DEEP Impact Internship Program

Project Supervisor

Professor Jennifer Fishman

Department of Equity, Ethics and Policy

Project Description

Abortion pills can be used safely at home without a health worker's supervision — a practice known as self-managed abortion (SMA). While research shows that SMA helps reduce barriers to abortion care, very little is known about the experiences of adolescents (under 20 years old) who use this option. The " Adolescents’ reasons for accessing Self-Managed Abortion online globally " project aims to better understand why adolescents in diverse settings choose SMA and how these motivations are shaped differently across groups. Central to this project is a strategic collaboration with Women on Web (WoW), a Canadian non-profit organization, founded in 2005, renowned for its commitment to abortion research, advocacy, and service provision. Over its 20 years of operation, WoW has offered safe abortion care in diverse settings and led abortion research and advocacy in the field of telemedicine and self-managed abortion. Through innovative telehealth solutions and remote access, WoW facilitates non-judgmental and compassionate access to abortion pills and support to individuals self-manageing their abortions living in both legal and restrictive settings. Research lies at the core of Women on Web’s operations. WoW integrates research with service provision and advocacy. In the past, WoW's research has played a crucial role in shedding light on online abortion trajectories in restrictive environments and has also been instrumental in informing legal reforms in several countries. Within the framework of this internship program, we are looking for an intern to join our research program to support our research efforts on self-managed abortion experiences of adolescents globally.

Intern Responsibilities & Deliverables

The intern will be assigned to analyze an anonymized dataset of demographic information of individuals aged 12-19 years old seeking abortion services and factors prompting them to seek abortion through WoW. The primary responsibilities of the intern will be data cleaning and some coding of variables, and a thorough descriptive analysis of the dataset assigned. This analysis will involve synthesizing key trends and patterns within the data, such as demographic characteristics of abortion seekers by geographical differences, legal setting, gender, education level, and marital status. The intern will also have the opportunity to delve deeper into the data to identify correlations or associations between various variables. This could entail examining relationships between demographic factors and reasons for seeking abortion through WoW. The intern will be supported by the WoW research team throughout the data analysis process. The final deliverable of this project is a report reflecting on the data analysis. Overall, this role presentsan opportunity for the intern to gain hands-on experience in data analysis within the context of abortion research, contributing to a deeper understanding of abortion access amongst adolescents. There is the possibility for this work to lead to a publication if the intern wishes to stay involved.

Project Team

Dr. Jennifer Fisman will supervise the student and monitor progress and provide mentorship. Dr. Suzanne Veldhuis, affiliated with Women on Web as Advocacy and Research Coordinator, will support Dr. Fishman in the supervision. Dr. Kaya Van Roost, a postdoctoral researcher at Drexel University and collaborating researcher at WoW will direct the student in using the quantitative analytic software and coding the variables. The intern will primarily interact with these three researchers and will work under their supervision. The intern is not required to participate in lab or team meetings but is welcome to join if they wish. However, the intern is expected to share updates and progress regarding the data analysis and is to attend regular monthly meetings with the researchers.

Technical Skills

The intern is expected to have data analysis skills, including proficiency in statistical analysis and data manipulation techniques for quantitative data, and ideally qualitative (survey) data as well. These skills will be essential for conducting the data analysis, identifying trends and patterns. Familiarity with data visualization tools and software packages such as STATA is required. Background can be in any area, but interest in reproductive health is essential.

Transferable Skills

The intern is expected to demonstrate strong critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills to draw insightful conclusions from the data. Attention to detail is paramount for this task, as even minor nuances in the data can lead to significant findings. Additionally, the intern should possess a keen eye for detail to ensure accuracy and reliability in their analysis. We highly value teamwork and effective cross-cultural communication skills, given the collaborative nature of our work and the different partners involved. We therefore expect the intern to be open and interested in working on a collaborative, international team.

Project Supervisor

Professor Jonas-Sébastien Beaudry

Department of Equity, Ethics and Policy | Faculty of Law

Project Description

This project examines medical assistance in dying (MAiD) at the intersection of disability, autonomy, human rights and public health. It considers how poverty, social isolation, discrimination and inadequate access to care and disability supports can contribute to suffering, and what responsibilities governments have to provide meaningful assistance in living alongside access to assisted dying. The internship aims to translate Professor Jonas-S. Beaudry's ongoing research on assisted dying and autonomy into accessible, useful resources for policymakers, disability organizations, and other audiences. The intern will help explain relevant rights, identify policy gaps and communicate recommendations. Possible areas of focus include access to social supports, public accountability, and how assisted dying regimes monitor the social circumstances surrounding requests.

