The Medicaid Policy and Applied Research Team (MPART) is a structured, student-powered research initiative housed at the University of Illinois Springfield. MPART brings together graduate students in a supervised, production-oriented environment where they are trained to collect, validate, and analyze publicly available Medicaid data.
Students work on real policy problems using professional research tools and methods — not hypotheticals. They collaborate directly with MPART faculty and UI System faculty, building skills in data collection, policy analysis, and research methodology while contributing to published outputs.
What Students Do
MPART student researchers engage in substantive work that contributes directly to our research program. Typical activities include:
- Policy document review, coding, and analysis
- Data collection, cleaning, and structured dataset maintenance
- Literature reviews and background research
- Conference preparation and presentation support
- Collaborative research with faculty
Who We're Looking For
We welcome students from a wide range of programs, including public health, management information systems, statistics, data analytics, public administration, social work, computer science, and related fields. Curiosity and reliability matter more than prior research experience.
Current Openings
All MPART student positions are posted on UIS Handshake. Check Handshake regularly for open research positions.
How to Apply
To apply for an open MPART research position, submit your application through UIS Handshake.
Student Development
MPART is committed to building the next generation of health policy experts. Students work alongside MPART faculty and external consultants, gaining direct exposure to real Medicaid policy work and research workflows. MPART uses a structured progression model where students build skills over time and take on increasing responsibility as they develop.