Research Intern: Major Barriers to Stroke Treatment in USA/North America

We are looking for research interns to study the major barriers to stroke treatment in 6 specific regions in the world: USA/North America, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Australia/NZ and Africa. This position is focused on Australia/NZ. We are a global health campaign, founded in 2016, to accelerate access to the stroke thrombectomy surgery globally. The goal of our health campaign is to coalesce global public health efforts with a goal to double access to thrombectomy for stroke caused by large vessel occlusion (LVO) in the brain every two years. Since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare systems around the world have seen severe capacity constraints, and a large number of stroke patients have not received this life saving therapy as a consequence. Although the COVID-19 situation has improved, it is still critical to study the challenges affecting stroke care in each of the major regions in the world. The outcomes from your research will allow our organization to engage public health officials in the region to address the barriers which prevent access to stroke treatment.

Note: This internship does NOT involve any human subject research.

• Develop project scope and objectives in consultation with all relevant stakeholders.
• Design a primary and secondary research plan for your region to collect relevant data.
• Execute research by reaching out to relevant stakeholders (health officials, healthcare professionals, community health workers, etc.).
• What is public awareness of stroke symptoms in your region’s communities like?
• What is the availability/organization of emergency medical services for stroke care in your region?
• How educated are communities in your region on identifying stroke symptoms/overall stroke care?
• What are some cultural barriers to stroke treatment in your region?
• What is the transportation/triage of stroke patients in your region like?
• How many health centers in your region are certified to treat stroke?
• What is the organization of stroke centers in low-resource communities?
• What are the minimum services needed to treat stroke?
• After treatment, what is the rehabilitation process for stroke patients like?
• What are the current policies designed to enable access to stroke care?

Duration: 10 - 12 weeks (expected 10-15 hrs per week during summer). This internship has a potential to extend through the year. Non summer hrs of commitment is 4-5 hrs per week.

Expected start date: July 15, 2023

InternMart Suggestion & Recommendation (Sponsored by InternMart):

Understanding Clinical Research: Behind the Statistics             Time: 27 hours of study

Note: The above recommendation is not required to apply for this internship; however, it may help you brushing-up your skills for the intended profile.