Intern Responsibilities & Deliverables

The intern will review and synthesize selected academic, legal and policy materials; identify findings relevant to the intended audience; and help translate these findings into clear, accessible language. Targeted supplementary research and source verification may also be required. The principal final deliverable will be one focused policy resource, developed through feedback and revision. Depending on the project’s priorities, this could take the form of a policy brief on monitoring and accountability or a practical guide to relevant rights and social supports. It will include an accessible summary, supporting references, and policy implications or recommendations. The topic, audience and format will be agreed upon early in the internship.

Project Team

The intern will be supervised by Professor Jonas-Sébastien Beaudry and may interact with a doctoral student contribute to this knowledge translation work. Tasks will combine independent research and drafting with supervisory meetings, and coordination with the doctoral student where useful.

Technical Skills

Required skills

• Basic experience locating, reading and synthesizing academic sources.
• Ability to document sources accurately and distinguish research findings from interpretation.

Assets

• Academic background or coursework in public health, public policy, law, bioethics, disability studies or a related field.
• Experience reading legal or policy documents.
• Familiarity with preparing policy briefs.

Transferable Skills

Required Skills

• Clear writing and an ability to explain complex ideas accessibly.
• Critical thinking and attention to detail.
• Organization, reliability and the ability to work independently.
• Willingness to incorporate feedback and communicate progress or difficulties.

Assets

• Experience adapting material for different audiences.
• Experience collaborating on research or advocacy projects.
• Interest in disability justice, health equity and the relationship between individual choice and public responsibility.

Project Supervisor

Professor Keiko Shikako

School of Physical and Occupational Therapy

Project Description

Canada is a signatory of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) since 2010, however, the Concluding Observations on the Initial Report of Canada (2017) indicated important gaps in the implementation of the convention in Canada. This report pointed to the lack of a structured mechanism considering the voices of persons with disabilities in the process, the lack of data on children and indigenous persons with disabilities, and the lack of coordination between federal and provincial services, leading to potential gaps in the provisions of the UN CRPD for persons with disabilities living in Canada.

In this project, we have engaged with a large number of disability organizations and advocates, government departments, and scholars to assess to what extent the UN CRPD has influenced policy, laws, and advocacy efforts for persons with disabilities in Canada. We also want to understand how persons with disabilities in Canada and their allies have drawn on the UN CRPD in their advocacy efforts. Finally, we want to identify best practices that can empower interested parties in monitoring and enhancing the implementation of the UN CRPD in Canada. Our project aims to identify the priority areas for disability rights and policy in Canada from the perspectives of Canadians with disabilities and multiple sources of knowledge (social media, civils society reports, public consultations and policies) and to apply these priority areas to engage in constructive dialogue with multiple interested parties.

Intern Responsibilities & Deliverables

The intern will support data analysis activities related to a policy review of federal, provincial, and territorial disability policies documents retrieved from CanLII (Canadian Legal Information Institute). Under the guidance of a mentor, the intern will receive training and hands-on experience in data cleaning and AI-based analysis. Additionally, the intern will collaborate with the research team including individuals with lived and living experience to develop a knowledge mobilization plan, which may include tools such as infographics and plain-language summaries.

Project Team

This project brings together experts in disability rights, public policy, health, and rehabilitation, all based at McGill University. The project lead, Dr. Keiko Shikako, holds the Canada Research Chair in Childhood Disability: Participation and Knowledge Translation. She is internationally recognized for her expertise in childhood and youth disability, accessibility, community inclusion, human rights, and public policy. The team is affiliated with the CHILD-BRIGHT network and works closely with its youth advisory panel and a citizen engagement panel composed of families of children and youth with disabilities. We maintain ongoing collaborations and strong connections across multiple sectors, including research, policy, government, and civil society organizations, all of which will actively contribute to various stages of the project. The intern will also participate in activities related to knowledge translation (KT) to policy, conducted by Dr. Shikako and her team in collaboration with the CanNRT network. Our partner organizations are civil society leaders in the disability sector, focusing on key areas of this project: youth and family engagement, inclusive education, community inclusion and rehabilitation, intellectual disabilities, and Indigenous persons with disabilities. The intern will participate in both in-person and virtual team meetings, where they will have the opportunity to attend presentations by team members on a range of topics related to childhood disability. Interns will also be asked to present summaries of their tasks and achievements and will receive detailed guidance and mentorship on both content and format. By engaging in a dynamic and collaborative research environment, interns will have the opportunity to build essential skills that will support their future academic and professional development.

