IIP Placements in England
The Lancet
Location: London, England
The Lancet is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious medical journals. First published in 1823, it continues to inform, enlighten, and entertain clinicians worldwide with a weekly journal and a range of monthly sister titles. This IIP placement internship is under the supervision of the Senior Editor, and the successful IIP candidate will become part of the editorial team. The IIP intern will participate in the peer review of papers and the commissioning, editing, and writing of comments. The IIP intern will also observe the whole range of activities at The Lancet, including journal production, media relations, podcast, and social media strategy and will be responsible for writing comments and news items, as well as reviewing submissions. The IIP intern will also be given the opportunity to contribute to editorial meetings and write short news items. Finally, the IIP intern will be given a detailed overview of how the journal is put together—including subediting, production, media relations, web activity, and podcasts. IIP candidates with interests in pre-med, writing, literature, research,and evidence-based medicine are encouraged to apply. A track record in writing would be an asset. One placement has been created for an International Internship Program intern. View a PowerPoint presentation (.pdf) by a past intern.
Newcastle University, Institute of Neuroscience
Location: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
The Institute of Neuroscience at the University of Newcastle works in the novel field of connectomics and authored the first review in this area. The core mission of the Institute of Neuroscience is to undertake the highest quality research in neuroscience that translates into patient benefit, real world application and commercial opportunity. They aim to develop vibrant and productive interactions between researchers within their Institute, with other Faculty of Medical Sciences research institutes, and with external groups, aligning with the New Castle University’s core mission of ‘Excellence with a Purpose.' Their research is grouped into four broad research themes: Neural Systems and Applied Neurophysiology; Mitochondrial Disorders; Developmental, Behavioral and Comparative Neuroscience; and Neurodegenerative, Cerebrovascular & Psychiatric Disorders. There are currently 75 academic staff members in the Institute of Neuroscience, making it one of the largest groupings of neuroscientists in the UK. IIP interns can choose to work in any of the following areas: Animal Cognition and Behavior (including Animal Welfare); Psychology and Cognitive Neurosciences; Developmental Neuroscience, Aging and Neurodegeneration; Neural Circuits and Neuroimaging; Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Motor Control; Neuropharmacology and Neurotechnology; Psychiatric Neurosciences; and Visual, Auditory and Sensory Neuroscience. IIP candidates with interests in neuroscience, psychology, life sciences, and/or computer science are encouraged to apply. Skills in histology/staining/western blotting or programming such as MATLAB, statistical skills or knowledge of statistics would be an asset. Three placements have been created for the International Internship Program. This internship is offered in partnership with the Program in Global Health and Health Policy and can be used by GHP juniors for completion of the GHP Summer Research Requirement (please check the appropriate box on your application).
Previous work responsibilities (in the words of the previous IIP intern): Intern 1: Working on the assigned research project (usually coding in MATLAB); attending weekly lab meetings; preparing final reports. Intern 2: Building a database for epilepsy patient data as a medical aid for clinicians to extract features from recordings and search for similar recordings based on comparison of features or metadata. The project involved designing the system and programming all the different pieces of the puzzle. A significant portion of the programming was done in MATLAB for extracting particular features for EEG recordings and MySQL was used for designing the database. I also used Perl and HTML to build a web application that interfaced with MATLAB and the database.
University of Oxford, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine
Location: Oxford, England
The MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine (WIMM) at the University of Oxford is one of the world’s premier institutes where basic research in cell and molecular biology is applied to the improvement of human health. Located next to the John Radcliffe Hospital, clinician/scientists and basic researchers work hand in hand with clinicians in the hospital to tackle both rare and common diseases. The WIMM incorporates programs on blood diseases and stem cell disorders (leukemia, lymphoma, and thalassaemia); immunological disorders (HIV AIDS, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, and eczema); cancer (bowel and breast); infectious disease (malaria); and a wide range of genetic diseases, including abnormalities of facial development and disorders of the neuromuscular junction. IIP interns will join in the basic and medical research being undertaken at the WIMM providing an introduction to the new revolution in molecular medicine. Previous laboratory experience and experience working with datasets would be an asset but is not required. Three placements have been created for the International Internship Program. This internship is offered in partnership with the Program in Global Health and Health Policy and can be used by GHP juniors for completion of the GHP Summer Research Requirement (please check the appropriate box on your application).
Previous work responsibilities (in the words of the previous IIP intern): Intern 1: I worked on a project to create a circular RNA to serve as a microRNA sponge with a graduate student. He would help plan the experiments and tell me what needed to be done, but I was responsible for carrying out all of the experiments. I used a variety of different lab techniques, including cloning, tissue culture/transfection, and FACS. At the end of my time I presented my data in a lab meeting. Intern 2: Intern 2: Conducted flow cytometry experiments to characterize surface marker expression patterns in leukemic stem cell populations at different time points of acute myeloid leukemia.