Current student, Brandon Nies, shared the following about being a Summer Intern at Health Promotion and Resiliency Intervention Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School…
What did you do as an intern at this organization?
I assisted with multiple research studies, and primarily helped with the assessment of an adapted insomnia psychotherapy for cancer survivors, as well as a qualitative analysis of a mind-body intervention for people experiencing ME/CFS.
How did you find this internship?
I found this internship through the Tufts Psychology Department’s Opportunities Digest.
What did you enjoy most about your internship?
I most enjoyed the multidisciplinary and collaborate environment at MGH, as well as the many opportunities to get involved in research offered by my PI.
What did you find challenging?
Research assistant roles tend to have menial or repetitive tasks, and while this was challenging for me at first, I took the opportunity to automate these tasks by coding an API which could complete the ecological momentary assessment core to the study.
What advice would you offer to someone who wants to make the most of an internship like yours?
Get to know the research, ask for opportunities, and be genuinely interested in what you’re researching. There are many resources online for more advice, and I highly recommend Mitch Prinstein’s and Joshua Hartshorne’s guides if you’re trying to get involved in a psych lab.
