with the potential for co-authorship. Additionally, they will be involved in grant development, assisting with the preparation of a grant application, which aims to fund further research on ethnic inequalities in healthcare access.
This role offers a unique opportunity for a student looking to strengthen their quantitative research skills while gaining first-hand experience in academic writing, research governance, and grant preparation. The intern will work closely with a diverse, interdisciplinary team within the Health Inequalities Research Group (HIRG), providing valuable networking opportunities and professional development in the field of health inequalities research.

The student will:

• Conduct a scoping review to inform survey development to guide co-development with formal and informal care providers.
• Support data monitoring board activities to increase understanding of how we ensure research governance requirements are met.
• Assist with quantitative data analysis exploring ethnic inequalities in healthcare access.
• Contribute to drafting a research paper on a relevant topic, with the opportunity for co- authorship.
• Gain experience in grant preparation, particularly in contributing to initial structuring and conceptualisation for funding proposals within the team.

• Co-authorship on a publication working on high impact health inequalities research.
• Hands-on experience with grant writing.
• Exposure to data governance and research governance processes (via the CARE-HSC Data Monitoring Board).
• Development of quantitative research skills using large datasets.
• Experience conducting a scoping review.
• Networking opportunities across research and policy within the Health Inequalities Research Group.

• Strong quantitative research skills (experience with R, Stata, or equivalent preferred).
• Interest in health inequalities, intersectionality, co-production approaches, social and health equity, and social determinants of health.
• Experience or willingness to learn to conduct scoping review.
• Ability to work independently while contributing to a collaborative research team.

• Contribution to a published academic paper.
• Short report summarising findings from the scoping review.
• Presentation of their work at a team meeting.
• Publication of a blog post outlining their experience during the internship.

1. Please send your CV and a brief cover letter outlining your interest and suitability to the project supervisor(s). Please contact the project supervisor(s) in advance of submitting the application with any questions.

2. If selected by the project supervisor, the student must then complete the Placement /Internship Application form. This ensures that there is approval of PhD supervisor, and the necessary information is obtained to extend funding (for DTP1 students) or confirm placement requirement fulfilled (for DTP2 students), and to fulfil ESRC reporting obligations.  

Please note:

• Research Assistant Internships must not be undertaken with the student’s current supervisor and/or home department.
• DTP1 students (those whose funding commenced before Oct24): a maximum of 4 Research Assistant internships will be funded. These will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the 4 DTP1 places are filled, we will inform PIs that only DTP2 students are eligible for the Research Assistant internships. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL DTP1 PLACES HAVE NOW BEEN FILLED.
• DTP2 students (those whose funding commenced from Oct24): are required to complete a 3-month placement, which is funded through their studentship. No limits to number that can be funded.
• Reports: at the conclusion of the internship, the student will be required to complete an internship report, which will include a question for the internship host to feedback on the internship.

Contact liss-dtp@kcl.ac.uk with any questions.