[bioundgrd] Internship opportunity - Harvard Med School - HPCGG Analyst

[Janice Chang]

Date: Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:16:02 -0500
Subject: Re: HPCGG and Personalized Medicine
From: Terry Tsai <tctsai at PARTNERS.ORG> Opportunity: HPCGG Analyst

The Harvard Medical School / Partners Healthcare Center for Genetics and
Genomics ( <http://www.hpcgg.org>http://www.hpcgg.org ) was created 
in 2001 by the Harvard Medical
School and Partners Healthcare to promote genetics, genomics, and proteomics
in research and clinical medicine.  The Center strives to further
personalized medicine by integrating the various lab technologies -
proteomics, expression profiling, genotyping, sequencing, and clinical
molecular diagnostics - with information technology.  The HPCGG-IT Team
develops, maintains, and enhances LIMS (laboratory information management
systems) software in the scientific laboratory environment as well as the
enterprise infrastructure required to link laboratories together and
facilitate the transition of breakthroughs "from the bench to the bedside."

There is an opportunity for the internship candidate to assist in the
collaborative work done by the HPCGG IT team and laboratory staff.  A
candidate that is knowledgeable in biology (specifically genetics /
genomics) and wetlab skills will serve as a liaison between the two
disciplines and thereby assist in the furthering of personalized medicine.
Assignments / Projects are determined on an individual basis, taking into
account the work being done by the IT team during the months of the
internship as well as a candidate's specific skills, background, and
motivations. Some of our past interns, with their biology or biochem
backgrounds, have played significant roles in helping the lab staff or
geneticists / genetic counselors better utilize IT in their operations.
Others have been more involved in the design, coding, testing, and
deployment of software systems that contribute to the Center's enterprise
architecture. Past projects have included assisting in the design of a
clinical case management system, supporting geneticists in their variant
reporting workflow for clinical tests, investigating new lab testing
platforms being introduced and their implications to the lab workflow,
owning and updating the Center's website, and development of software tools
and the analysis of laboratory workflows applicable to the various
instruments used in the Center.

Our approach is to look for candidates that exhibit (or have the potential
for) certain characteristics that will enable them to operate in this
rapidly-changing, emerging field. Lack of experience in one area or
requirement can be viewed as a learning opportunity or be compensated with
other strengths.  We are a small team working on multiple tracks of work
both independently as well as together.  We value the candidate's
initiative, motivations, creativity, and attention to detail.  We also value
the ability to drive clarity out of ambiguity and recognize that people can
do that in many ways, from different experiences and background.

Helpful Abilities (in no particular order and not to be viewed as a total
checklist for candidates - it covers the breadth of possible abilities that
past interns have utilized)

1. Working understanding of biology (genetics / genomics) and accompanying
wetlab processes
2. Construction / Deconstruction of business processes
3. Working with end users to for requirements gathering, change management,
issues identification
4. Mapping manual / paper processes to software applications
5. Software application design and development (coding and testing)
6. Training of lab users in changes to workflow or application systems, with
the accompanying ability to create documentation or help guides
7. Experience in working with people
8. Interest in pursuing a career in genetics / genomics, software
development, or research computing
9. Software testing and defect tracking
10. Comfortable with computers and Internet applications
11. Trouble-shooting / problem solving
12. Ownership and self-motivation

Specifics about internships hours, duration, etc can be made on an
individual basis.  Please contact Terry Tsai (6-1, '93) at 617.840.0260,
tctsai at partners.org, or ttsai at alum.mit.edu.

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