As the UK’s national institute for health data science and the alliance of UK health data custodians, Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) and UK Health Data Research Alliance (the Alliance) hope to help transform the prospects of and provide the opportunities for, young Black people in the UK, allowing them to flourish in their future science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers through our Black Internship Programme. We are, therefore, delighted announce today’s commencement of our Black Internship programme.  

From today, the 48 allocated interns within the Black Internship Programme will commence their paid work experience across 23 of our partnership Alliance organisations. We look forward to working alongside the interns for the next six weeks, supporting them in their career journey within health data science. Our Black Internship programme is in partnership with the 10,000 Black Interns initiative. 

Camila Llanes-Kidder, Intern at British Heart Foundation (BHF) Data Science Centre:

“I am excited to participate in the health data research summer internship programme. I hope to further develop my skills as a data scientist as well as working in teams and learning from professionals in the field. This will support my aspiration to continue in the health data industry.” 

Lynn Morrice, Operations Director at British Heart Foundation (BHF) Data Science Centre:

“We’re delighted to be welcoming two interns to work with us at the BHF Data Science Centre as part of the Black Internship Programme. They will be helping us look at how clinical trials in cardiovascular conditions can be more efficient and cost effective through better use of data. I’m really excited to see what comes out of their projects, and what we can all learn.” 

Caroline Cake, CEO at Health Data Research UK (HDR UK):

“As we have seen through the COVID-19 pandemic, health data science is essential to understand causes of disease and to prevent and treat disease. We need talented health data scientists who represent all of us to lead this vital work. This summer, our interns will learn about many different aspects of health data science, build a community of future health data scientists, and help us create a sector that these scientists will thrive within.” 

Alliance partner organisations:

BHF Data Science Centre, Big Data Institute (BDI), University of Oxford, Genomics England, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, HDR UK BREATHE Hub – Imperial College London, HDR UK BREATHE Hub – The University of Edinburgh, HDR UK BREATHE Hub – University of Leicester, DATA-CAN – hosted by UCL Partners, National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network, NIHR BioResource (for HDR UK IBD Hub, Gut Reaction), Swansea University, The Cystic Fibrosis Trust, The Digital Research Service – University of Nottingham, University College London, University of Birmingham – University Hospitals Birmingham, University of Cambridge, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Barts Health NHS Trust – Queen Mary University of London, The Brain Tumor charity, Bristol University – HDR UK Better Care Partnership, UCL Partners, Imperial College Partners, and The Rosalind Franklin Institute.