International Quality Improvement Collaborative (IQIC)

Program Type

Domestic

Organization Name

International Quality Improvement Collaborative (IQIC)

Internship Location

Boston, MA

Organization

The International Quality Improvement Collaborative (IQIC) for Congenital Heart Disease was launched in 2008 to provide benchmarking data for congenital heart surgery in low- and middle-income countries. IQIC supports hospitals around the world in improving surgical outcomes through data-driven quality improvement, education, and collaborative learning.

Position Overview

This internship offers the opportunity to contribute to global efforts aimed at improving congenital heart surgery outcomes in resource-limited settings. Interns will support IQIC’s annual quality improvement initiatives through data auditing, partner support, curriculum development, and research activities. The role provides exposure to global health program implementation, international collaboration, and large-scale health data systems.

Project Details

Interns will participate in one or more of the following areas. The exact project will be selected based on the intern’s interests and skills:

1. Data Auditing & Quality Assurance

• Review and validate data submitted by international partner sites

• Identify discrepancies and assist with communicating necessary corrections

• Support preparation of annual data audit summaries

2. Partner Engagement & Support

• Coordinate communication with global partner hospitals

• Prepare guidance materials and respond to partner questions

• Assist in organizing virtual meetings, workshops, and check-ins

3. Curriculum Development

• Help update IQIC’s annual educational curriculum

• Draft training materials, presentations, and implementation toolkits

• Collect and analyze feedback to evaluate curriculum effectiveness

4. Database Enhancement

• Support updates to the IQIC database and test new functionalities

• Track and document database issues or improvement requests

5. Research & Reporting

• Participate in multi-site research projects

• Conduct data cleaning, descriptive analysis, and literature reviews

• Assist in preparing abstracts, presentations, and summary reports

6. Project Coordination

• Support tracking timelines and deliverables for annual activities

• Maintain organized documentation, logs, and shared materials

Intern Responsibilities

Responsibilities include contributing to data auditing, partner communication, curriculum development, database testing, collaborative research tasks, and project coordination. Interns will work closely with the IQIC team to support a wide range of global quality improvement efforts.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in Public Health, Global Health, Health Science, Nursing, Education, Data Science (biotechnology), or a related field

• Experience with data management

• Experience in designing educational content

• Proficiency with virtual meeting platforms (e.g., Zoom)

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail

• Time management skills and flexibility

• Cross-cultural communication skills

• Self-motivated, independent, and professional

Learning Outcomes

• Gain hands-on experience with global quality improvement initiatives

• Develop skills in data auditing, validation, and basic analysis

• Build experience communicating with international clinical partners

• Strengthen abilities in curriculum development and training material creation

• Understand how large-scale health databases are managed and evaluated

• Gain exposure to research processes, including data cleaning and literature review

• Enhance project coordination and time-management skills

• Contribute to efforts that improve congenital heart surgery outcomes globally

Nature of Internship

Health Systems Strengthening

Work Environment

Hybrid schedule: 2 days in-office, 3 days remote. Direct team members follow the same hybrid schedule.

Additional Onboarding for Selected Intern(s)

• CITI training

• Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) institutional onboarding

• BCH system and software access enrollment

• Addition to the IRB

Keywords

Quality Improvement; Global Health; Congenital Heart Surgery & Catheterization