image: HDR UK's Black Internship Programme Class of 2022 view more
Credit: Tim Chamberlain Nucocreative.com
On Friday 1 July, Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) launches its Health Data Science Black Internship Programme for 2022 helping to tackle the underrepresentation of Black people within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers.
The programme, run in partnership with the UK Health Data Research Alliance and 10,000 Black Interns helps to kick-start the careers of recently graduated Black data scientists by providing opportunities for them to work on health data science projects within some of the UK’s leading health, research and academic organisations.
The UK has an urgent need for new health data scientists in this rapidly expanding field which has the potential to transform the future of health and care for all. A report commissioned by The Royal Society states that for the years spanning 2007/08 to 2018/19, just 3.5% of Black STEM academic staff held a professor post compared to 6.6% of Asian staff and 11.9% of White staff.
This programme is just one of HDR UK’s initiatives that supports our belief that health data science should be as effective as possible in serving and reflecting the needs of the entire UK population.
The webinar launch event on Friday 1 July 2022 will be attended by the interns, host organisations and the programme’s advisory board. From Monday 4 July 2022, an impressive 81 interns will start their eight-week paid placement with over 40 host organisations.
Ribka Aschalew, 2022 Health Data Science Black Internship Programme Intern at The Health Foundation, said:
“I have a huge passion for science and technology, with a particular interest in data and Artificial Intelligence. Through HDR UK’s internship programme, I look forward to gaining invaluable insights into how data science is harnessed in the health sector, and to developing my skills as an analyst and researcher.”
Dr Katherine Boylan, Head of Innovation at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), said:
“Having interviewed an outstanding group of candidates – and part-funded by NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre – we are delighted to have appointed three new colleagues under the Black Internship Programme to support data projects across our Trust, hosted infrastructure and Clinical Data Sciences Unit (CDSU). I look forward to welcoming our new colleagues to the MFT Innovation Team.”
Tammy Palmer, Head of People, Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) said:
"Following the success of last year's programme, we are thrilled to welcome this year's cohort of talented Interns. It is incredibly exciting to once again be supporting the next generation of health data scientists. A huge thank you to all of our Host Organisations for their support and commitment to helping ensure the programme's success again this year."
The interns will not only learn about health data science in action but will also carry out their own clearly defined research projects.
The confirmed organisations include among others:
Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre
Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute
Centre for Healthcare Modelling and Informatics (CHMI)
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
Imperial College Health Partners
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC)
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre
NHS National Services Scotland
Office for National Statistics
Pioneer Health Data Research Hub for Acute Care
The Digital Research Service, University of Nottingham
The Rosalind Franklin Institute
UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health
Wellcome Sanger Institute / HDR UK Cambridge
HDR UK’s Black Internship Programme is aimed at Black people who are either studying an undergraduate degree or who have recently graduated from any UK university.
Expressions of interest from interns and host organisations are now being accepted for the class of 2023. More information here.
About Health Data Research UK
Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) is the national institute for health data science. HDR UK’s mission is to unite the UK’s health data to enable discoveries that improve people’s lives. HDR UK is funded by UK Research and Innovation, the Department of Health and Social Care in England and equivalents in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, and leading medical research charities.
E: media@hdruk.ac.uk
W: www.hdruk.ac.uk
Ends
Note to editors
If you would like to attend the launch event or for more information, please contact Clare Leahy Communications and Content Officer at HDR UK on clare.leahy@hdruk.ac.uk or 07748016062
Launch event: https://www.hdruk.ac.uk/events/black-internship-programme-2022-launch/
Black Internship FAQs: https://www.hdruk.ac.uk/careers-in-health-data-science/internships/health-data-science-black-internship-programme/faqs/