Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) has launched its Health Data Science Black Internship Programme for 2022 helping to tackle the underrepresentation of Black people within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers.
The programme, run in partnership with the UK Health Data Research Alliance and 10,000 Black Interns helps to kick-start the careers of recently graduated Black data scientists by providing opportunities for them to work on health data science projects within some of the UK’s leading health, research and academic organisations.
From Monday 4 July we welcome Fisayo Nana in Professor Gilbertson’s lab and Phinehas Arkorful in Professor Florian Markowetz’ lab. Both interns will be based in the CRUK Cambridge Institute for their eight-week placement.
The UK has an urgent need for new health data scientists in this rapidly expanding field which has the potential to transform the future of health and care for all. A report commissioned by The Royal Society states that for the years spanning 2007/08 to 2018/19, just 3.5% of Black STEM academic staff held a professor post compared to 6.6% of Asian staff and 11.9% of White staff.
This programme is just one of HDR UK’s initiatives that supports our belief that health data science should be as effective as possible in serving and reflecting the needs of the entire UK population. This year an impressive 81 interns will undertake an eight-week placement with over 40 host organisations.
Tammy Palmer, Head of People, Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) said: "Following the success of last year's programme, we are thrilled to welcome this year's cohort of talented Interns. It is incredibly exciting to once again be supporting the next generation of health data scientists.
"A huge thank you to all of our Host Organisations for their support and commitment to helping ensure the programme's success again this year."
The interns will not only learn about health data science in action but will also carry out their own clearly defined research projects.
Find out more about the Health Data Science Black Internship Programme
