Founded in 1970 by Drs. Howard Bleich and Dr. Warner Slack, the Division of Clinical Informatics (DCI) was among the first academic divisions in the world to concentrate on using computers for patient care, teaching, and medical research. The goals of DCI have been to improve the quality and reduce the cost of medical care, to enhance the quality of medical education, to enhance the relationship between doctor and patient, and to explore innovative approaches to research through computing. Our faculty has developed hospital-wide clinical computing systems at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Our faculty was among the first to engage patients in direct dialogue with computers and had been building and evolving clinical decision support systems for four decades. Today, DCI faculty continues to lead the evolution and study of personal health technologies, web-based clinical computing systems, national health systems, and international comparative approaches. Our faculty is driven to find solutions to real-world problems. Current research areas of interest include designing and evaluating clinical information systems, translational research platforms, patient portals, patient engagement, quality improvement processes and analytics, clinical decision support systems, online learning systems, mobile health applications, and global e-health applications.

Who is eligible to participate?

• Enrollment as a full-time Doctor of Pharmacy degree student in the United States in an ACPE-accredited school or college of pharmacy with anticipated graduation in 2025 or 2026.
• The internship is virtual but does require you to be a resident of the United States for the duration of the internship.
• A stipend is available, but it is optional. It requires you to be eligible for employment in the U.S., which requires residency in the state of Massachusetts for the duration of the internship.

What are the application requirements?

• Submit an application via the online portal.
• Submit a Letter of Good Academic Standing (Transcript of Grades or letter from a Dean/Associate Dean of Student Affairs)
• Submit your essay on how clinical informatics can improve patient care or medical discovery and why you are interested in that topic. (3 pages max). Submit two letters of recommendation from a faculty member, non-relative practicing pharmacist, or practicing healthcare/informatics professional who has worked directly with you. Letters of recommendation need to be addressed to Yuri Quintana, Ph.D., Chief of Division of Clinical Informatics at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and sent by email by the referees directly to Dr. Yuri Quintana at yquintan@bidmc.harvard.edu Please have the candidate's name in the email subject header. A different individual must write each letter. 
• Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

How long will the application be open?

Applications will be accepted until March 29, 2024. Applicants will be notified if selected for a virtual interview with the Division of Clinical Informatics program faculty members at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

How many student pharmacists are awarded internships in the program?

For the program, two student pharmacists will be awarded an internship in Pharmacy Clinical Informatics.

What is the official starting date of the internship program?

While every effort will be made to accommodate individual schedules, the official start date is June 3, 2024 (there is some flexibility in the start date), with an end date 12 weeks later. Notification of acceptance will occur by April 4, 2024.

Will I be compensated for the internship?

The internship will provide a $7,500 stipend based on a 40-hour workweek over the 12 weeks, provided you are a resident of Massachusetts during the internship and are have legal clearance to work in the United States. The stipend is optional, and if you choose to do the internship remotely you can decline the stipend. Please note the internship will NOT provide:

• Travel expenses to and from practice sites
• Meals while in the program
• Housing expenses
• Other personal expenses while in the program

What will I do during the internship?

The student pharmacists selected will engage in the daily activities of clinical informatics and pharmacy practice. They will be exposed to population health and research, including outcomes. The areas of emphasis offered will be tailored to the student's background and future career objectives.

The student pharmacists will be able to learn from experts in Clinical Informatics through a mix of didactic lectures, seminars, and guided learning. Additionally, the student will receive mentoring from Harvard Medical School faculty members at the Division of Clinical Informatics (DCI).

With guidance from faculty members at DCI and the Pfizer Clinical Informatics, Medical Outcomes & Analytics group, the student pharmacists will conceptualize, develop, and complete a project focusing on improving the quality of patient care through informatics.

What will be expected after the internship?

The student pharmacists will be expected to create a substantive report that describes the design and implementation of the internship project. This report could be used as the basis for a scientific publication. The student pharmacists will also be required to present the project to the DCI and members of the Pfizer Medical Affairs team.

The student pharmacists will be encouraged to submit their work to the American Medical Informatics Annual Conference or other pharmacy conferences such as the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Past students have published papers at AMIA and 2020 student, Zoe Liao, placed third in the AMIA student competition!

Where are our past interns?

Past interns have gone on to academic graduate programs, industry positions, and healthcare provider roles. See where are our past interns.

Chris Lim
Avantika Pathak
Zoe Liao
Samantha Valliant, PharmD
Natalie Karapetian
Brooke Lawler
Sara Saif
Tien Bui