CIF Winter Internship Program 2025-2026

About host organization

Curatio International Foundation (CIF) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization with a mission to improve health through health policy and systems strengthening.  CIF’s work is underpinned by three core values: hearing needs; building on local strengths; and delivering innovative, context-specific solutions.  CIF’s national and international professional staff and researchers work locally, regionally and internationally to improve the functionality of health care systems and to better inform health policy decision making.

Since its establishment in 2010, CIF’s Internship Program has become a global hub, attracting over 30 international interns from prestigious universities like JHU, Washington University, NYU, LSHTM and etc. This program offers a unique chance for students worldwide to immerse in global health policy projects, advancing research skills. Embark on a transformative journey where your internship is not just a steppingstone—it’s a launchpad for future global health leaders. We will allow diving deep into cutting-edge global health policy projects, refining your research skills and collaborating with world-leading experts in the field. Interns are expected to contribute to scientific publications and explore a spectrum of topics in Health Policy and Systems Research, including health systems strengthening, health financing and etc.

This is more than an internship and for more details, visit page and scroll down to explore our interns experiences.

Our work is based on network of national and international professionals and researchers to bridge the gap between what is known about the problems at hand and what has to be done in order to solve them. Our work intends at improving functionality health care systems and adequacy of and health policies. Today we work not only locally and regionally, but increasingly at the international level. More information is available here.

2025-2026 Winter Internship Program

The winter internship program is now open! Master’s degree and/or Ph.D. students from around the world are invited to apply and use the possibility to develop advanced research skills, meet leading experts in the field and/or become a co-author of a scientific paper.

Project Title: Epidemiological and Economic Burden of Uncontrolled Hypertension and Diabetes in Georgia

Project Overview:

Curatio International Foundation (CIF) is conducting research to strengthen the evidence base on the health and economic burden of uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes in Georgia. These two non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are among the leading causes of morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs in the country. The research aims to support data-driven decision-making and inform future policy actions to improve chronic disease control and financial protection.

The project focuses on developing an epidemiological decision model to quantify disease progression, complications, and economic consequences associated with uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes. This work contributes to CIF’s broader portfolio on health systems performance and health financing reforms in Georgia.

Internship Focus:

The 2025-2026 internship program will center on conducting a structured literature review—using scoping review or similar methodologies—to synthesize and extract data relevant for the modeling of uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes.

The literature review will specifically focus on:

1. Disease Complications and Epidemiology
   • Identify and extract data on the frequency and probabilities of disease complications (e.g., stroke, myocardial infarction, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, amputations).
   • Synthesize information necessary to populate epidemiological decision trees for each condition.
2. Methodological Approaches for Burden Estimation
   • Review global and regional studies assessing the disease burden of hypertension and diabetes.
   • Identify analytical frameworks, data sources, and approaches applicable for evaluating the burden of uncontrolled NCDs in Georgia.
3. Data Extraction for Economic Analysis
   • Extract key epidemiological and cost parameters needed to estimate DALYs, productivity losses, hospitalization costs, and mortality impact.
   • Summarize best practices for integrating epidemiological and economic data for national burden estimation.

Intern’s Role:

CIF intends to engage TWO INTERNS in this work, one focusing on hypertension and the second on diabetes. Interns will work closely with CIF researchers and contribute to the ongoing study by:

• Conducting comprehensive literature searches using academic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, etc.).
• Screening, reviewing, and summarizing scientific and grey literature based on defined inclusion/exclusion criteria.
• Extracting and organizing relevant data into standardized evidence tables, with proper references.
• Assisting in the design of the decision tree structure and parameterization based on extracted data.
• Participating in team discussions, data synthesis, and manuscript drafting (where necessary), with opportunities for co-authorship in academic publications.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

This internship is ideal for students or early-career professionals in public health, epidemiology, health economics, or health policy who are interested in research methods, health data synthesis, and quantitative analysis.

Requirements/Skills:

• Proven ability to conduct structured or scoping literature reviews.
• Familiarity with epidemiological and economic burden concepts.
• Strong analytical and synthesis skills.
• Effective written and verbal communication abilities.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary research team.

Support Offered by Curatio International Foundation:

CIF Interns receive a $500 honorarium/grant. Additionally, the CIF Internship Program team offers assistance with identifying affordable housing options and provides logistical support to all incoming interns. CIF also offers the opportunity to participate in internship program either on-site or remotely.

Interns will benefit from mentorship by senior researchers, gain experience in systematic evidence synthesis, and contribute directly to policy-relevant research on NCDs in Georgia.

Application deadline: November 14, 2025

Interested applicants are kindly asked to send the following documents to [email protected]:

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Motivation Letter indicating the selected research topic
• Recommendation Letter from the university or current employer
• (Optional) Additional supporting materials demonstrating relevant experience

We are looking forward to applications and fruitful collaboration. #internshipatCIF