Thank you for your interest in interning with Pitt Med magazine and Pitt Medcast. Our interns have gone on to work for Esquire, National Geographic, CBS Evening News, the NPR Science Desk, Men's Health, Science, Philadelphia Inquirer, Popular Science, Gizmodo, Creative Nonfiction, PublicSource, 90.5 WESA, Pitt Magazine, and other prestigious outlets; they have also held positions at communication and scientific organizations, including the CDC.
We are now accepting applications for the following terms:
- Magazine internship: Fall 2021, Spring 2022, and Summer 2022 term application deadline: August 1, 2021.
- Podcast internship: The podcast internship program is on hiatus.
Magazine Internship
15 hours per week, unpaid
Applications for Fall 2021, Spring 2022, and Summer 2022 terms deadline: August 1, 2021.
Pitt Med magazine is an award-winning, 21,000-circulation magazine published quarterly by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Our readers are alumni and physicians, scientists and community members, potential donors, deans and residency directors at the top 50 medical research centers, and local, state, and federal legislators. Our job is to tell the interesting stories of the School of Medicine, to cut through medical jargon to the core of a scientific discovery, to dig for the personality of a Nobel laureate, to paint a portrait of a married dynamic duo on our faculty.
One of the great rewards of publication is publication itself. With Pitt Med you will not only get clips but also earn them. You will interview physicians and scientists and alumni. You will demonstrate excellent reporting and writing skills. You will make complex scientific concepts interesting to a general audience. You will work with editors to shape your stories for publication.
You also will participate in editorial and production planning meetings, conduct research on alumni and faculty we intend to feature, search for photographs, and help with the details of the shaping of a magazine.
Essentially, you will learn every facet of putting together a magazine, from brainstorming story ideas to updating databases to proofreading copy. You will, in short, be a member of our staff.
QUALIFICATIONS: Applicants from all academic disciplines and backgrounds will be considered—Pitt Med values diverse perspectives. Experience in journalism or creative writing is a big plus, as is interest in science. We generally prefer students who do the internship for course credit.
HOURS: 15 regular daytime hours per week are required. During the pandemic, students will work remotely.
TO APPLY: please send a cover letter, resume, and three nonfiction writing samples to Gavin Jenkins, associate editor, at gavin[AT]pitt.edu by August 1, 2020. Interns for Fall, Spring, and Summer will be selected at that time—please include your preferred term(s) in your cover letter. You should be familiar with the magazine before applying; please give a few issues a read as you craft your materials.
INTERVIEWS: Interviews will take place remotely the week before fall classes begin, and interns are expected to begin work during the first week of the term.
Podcast Internship
The podcast internship program is on hiatus.
12 hours per week, unpaid
Pitt Medcast is an award-winning podcast from the editorial offices of Pitt Med magazine exploring matters of life, death, and well-being. The series—a mixture of richly produced narratives and probing discussions—has aired on the National Science Foundation’s international stream Science360 Radio as well as several NPR member stations. Our “Itch" episode was also handpicked by Public Radio Exchange’s highly curated storytelling channel/app, PRX Remix.
Like our magazine, Pitt Medcast tells the interesting stories of the School of Medicine, cutting through medical jargon to the core of a scientific discovery. Through original pieces as well as audio adaptations of our print stories, Pitt Medcast aims to engage both lay audiences and established scientists alike.
One of the great rewards of production is the podcast itself. With Pitt Medcast you will not only build your portfolio, but also earn it. You will, in short, be a member of our staff, experiencing every facet of putting together a soundscape, including:
- Producing episodes
- Adapting archived print magazine stories to episode scripts
- Suggesting music clips and sound effects and requesting necessary permissions
- Brainstorming story ideas and episode artwork
- Researching
- Fact checking
- Writing tweets and other sell copy to promote episode releases
- Producing audiograms using Headliner
- Helping to build our social media presence
- Generating analytics reports
QUALIFICATIONS: Familiarity with audio editing software is encouraged but not required. Experience in journalism, creative writing, or filmmaking is a big plus, as is interest in science. Applicants from all academic disciplines and backgrounds will be considered—Pitt Medcast values diverse perspectives. We generally prefer students who do the internship for course credit.