The Translational Research Institute on Pain in Later Life brings together social and behavioral scientists from Cornell University’s Ithaca campus with clinical researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College to conduct cutting edge research on later life pain. TRIPLL offers an eight-week Summer Research Internship (SRI) that provides undergraduate pre-medical or pre-health students with an aging-related research experience. The SRI includes mentorship from Cary Reid, MD, PhD, Associate Professor and Director of TRIPLL and the Office of Geriatric Research; members of Dr. Reid’s research team provide direct supervision of the interns.
The 2020 TRIPLL SRI will focus on two areas:
1) Research: Interns will spend approximately 85-90% of their time working on an aging-related clinical research projects. Interns will contribute by conducting literature reviews, recruiting and interviewing study participants, assisting with data entry and analysis, and contributing to manuscript writing. In the past, interns have worked on projects with and been mentored by faculty and staff members within our Division as well as our collaborators at Cornell University’s Ithaca campus, and local NYC community organizations. As projects are often launched during the summer (but not completed), it is strongly encouraged that interns continue to be a part of the project (e.g., participating in team-based meetings by phone) through the dissemination phase (i.e., writing up the results for publication) after the summer program is completed.
2) Education and Clinical Observation: Interns will spend approximately 10-15% of their time engaging in experiential and didactic learning opportunities. Within the Division, interns will participate in Geriatrics-related grand rounds and seminars; in addition to supplementary training sessions regarding best practices when reviewing literature and engaging in other research activities. Interns will also have one to two opportunities throughout the summer to shadow different healthcare providers within the Weill Cornell Division of Geriatrics.
Other Internship Activities
Interns participate in project meetings, at the end of the SRI, prepare, and deliver a final presentation about their summer experience. In addition, interns are required to complete and submit weekly journal entries to supervising staff.
Qualifications
Pre-med (or other health-related discipline) undergraduate; interest in geriatrics and aging
To Apply for the TRIPLL SRI:
Send resume, cover letter, and 2-3 page writing sample to Patty Kim (pak2020@med.cornell.edu). In your cover letter, make sure to discuss any past experiences in research and the reasons for your interest in the field of aging and pain in later life. Please choose a writing sample that reflects your overall writing skills; acceptable examples include research paper excerpts, reflection pieces, newspaper articles, etc.
The full time (35 hours/week) internship is eight weeks long: Monday, June 1, 2020 through Friday, July 24, 2020. Students are provided with a stipend that is sufficient to cover New York City living expenses.
Students are responsible for securing their own housing.
Deadline to submit application materials: February 14, 2020
Background about TRIPLL
The Translational Research Institute on Pain in Later Life (TRIPLL) is an NIH/NIA funded Edward R. Roybal center with a focus on chronic pain. TRIPLL was established in response to the plight of millions of older adults experiencing persistent pain, a costly and frequently disabling disorder in later life. Effective solutions to the problem of later-life pain require translating socio-behavioral and clinical research findings more rapidly into programs, practices, and polices targeting older adults. TRIPLL supports translational research in aging in the NYC area.
Mission
To improve the prevention and management of pain in later life, thereby increasing the health and well-being of older adults. This mission is accomplished by working towards the following goals:
1. Build evidence-based pain prevention, reduction and management practices, treatments and interventions
2. Extend research-based knowledge into diverse communities and disciplines
3. Develop and translate research-based methods, tools and strategies that facilitate successful translation of evidence into practice
4. Develop and maintain an effective infrastructure for conducting translational research on aging and pain in NYC