Technical Skills

Required skills

• Experience in research project, data collection, data extraction, analysis, interpretation and writing a report.
• Strong computer skills (Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint) specifically database management and reporting.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.

Assets

• Experience with AI analysis (text mining, Phyton programming language and R statistical analysis).

Transferable Skills

• Having experience working with persons with disabilities or being part of a research on different disabilities.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and within a team and take initiative.
• Strong organizational, managerial, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Excellent adaptability.

Project Supervisor

Professor Alayne Adams & Professor Irene Sarasua

Department of Family Medicine & Ingram School of Nursing

Project Description

Many of the challenges encountered in primary care are rooted in social and economic factors such as food and housing insecurity, social isolation, financial stress, and difficulties accessing services. These factors have a major influence on health outcomes and disproportionately affect structurally marginalized populations. Yet healthcare providers frequently lack the time, resources, and community connections needed to address these needs effectively.

“Bridging Primary Care and Community Supports through Social Prescribing” is a three-year initiative led by the CONNEC-Q McGill-Université Laval Social Prescribing Collaborative to implement and evaluate social prescribing across four primary care settings in Montréal.

Social prescribing is an approach that connects people with non-medical community supports that can improve health and wellbeing. In this approach, healthcare providers identify social needs and refer individuals to a community connector, who helps them access relevant services and supports in their community.

The project's goals are to improve health and social outcomes, strengthen collaboration between healthcare and community sectors, and generate evidence to inform policy and support the wider adoption of social prescribing across Québec.

Using a co-design approach, healthcare providers, community organizations, researchers, and people with lived experience will work together in each participating site to develop a locally adapted social prescribing pathway. This will ensure that pathways reflect the unique needs, resources, and realities of each setting while generating practical lessons for future scale-up.

The student intern will contribute to co-design activities that support the development and implementation of social prescribing pathways. Working closely with researchers and community partners, the student will gain hands-on experience in co-design, implementation research, stakeholder engagement, and knowledge mobilization.

 

Intern Responsibilities & Deliverables

The intern will contribute to the following activities, with responsibilities assigned based on project needs, learning goals, and available internship hours:

• Participate in weekly CONNEC-Q team meetings.
• Support the planning and preparation of co-design activities across participating primary care sites, including participant recruitment and engagement, preparation of workshop materials, activity planning, PowerPoint development, and logistical coordination.
• Participate in co-design workshops as a small group co-facilitator and note-taker.
• Prepare summaries and preliminary analyses of co-design workshop outputs.
• Contribute to the refinement and finalization of site-specific social prescribing pathways following co-design activities.
• Assist with the development of implementation tools and resources to support pathway testing and implementation.

Final Deliverables:

• A summary of key findings and recommendations emerging from the co-design workshops.
• Documentation of site-specific social prescribing pathways.
• Contributions to implementation tools and resources developed to support pathway testing and implementation.

The scope of activities will be tailored to the intern's skills and learning objectives, while remaining feasible within the internship's time commitment.

Project Team

The intern will work closely with the CONNEC-Q Social Prescribing research team, a collaborative involving McGill and ULaval researchers, students, and community partners. The team brings together expertise from multiple disciplines and works collaboratively on the implementation and evaluation of social prescribing across participating sites. The intern will receive ongoing mentorship from the research team. The intern will also have opportunities to engage with the project's steering committee, which includes representatives from community organizations, healthcare organizations, and the research team. Through these interactions, the intern will gain exposure to interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration, as well as the practical realities of implementing and evaluating complex health and social interventions.

Technical Skills

Required:

• Strong computer skills – Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel), online collaboration tools, design software such as Canva, and AI-assisted productivity platforms.
• Strong writing and communication skills – Ability to prepare workshop materials, summarize and synthesize findings, and communicate project information clearly to diverse audiences.
• Bilingualism (English and French) – Strong written and spoken communication skills in both English and French, as the project involves engagement with partners and participants in both languages.

Assets:

• Facilitation and group engagement skills – Experience supporting or facilitating discussions with diverse interest holders.
• Background in health, social sciences, community development, public health, nursing, family medicine or a related field.
• Experience with qualitative research, co-design, community engagement, or knowledge mobilization.

