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Daud Malik T’28, a public policy major with a second major in chemistry, credits Duke Sanford’s remarkable career services professionals and exceptional professors as crucial to the success of his summer internship in the U.S. Congress. Daud’s internship gave him experience researching and developing health policy legislation on topics ranging from Medicare to hospital price transparency. Daud answers five questions about his time on the Hill.
Q&A with Daud
What kind of work did you do during your internship?
This summer, I interned with the Health Subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means, supporting the Committee’s 18 Democratic members across its health policy agenda. I contributed legislative research and member materials for the Committee’s consideration of 15+ health care bills and four legislative markups, while working on issues spanning Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, hospital price transparency, and health tax policy. One of my primary projects involved analyzing prices for health care services across 15 different hospitals, research that was incorporated into briefing materials on hospital price transparency for Committee members. My work helped illuminate what hospitals were charging patients with different types of insurance. I also researched potential tax and regulatory approaches to harmful health exposures.
Across these projects, I was able to see how research that can start with a specific question – about a deregulatory action, a health tax article, or an old piece of legislation – can inform the decisions members of Congress and staff make as they develop progressive health policy.
What was a highlight of this professional work experience?
The opportunity to work on health reform bills was the most formative part of the summer for me. It was remarkable to witness and contribute ideas for improving federal health policy while they were in the early stages of development and then help move them forward. During these discussions, I relied on knowledge I had acquired from health care projects with Sanford professors, two summers of Duke Engage, and even my chemistry major classes when working on regulatory reform. I loved learning about the mechanics of private insurance and prescription drugs. More than anything, though, I valued being surrounded by and learning from people who drafted major Medicare legislation.
Was there a moment when you realized that you were applying a skill or insight that you had learned in a class to your internship work?
I felt confident in my memo writing throughout the summer. Sanford does a very early introduction to how to break down ideas or problems into clear writing. My practice doing so at school was evident in my products for the Committee, especially on complex health tax legislation. Thank you, Dr. Nick Carnes and Dr. Deondra Rose!
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How do you think this internship experience will help you in the next step on your professional journey?
I have been very lucky to have thoughtful and accomplished mentors by my side because of my time at Sanford. Dr. Milojevich, Dr. Cholera, Dr. Boucher, and Dr. Slank are examples of those who have been extraordinarily helpful in having conversations with me about how engaging with Sanford may lead to next steps in health policy. They also are the nicest people to learn from! Because of all the time I spent engaged with policy research and community health projects at Duke, I was prepared to contribute to developing health legislation. The Sanford experience complemented my professional journey well.
My interest in politics was also brightened as I spent the summer being pulled into political messaging within the committee, especially at a time where the subcommittee's jurisdiction over Medicare is a focal point of upcoming elections and current member priorities.
What advice would you offer a student looking for a summer internship?
Even if you already think you know what internships are out there, staff at Sanford career services does an amazing job of looking at your experiences and discussing what may be relevant for your future. Before this experience, I was engaged with health policy from top to bottom at Duke; this background informed a discussion between me and Associate Director of Sanford Undergraduate Internships Mark Brostoff on how we may use my experience as a platform to explore positions working on health legislation.
For Congressional internships, and even for other internship opportunities, it’s not realistic to go in and only want to work on a specific policy/interest area. Therefore, having a team of people who are going to pull you along is important in the search process. I had an awesome team at Sanford who supported me throughout the internship, as well as thoughtful Subcommittee staff who made my experience on the Hill incredibly fun and memorable. I’m grateful for everyone who invested in me and made the summer such a meaningful experience.
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