Massachusetts Department of Public Health Internship
Internship Project Title: Life Expectancy Trends in Massachusetts (2010–2025)
Application Deadline: July 31, 2026
Title: Public Health Intern – Life Expectancy Trends
Number of Openings: 1
Duration: Fall 2026 semester – Dates to be determined based on academic program requirements
Part-time: Approx. 4 hours a week; opportunity to increase to meet practicum requirements if needed
Hours of Operation: Flexible during standard business hours, Monday–Friday
This is an unpaid internship. Students must receive academic credit through their college or university in order to participate.
Required Experience, Field of Study, and Credentials: Undergraduate or Graduate student pursuing a degree in public health, data science, statistics, sociology, or a related field. Students must be eligible to receive academic credit for the internship.
Location: Primarily remote, with occasional opportunities for in-person meetings as needed at DPH’s Boston office.
Position Overview
Life expectancy is one of the most widely used measures of population health, reflecting the overall health and well-being of communities. This internship offers an opportunity to explore how life expectancy has changed in Massachusetts over time, examine persistent disparities across racial and ethnic groups, and contribute to analyses that can inform public health policy and practice.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is seeking an undergraduate intern to support a project examining life expectancy (LE) trends in Massachusetts from 2010–2025. The intern will assist with organizing and summarizing life expectancy data by race and ethnicity, with particular attention to changes during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Massachusetts experienced a decline in life expectancy during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a recovery to 81.1 years in 2024. However, important differences in life expectancy remain across racial and ethnic groups. This internship will support efforts to better understand these disparities by examining trends over time and helping communicate findings through data summaries and visualizations.
The intern will contribute to analyses that explore possible factors influencing changes in life expectancy, including reductions in COVID-19 mortality, recovery of healthcare services, and patterns in opioid overdose mortality. The internship will also support understanding why improvements in life expectancy have been uneven across racial and ethnic groups and help identify questions for future public health analysis.
There is an opportunity for this internship to support additional work for the Advancing Health Equity in Massachusetts if needed to complete practicum requirements.
Responsibilities
Organize and summarize Massachusetts life expectancy data from 2010–2025.
Assist with analyzing life expectancy trends by race and ethnicity, with a focus on changes during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Create clear tables, charts, and other visualizations to communicate life expectancy trends.
Prepare concise written summaries describing key findings for technical and non-technical audiences.
Assist in examining possible contributors to life expectancy trends, including lower COVID-19 mortality, healthcare recovery, and opioid overdose patterns.
Help identify and summarize persistent disparities in life expectancy across racial and ethnic groups.
Contribute to the development of a short-written brief highlighting key life expectancy patterns and questions for future analysis.
Expected Deliverables
A clean, organized summary of life expectancy data.
Tables and trend charts illustrating life expectancy patterns from 2010–2025.
A brief written summary describing key life expectancy trends, persistent disparities across racial and ethnic groups, and potential questions for future analysis.
Information on Whom to Send Resume/Cover Letter To
Please submit your resume and cover letter to: DPHInternship@mass.gov by July 31, 2026.
About the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH):
The mission of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is to promote and protect health and wellness and prevent injury and illness for all people, prioritizing racial equity in health by improving equitable access to quality public health and health care services and partnering with communities most impacted by health inequities and structural racism.
We envision a Commonwealth with an equitable and just public health system that supports optimal well-being for all people in Massachusetts, centering on those with systemically and culturally oppressed identities and circumstances.
More information can be found at: Department of Public Health | Mass.gov
A criminal background check will be completed prior to the internship.
If you require assistance with the application/interview process and would like to request an ADA accommodation, please e-mail DPHInternship@mass.gov and we will be in touch to facilitate.
An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self-select out of opportunities if they don’t meet 100% of the requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this internship.