Transferable Skills

Required:

• Organization and time management – Ability to coordinate multiple tasks and meet project deadlines.
• Interpersonal skills – Comfort engaging with diverse interest holders, including healthcare providers, community organization representatives, researchers, and community members.
• Team collaboration – Ability to work effectively within an interdisciplinary research team, contribute ideas, and support shared project goals.
• Initiative and self-direction – Ability to work independently on assigned tasks while seeking guidance and feedback as needed.
• Cultural humility – Demonstrates respect for diverse perspectives and lived experiences, and a willingness to learn from individuals and communities with a range of backgrounds and experiences.

Assets:

• Facilitation skills – Confidence supporting group discussions and fostering positive interactions among participants with diverse perspectives.
• Interest in health equity, community engagement, and social determinants of health – Demonstrated interest through coursework, volunteer experiences, employment, or extracurricular activities.

Additional Project Information

Additional information about social prescribing and project partners can be found at:

• Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing (CISP), a national collaborative that connects people, evidence, and practices to strengthen social prescribing across Canada: https://www.socialprescribing.ca
• Eva Marsden Centre for Social Justice and Aging: https://emcmtl.org/community-development/social-prescription/
• Clic Social (the digital platform that will support social prescribing implementation and referral pathways in participating sites): https://clicsocial.ca/en/

Project Supervisor

Professor Chris Barrington-Leigh

Department of Equity, Ethics and Policy | Department of Economics | Bieler School of Environment

Project Description

Wellbeing policy is gaining momentum worldwide. There is an emerging global movement to bring better concepts and measures of human wellbeing to the centre of policy-making.

The Canadian federal government, several provinces and an increasing number of municipal governments and community organizations are approaching policy and budget decisions based on a growing body of knowledge about what makes life good. A global pandemic has also increased public understanding of what really matters for wellbeing, and there is a call for governments to make wellbeing or quality-of-life a central policy objective and source of accountability.

The Canadian Wellbeing Knowledges Network (CWKN) brings together organizations and individuals from public, private, academic and community sectors to share ideas for advancing and supporting wellbeing policy approaches in Canada. Our common purpose is to provide opportunities for people to engage in catalytic conversations and idea sharing about how they conceptualize, measure, research, or support wellbeing and how policy decisions can use a wellbeing lens; to build, exchange and leverage our collective knowledge on the latest wellbeing policy evidence, initiatives and practices; and to activate and strengthen a cross-sectoral and inclusive collaboration network for wellbeing policy across Canada.

Prof Chris Barrington-Leigh (PI), who co-leads the CWKN, has a research focus on life satisfaction, measured as individuals' single-question, subjective, quantitative assessment of how good life feels, overall. This is one leading approach for deriving evidence about human outcomes for policy-making.

Since April 2026, the CWKN has hired a full-time Research Network Manager for their next phase, to expand the network and increase its impact. The CWKN Manager will supervise this position in close collaboration with Prof Barrington-Leigh.

Intern Responsibilities & Deliverables

  This project is to support our knowledge mobilization efforts, primarily by synthesizing and compiling relevant evidence and policy news into periodic bilingual newsletters

Additional tasks include:

• maintaining/updating website content using the WordPress content management interface
• maintaining the Network membership database and mailing list
• helping with online member "cafés", webinars, and stakeholder meetings
• organizing online documents
• supporting other CWKN activities

Student Responsibilities and Deliverables:
The primary deliverables will be (1) a series of digital newsletters, each in both English and French, throughout the term, (2) an updated or evolved website.
Composing newsletters involves understanding the CWKN network's policy and practice community and organizing, synthesizing, and translating news and announcements for that audience.

Project Team

This project will be independent with supervision from and regular meetings with Jetske Duintjer and Professor Barrington-Leigh, but may include collaborations with our outside partners and CWKN Leadership Team.

Technical Skills

Required skills

• Choosing, synthesizing, and summarizing wellbeing policy news items: writing for a diverse professional/policy audience.
• Composing attractive/formatted (ie HTML) emails using a standard email client or a specialized mailing list manager service.
• Website updating (experience with WordPress is an asset)
• File management (Google Drive)

Assets

• French proficiency
• Graphic design
• Video editing - cutting/editing; annotating video using Shotcut or Openshot (i.e. open source software)

Transferable Skills

Required Skills

• Organization
• Time management
• Written communication skills

Supplemental Materials

Please submit a writing sample.

