Students interested in the epidemiology program will typically work with a mentor in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Population Health (CCEPH) on an epidemiology project that may involve conducting scientific literature reviews, assisting with study design, analyzing data, and preparing a manuscript. In addition to the independent project, students may have the opportunity to be involved with other epidemiology projects including studies in the US Flu Network, Vaccine Safety Datalink, Marshfield Epidemiologic Study Area, and the Health Care Systems Research Network.
CCEPH SRIP Project
CCEPH researchers will be offering one project for the 2026 summer session.
1) Investigating Infections that Cause Acute Respiratory Illness and Acute Gastroenteritis
Project Overview:
Respiratory and diarrheal diseases are the leading causes of infectious disease morbidity and mortality globally. A variety of viral and bacterial pathogens can cause these acute diseases, but the relative contribution of specific pathogens is unknown.
Primary research question: The intern will answer a research question related to the incidence, burden, clinical presentation, or outcomes of respiratory or enteric pathogen infection.
The intern will work closely with MCRI researchers in the CCEPH and their study teams to answer a research question using data from two large-scale studies of medically-attended and community-limited acute respiratory illness and acute gastroenteritis. This will involve reviewing and summarizing research literature to provide background and context to the research project, cleaning and analyzing data, and synthesizing and presenting results in written and oral formats.
Requirements:
Students need to have coursework in biostatistics as well as experience using statistical analysis software R or SAS. Students will need to the ability to critically review scientific literature, design and evaluate epidemiologic studies, perform biostatistical data analysis, and communicate scientific results verbally and in writing. Graduate students who are enrolled in the following areas are strongly encouraged to apply for this project: epidemiology, biostatistics, or similar program. Students will be performing literature reviews, analyzing data, and attending seminars. This project is in-person internship only.
Friendly reminder, the internship is a competitive process with an application, copy of transcripts, resume or CV, personal statement, and two academic or research references. See Frequently Asked Questions for additional details.
Application window for the summer of 2026 is now open and will close Feb. 6, 2026 at 11:59pm CST. Apply here.