USAID GHFP-II Internship Available: Health Management Information Systems Intern
Health Management Information Systems Intern
Strategic Planning, Evaluation and Reporting Division, Office of HIV/AIDS, Bureau for Global health, United States Agency for International Development
Location: Washington, DC/Arlington, VA | February 2016-August 2016: Compensated 6 month Internship | INT-P5-035
The Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP-II) is a five year cooperative agreement implemented and managed by the Public Health Institute in partnership with Global Health Corps, GlobeMed, Management Systems International and PYXERA Global. GHFP-II is supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
GHFP-II’s goal is to improve the effectiveness of USAID health programs by addressing the Agency’s immediate and emerging human capacity needs. The program seeks to accomplish this goal first through the recruitment, placement and support of diverse health professionals at the junior, mid and senior levels. These program participants include fellows, interns, corporate volunteers and Foreign Service National professionals. The program then provides substantial performance management and career development support to participants, including annual working planning assistance, and ensures that professional development opportunities are available.
Looking to the future, GHFP-II also seeks to establish a pool of highly-qualified global health professionals that will ensure the Agency’s ongoing technical leadership and effectiveness. This objective is supported by an extensive outreach program that brings global health opportunities and specialized career advice to a diverse range of interested individuals, with a particular focus on those underrepresented in the field of global health.
BACKGROUND
In cooperation with the US Department of State’s Office of the US Global AIDS Coordinator, other US Government (USG) partners, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations, USAID provides global technical leadership on the full range of issues related to HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment; manages numerous research and field support programs; and monitors the impact of the Agency’s HIV/AIDS programs. In this endeavor, USAID works very closely with a range of USG agencies involved in the fight against AIDS, such as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Defense, and Peace Corps. The Office of HIV/AIDS (OHA) is the focus of technical leadership for USAID and has primary responsibility for leading the Agency’s efforts within President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). More information about PEPFAR may be found at http://www.usaid.gov/what-we-do/global-health/hiv-and-aids.
Health Information Systems (HIS)/ Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) activities are a key component of PEPFAR Strategic Information (SI) programs. At the facility and community level, HIS assists health care workers in providing high quality and timely care. At the national, regional and Headquarters level, HIS assists public health managers in finding answers to key questions in: the state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic; the delivery and process of prevention; care and treatment services; the effectiveness of these services; the capacity needed to improve programs; as well as to plan and report and reach goals impacting the epidemic.
USAID’s Site Improvement through Monitoring System (SIMS) is a new initiative designed to respond to PEPFAR priorities of transparency, accountability, and maximizing impact on the HIV pandemic. In January 2016, USAID will launch the Global Health SIMS Mobile Application (GHSMA) to 44 operating units/countries to facilitate SIMS data collection.
INTRODUCTION
The Health Management Information System (HMIS) Intern (Intern) will be assigned to the Health Informatics (HI) Team in the Strategic Planning, Evaluation and Reporting (SPER) Division within the Bureau for Global Health’s (GH) within OHA. The HMIS Intern will support a cross-team effort to launch and provide end user support for GHSMA.
The Intern will work with the OHA and HI Team to provide technical assistance and training support related to SIMS mobile application end users, including providing helpdesk support, resolving problems to the end user’s satisfaction, providing end user trainings, and supporting the development of training materials.
The Intern will work closely with the Senior Technical Advisor for the Global Health Bureau, as his/her onsite manager.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Gaining experience in the field of health information systems and respective data collection at the country level.
• Gaining a greater understanding of PEPFAR and OHA’s emergent data, information systems, data mapping processes and standards, core business processes, dash boarding and data analytics needs.
• Gaining a greater understanding of country-level HMIS and SIMS.
• Deepening skills in supporting large scale mobile application deployment and understanding the unique challenges and implications of routine software and global health end user support spread across over three dozen operating units
• Deepening skills in collaboration and coordination within a complex organizational and implementation structure.
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
• Providing support to the SIMS Team to develop a helpdesk support structure, including workflows, service ticketing, service queues, service support report development, and user satisfaction.
• Assisting the HI Team in triaging GHSMA support requests and resolving application and end user issues as possible, including monitoring, tracking, and reporting SIMS/GHSMA issues and problems.
• Based on GHSMA issue trends, assisting in the development of a FAQs, tips, tricks, and knowledge base to assist end users in resolving common application challenges.
• Supporting documentation of results, research and evaluation evidence, and lessons learned on GHSMA roll out.
• Other tasks or responsibilities may be assigned based on organizational and programming need and/or the Intern’s own interests.
QUALIFICATIONS
• Currently enrolled master’s or other post-bachelor’s degree candidate in a program related to public health, health informatics, information systems, computer science or relevant field; or, completion of such within the past 12 months.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to think big picture strategy and navigate minor details to ensure all ends are accurate.
• Ability to translate technical issues and data to the general public.
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment under tight deadlines while producing quality content.
• US citizenship or US permanent residency required.
COMPENSATION
$1,690 bi-weekly (exempt, salaried position).
TO APPLY
Detailed information, including an online application and instructions, is available on our website at https://www.ghfp.net/
All online applications must be submitted by December 31, 2015 by 5:00 pm Eastern time.
We are proud to be an EEO/AA Employer.