Additional Project Information

More background can be found at: https://cwkn.ca/home/

Project Supervisor

Professor Matthew Hunt

School of Physical and Occupational Therapy

Project Description

Living Labs (LLs) represent an influential and distinctive model for pursuing participatory research and innovation activities. Our goal with this project is to better understand the ethical considerations associated with LLs and co-develop knowledge resources on ethics and LLs. We focus on three domains where ethical considerations are manifest in the day-to-day activities of LLs: ethics IN LLs, which encompasses ethical tensions, questions, concerns or challenges experienced by people who are engaged in or affected by LL processes and activities; ethics FOR LLs, which relates to the resources, processes and practices that are developed and/or deployed within LLs with the goal of supporting ethical reflection, discussion, analysis or action; and ethics OF LLs, which includes mechanisms and processes of institutional accountability and ethical oversight in relation to LLs. The project has four phases: (1) a scoping review, (2) a series of interviews with individuals who have participated in LLs in Canada, (3) an online World Café with LL stakeholders, and (4) co-development of a guidance document.

Intern Responsibilities & Deliverables

The intern will primarily contribute to Phases 2 and 3. Working closely with the postdoctoral researcher, they will contribute to Phase 2 by participating in synopsis writing and coding, supporting the interpretation of the findings, and preparing a document summarizing the phase 2 analysis. This report will constitute their main deliverable for this project.

As part of Phase 3, the intern will also contribute to the organization of an online World Café event. Their responsibilities will include preparation of materials, providing organizational support, and preparing summaries that highlight the main ideas and relevant insights emerging from the discussions.

Project Team

The intern will work alongside the lead researcher and a postdoctoral researcher who will provide additional supervision and training. Some of the work will be performed independently, but some of the work will also be collaborative and will involve working closely with the postdoctoral researcher. Additionally, the intern will participate in regular supervision meetings with the lead researcher and postdoctoral researcher to discuss progress and challenges and receive feedback on their work. They will also participate in team meetings that include researchers from three universities and a patient partner.

Technical Skills

Required skills

• Demonstrated interest in ethics and qualitative research
• French language ability: Capacity to participate in group discussions, and ability to read and appraise texts
• Familiarity with MS Office

Assets

• Previous experiences related to ethics, living labs, and/or qualitative research
• Training in qualitative research approaches

Transferable Skills

Required Skills

• Excellent writing abilities and communication skills
• Ability to work collaboratively and contribute positively to a team
• Ability to work independently and manage time effectively
• Strong work ethic with a commitment to reliability and responsiveness

Assets

• Strong writing abilities in French

Supplemental Materials

We ask that applicants submit a short writing sample (3–5 pages). This may be an essay written for a course, a research paper excerpt, or another piece of writing that demonstrates their ability to communicate ideas clearly and effectively.

Project Supervisor

Professor Claudia Mitchell

Department of Integrated Studies in Education

Project Description

TRANSFORM is a 6-year transnational project funded through the SSHRC Partnership Grant program focusing on participatory visual approaches (cellphilming, photovoice, drawing, textiles, performance) to disrupting gender norms with young people in a number of countries including Malawi, Mali, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, and Indigenous youth in Canada. The project takes a “youth at the centre” approach to policy dialogue, organized around annual Youth Summit cycles (local community summits and transnational in-person and virtual summits).

The focus of this internship between January and April 2027 extends the learnings and knowledge mobilization from Year 3 of the project, notably working with the data emerging from the Youth-Led Policy Advocacy Lab for Gender Transformation; the December 2026 Transnational Youth Summit; and the Hear Us: Sound and Image Travelling Exhibition.

Intern Responsibilities & Deliverables

 The intern will be responsible for participating actively in strategy and project planning meetings, as well as for attending and documenting events focused around participatory visual methods, hosted online or in the Participatory Cultures Lab.

The activities for this internship may include:

• Analysing transcripts and community maps from the December 2026 Youth Summit to produce a data report
• Consolidating youth data to support the development and launch of the Youth-Led Policy Advocacy (YLPA) Report
• Working with the audio and visual content to co-develop the Hear Us: Sound and Image Travelling Exhibition
• Creating knowledge mobilization documents related to the Hear Us: Sound and Image Travelling Exhibition
• Working towards organizing the one-day symposium at McGill with youth advocates and policy makers

As a final deliverable, the intern will develop a draft of the Youth-Led Policy Advocacy (YLPA) Toolkit

Project Team

The intern will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team that includes the principal investigator, project administrative staff, research associate, and research assistants. They will actively participate in regular lab and team meetings, fostering an environment of shared learning and collaboration. While the intern will be expected to take initiative and work independently on key deliverables, they will also be supported by the broader team throughout the internship.

