2026 Summer Intern
Department Details:
The Southern California Permanente Medical Group-s (SCPMG) Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Department, housed within Quality & Systems of Care, is committed to advancing meaningful and measurable data-driven outcomes across care delivery, the workforce, and the communities we serve. We operate as a strategic partner and system-level advisor across 13 medical center service areas. Our work is organized across three foundational pillars:
Health Equity (including Social Health): We lead initiatives aimed at closing clinical disparity gaps, improving outcomes for historically marginalized populations, and ensuring that every patient receives person-centered, culturally responsive care. This includes advancing Social Health initiatives that address social drivers of health such as food, housing, transportation, and safety, ensuring members- non-clinical needs are identified and addressed as part of whole-person care.
Workforce Engagement: We support an engaged, diverse, and mission-driven workforce through programs that strengthen belonging, inclusive leadership, and professional development. Our team partners with stakeholders across Human Resources, People & Culture, physician leadership, and operations to embed inclusive principles into workforce strategy.
Community Engagement: We design and evaluate partnerships with community-based organizations, with a focus on building trust, addressing health-related social needs, and delivering sustainable community benefit. We co-create solutions with local partners that improve access, well-being, and long-term health outcomes.
Our department also stewards governance structures, performance dashboards, and strategic frameworks that align with enterprise accountabilities such as NCQA Health Equity Accreditation, Medi-Cal, Medicare Stars, The Joint Commission, and the broader Quality strategy.
Internship Projects:
The intern will contribute to high-impact initiatives across one or more of the department-s strategic pillars. Sample projects may include:
Health Equity & Social Health Analysis: Support analysis of clinical equity outcomes (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, childhood vaccinations) and contribute to synthesis of Social Health data related to food insecurity, transportation, or closed-loop referral performance. Intern may support presentation development for executive audiences.
Workforce Engagement Initiatives: Assist with the design and evaluation of engagement strategies for physicians and ambulatory staff, including tools for inclusive leadership, onboarding, or experience improvement. Intern may also support tracking and communications for workforce-centered programs such as Women in Medicine or the Physician Experience Assessment (PXA).
Community Engagement Reporting & Strategy: Partner with consultants to capture and evaluate the impact of community-based programs, including those addressing family violence prevention, youth pipeline efforts (e.g., Hippocrates Circle), and Social Health (e.g., Community Health Workers Pilot). Work may include landscape scans, qualitative summaries, and member/community-facing materials.
Strategic Planning & Special Projects: The intern may also be assigned special projects such as creating logic models, preparing briefing decks for regional meetings, or supporting internal evaluations of scorecard and goal alignment across the department.
All projects will be supported with mentorship from a regional consultant and include structured opportunities for feedback, reflection, and skill development. Intern deliverables will have visibility with leadership and may be included in enterprise-facing reports or presentations.
Target Majors:
Business Administration; Public Health; Healthcare Administration
Target Skillset:
This is a rare opportunity to contribute to an impactful portfolio while gaining exposure to real-world implementation of data-driven, equity-focused strategy within Kaiser Permanente as a leading integrated health care system. We are seeking a highly motivated, mission-driven candidate who brings:
- Strategic and Systems Thinking: Ability to connect the dots across programs, departments, and initiatives to inform long-term planning and operational excellence.
- Strong Analytical and Research Skills: Experience gathering and synthesizing quantitative and qualitative data; comfort with Excel, PowerPoint, and data platforms (e.g., Tableau, Clarity) is preferred.
- Excellent Written and Verbal Communication: Ability to draft briefs, decks, and executive summaries that convey complex content in clear, concise, and compelling ways.
- Cultural Competence and Inclusion Orientation: Deep interest in health equity, inclusion, and structural determinants and drivers of health; ability to engage respectfully and effectively across diverse communities.
- Project Coordination and Accountability: Organized, dependable, and capable of balancing multiple priorities and deadlines with limited supervision.
- Professional Presence and Emotional Intelligence: Maturity, discretion, and adaptability in working with physician, executive, and community stakeholders.
- Creativity and Problem Solving: Comfort navigating ambiguity, asking thoughtful questions, and generating ideas that move work forward.
Job Summary:
This position provides analytical support to a project or department. Under the guidance of a Project Manager/ Director, responsible for collecting and researching data, performing analysis, providing recommendations andpresenting results.