Volunteer Services at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is comprised of several volunteer
programs that support patients and caregivers throughout the Institute. The Adult and Pediatric Patient and Family Advisory Councils are patients, family members, executive leaders, and providers partnering to improve hospital programs, policies, and the overall quality of care of the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (DF/BWCC) and Dana-Farber/Children’s Hospital Cancer Center (DF/CHCC). PFAC members are patient advocates who serve the Institute by sharing their patient/caregiver perspectives for the enhancement of patient care services at DFCI.
Volunteers are integral to the patient experience at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Our
resource center volunteers welcome patients and families to our two onsite resource
centers, helping people access information about disease treatment and management. Our ambassadors ensure patients, and their loved ones feel comfortable and supported by providing navigation and wayfinding support. Our Resource Cart volunteers help patients feel more comfortable in their care by sharing supportive and recreational resources, and our Hands on Care volunteers provide comforting hand massages to patients receiving chemotherapy infusions.
The intern in this role will support the programmatic function and success of patient/family advocacy opportunities of the Patient and family Advisory Councils throughout the Institute and externally to DFCI. This intern will also provide support for onsite Volunteer programs at Longwood and Chestnut Hill as needed.
PFAC:
- Support for program development and coordination of PFAC advocacy
opportunities - Database and project management/ tracking
- Training preparation and implementation for PFAC related projects and initiatives
- Take minutes at monthly PFAC meetings
- PFAC Communication and Marketing/ Requirement, including newsletter
development - Support of online program to capture patient/ caregiver feedback
- Special projects as needed
- Attending in person or digital trainings/ meetings
Onsite Tasks:
- Providing resources to patients and families
- Providing lunches and art supplies to patients receiving infusion treatments
- Connecting with patients and families
- Triaging to appropriate resources
- Participation will be a hybrid of in-person and remote work
QualificationsÂ
- Applicants should be in a graduate program and have a minimum of 20-24 hours per week to intern (for master’s level).
- This internship will last from September 2025 to April 2026 and will follow the student’s academic calendar.
- The intern must be comfortable working directly with patients and families both in person and over the phone.
- The intern should have strong oral and written communication skills as well as organizational skills. Must be comfortable working independently.