Technical Skills

Required skills

• Familiarity with qualitative data collection and organization (e.g., interview transcription, coding).
• Competency with collaborative digital tools (e.g., Google Workspace, Microsoft Office).
• Basic digital file management and organization
• Basic visual competencies
• Working knowledge of Canva or other design tools such as Adobe Express

Assets

• Prior experience in arts-based or participatory research projects, especially in relation to community and policy dialogue.
• Experience creating and editing multimedia content (audio, video, photo, text).
• Spanish and/or French language proficiency

Transferable Skills

Required Skills

• Attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a research setting.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Time management and ability to meet deadlines.
• Openness to feedback and iterative learning.

Assets

• Experience working with youth or in community-based research contexts.
• Knowledge and academic interest in youth-led gender transformation and/or policy advocacy
• Cross-cultural communication skills.
• Sensitivity to ethical considerations when working with marginalized or vulnerable populations.
• Experience facilitating or supporting group discussions.
• Adaptability in dynamic, multi-partner project environments.
   

Additional Project Information

More information about the TRANSFORM project can be found here: https://www.mcgill.ca/participatory-cultures-lab/transform

Project Supervisor

Professor Seungmi Yang

Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health (EBOH)

Project Description

Maternity care services across Canada have been eroding for decades. Rural and remote communities have faced obstetric unit closures, staffing shortfalls, and service suspensions—a trend that accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic—yet the full national scope of these changes, and their consequences for mothers and newborns, remain unstudied. Women with lower socioeconomic status, recent immigrants, and Indigenous women already face compounding barriers to maternity care and are likely to bear a disproportionate burden when local services disappear — yet no data infrastructure currently exists to study this question at the national level. This internship project will establish that foundation.

Our goal is to construct the first pan-Canadian, facility-level database of obstetric service closures and reductions spanning 2010 to 2026. This database will then be linked to the existing data at Canadian Research Data Centre Network that contains maternal socioeconomic, race/ethnicity, immigration data and maternal and newborn health outcomes. Uniting a new facility-level database to the existing data will create a uniquely powerful, equity-focused research platform. This data infrastructure will enable us to rigorously examine, for the first time, how obstetric service changes affect maternal and newborn outcomes across Canada, and whether the most socially disadvantaged women bear the greatest harm — with direct implications for equitable resource allocation and health system planning at the provincial and federal levels.

The DEEP Impact Intern will support the first step in the work. The objectives of the Internship is to obtain facility-level obstetric service data for the province of Ontario from 2010 – 2026.

Intern Responsibilities & Deliverables

The intern will obtain facility-level data on service provision in labour and delivery and obstetrics units across Ontario by preparing and submitting Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to the Ontario Ministry of Health under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). FOI legislation extends the right to request government records to any person, making this approach feasible for researchers based outside the province, as exemplified in The Globe and Mail’s report in 2019 on ER closures and disruptions across provinces. Under the supervision of the research team, the intern will draft the request, track its progress, and manage correspondence with the Ministry’s FOI office.

The intern’s final deliverable will be a submitted Ontario FOI request, together with a summary report documenting the pilot findings, the rationale for the requested data elements, and a log of the request’s status and any correspondence with the Ministry. If records are received within the internship period, the intern will also compile a preliminary, organized inventory of the data obtained.

Project Team

 Dr. Jan Cooper, Assistant Professor, EBOH, and Rina Lall (PhD student), EBOH. The intern will participate in weekly meetings with Drs Cooper and Yang.

Technical Skills

Required skills

• Research and document review (government reports, legislation, policy documents)
• Technical writing for formal requests and correspondence
• Data and project organization, such as tracking requests in a structured log or spreadsheet
• Understanding of research ethics and responsible handling of sensitive information

Assets

• Experience working with linked datasets, such as health administrative data
• Programming skills for data management
• Familiarity with FOI processes or Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA)
• Knowledge of the Canadian health system or maternal and newborn care
• Quantitative background (e.g., biostatistics, epidemiology, data analysis)
• Academic background in public health, health policy, health sciences, or a related field

Transferable Skills

Required Skills

• Clear written and verbal communication
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Problem-solving and adaptability when requests need to be clarified or revised
• Time management and ability to work independently toward deadlines
• Professionalism in corresponding with government offices and external partners
• Openness to supervisor feedback and willingness to ask questions

Assets

• Critical thinking about how data are defined, collected, and reported
• Experience with project coordination or knowledge mobilization (e.g., briefs, plain-language summaries)

Supplemental Materials

A short, original writing sample.