Each summer, the Academy offers paid internships for students studying for, or interested in, careers in social insurance. Students are given an opportunity to work with Members from the Academy in outstanding organizations in the DC area. Placement in organizations varies from year to year, depending on project need and funding. Through weekly seminars and other events, interns are introduced to the Academy’s membership—an interdisciplinary group made up of the nation’s leading experts on social insurance policy—and engage with a wide range of social insurance policy topics.
The Academy’s program covers seven distinct internships named to honor Members in a particular field of social insurance policy. The program consists of a 12-week summer internship that usually spans May to August.
Internship Programs
Congressman Pete Stark Health Policy Internship
The Pete Stark internship is for graduate students interested in developing, advocating, and implementing in Congress and/or Executive Branch agencies legislation, regulations, and policy initiatives to improve health coverage and quality in the U.S. in an efficient, cost-effective manner. Students from all disciplines (political science, business, communications, public policy, social policy, health policy etc.) are encouraged to apply to this 12-week summer semester internship in Washington, DC. Projects will emphasize policy research and design, and/or related activities around current health care issues facing the federal government.
Our most recent internship placements have included:
- House Committee on Ways & Means
- National Academy of Social Insurance
- National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM)
- Senate Committee on Finance
Congressman Stark served as the Chair or Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health for 28 years, helping enact (often on a bipartisan basis) major improvements in health insurance, Medicare, consumer health protections, cost savings, and anti-fraud measures. It was his hope that the scholar-applicant for this internship would share his interests in using legislative, oversight, and administrative tools to improve health coverage and quality in an efficient, cost-effective manner.
Eileen Sweeney Graduate Internship in Disability Policy
The National Academy of Social Insurance seeks outstanding graduate students aspiring to a career in social policy with a focus on disability issues. Students with a strong interest in disability policy (research, implementation, and/or advocacy) are encouraged to apply for this 12-week summer semester internship in Washington, DC.
Our most recent internship placements have included:
- ADvancing States
- Elevance Health
- National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASSSDS)
- National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities
- The Century Foundation (TCF)
- Urban Institute
Eileen P. Sweeney devoted her life to improving the lives of people with disabilities, children, battered women, the poor, and the elderly. Her early Washington career was devoted to disability issues and she played a key role in achieving the disability benefit reforms of 1983 and 1984. She subsequently turned her attention to other vulnerable populations: children, those served by the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, and the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs.
John Burton Internship on Workers' Compensation Research and Policy
Upper division undergraduate and graduate students across the U.S. who are interested in workers’ compensation are invited to apply for the John Burton Internship on Workers’ Compensation Research and Policy. Students pursuing courses of study in health policy, health economics, public policy, social policy, or related subjects are urged to apply for this 12-week summer internship in Washington, DC.
Our most recent internship placements have included:
- National Academy of Social Insurance
- Safety & Health Assessment & Research Prevention (SHARP), Washington State’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I)
- Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG)
John F. Burton, Jr. is Professor Emeritus and former Dean in the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers University and Professor Emeritus in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. He has been a Member of the Study Panel on Workers’ Compensation of the National Academy of Social Insurance since its inception. One of the nation’s foremost scholars on workers’ compensation, Burton chaired the National Commission on State Workmen’s Compensation Laws, which submitted its report to President Nixon and Congress in 1972. Burton has a law degree and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Leeba Lessin Internship on Health and Medicare Policy (for first-generation college students)
Freshman and sophomore first-generation college students across the U.S. who are interested in health care and Medicare policy are eligible to apply for the Leeba Lessin Internship program. Students pursuing courses of study in health policy, health economics, public policy, social policy, or related subjects are urged to apply for this 12-week summer internship in Washington, DC.
Our most recent internship placements have included:
Leeba Lessin (1958-2021) was a visionary leader who inspired new ways of thinking about care for the elderly and successfully executed those ideas. A founder of CareMore who served as CEO and President of the company from 2012 to 2016, Leeba reimagined elder care and created a care model that has since been adopted and adapted by Medicare Advantage plans across the United States. Leeba was a beloved mentor for those who had the privilege to work with her and an exemplary servant leader who cared deeply for the members who entrusted CareMore with their care. The first in her family to attend college, Leeba received a BA degree from Westmont College in Santa Barbara and an MBA from the University of Washington.
Merton Bernstein Internship on Social Insurance
The National Academy of Social Insurance encourages outstanding graduate and upper division undergraduate students studying health policy, health economics, economics, public policy, social policy, insurance and risk management, or related subjects to apply for this 12-week summer semester internship in Washington, DC.
Our most recent internship placements have included:
Merton Bernstein, a Founding Member of the Academy, suggested an internship program at one of its first Board meetings 30 years ago. The Academy established the Merton C. Bernstein Internship on Social Insurance in recognition of his public service in advancing an understanding of the legal and policy issues concerning Social Security, private pensions, and health insurance. He served on the Academy’s Board of Directors from 1988 until he ran for Senate in 1992, and remained a Member throughout his long and distinguished career.
Rashi Fein Internship in Health Policy
The Rashi Fein Internship in Health Policy seeks outstanding graduate and upper division undergraduate students interested in promoting equitable access for all Americans to high quality, affordable, cost-effective health care. Students pursuing courses of study in health policy, health economics, public policy, social policy, or related subjects are urged to apply for this 12-week summer semester internship in Washington, DC.
Our most recent internship placements have included:
Professor Rashi Fein was a prominent participant in the effort to bring about a fair and equitable program of universal national health insurance for all Americans. He played a significant role in the development of the Medicare and Medicaid programs and was unquestionably a lifelong advocate for the social insurance model. The scope of the Fein Internship reflects Professor Fein’s concept of health policy as an expansive field of interest, study, and endeavor that encompasses the work of agencies, organizations, and individuals in the public, private/non-profit, and academic sectors of society.
Somers Research Internship on Long-Term Care and Aging
The Somers Research Internship on Long-Term Care and Aging is research oriented, focusing on aging and long-term care issues. The National Academy of Social Insurance encourages students studying gerontology, health policy, disability policy, public policy, social work, economics, or related subjects to apply for this 12-week summer semester internship in Washington, DC.
Our most recent internship placements have included:
Anne Ramsay Somers was an author, professor, and health care expert with over five decades of experience in the field of long-term care, consumer health education, financing of Medicare, and geriatrics. Her work as an economist included: contributions to the creation of the Medicare Bill (working with the team headed by Wilbur Cohen) in 1965; advising Health and Human Services (HHS) on Medicare reimbursement as part of the Health Insurance Advisory Council; and heading a task force on health promotion for the National Conference on Preventive Medicine.
2025 Academy Interns
Meet the talented students selected to support the Academy’s mission through research, analysis, and public engagement during the 2025 internship term.
Request an Intern
Academy Members located in the DC metro area have the exclusive opportunity to request a summer intern to support research, policy, or communications projects.