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Principal support for the Public Health Training Center (PHTC) is provided through a grant from the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA), United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

 

NE ALLIANCE FOR PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT


Undergrads Step into the World of Local Public Health

This year for the first time, BUSPH is formally collaborating with three other universities to facilitate the Local Public Health Summer Internship (LPHSI) Program with a focus on undergraduate and nursing students.

Office of Public Health Practice staff at BUSPH is working with its counterparts at UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences, UMass Lowell School of Health and Environment, and Worcester State University to place their undergraduates at more than 20 local public health agencies throughout the Commonwealth, so the students can apply classroom learning to real-life environmental and public health practice.

Student interns contribute to the solution of local public health problems while developing practical skills and confidence as public health professionals.  Interns have the opportunity to shadow health directors, nurses, inspectors and other environmental and public health professionals, and learn the ropes of a local public health department from the inside.  They prepare for careers in local public health, gain marketable skills and a competitive advantage in the job market, network with professionals in the field, and benefit from having a mentor.

In a video interview captured on the BUSPH website which describes the program (http://sph.bu.edu/otlt/lphi/internship), Steve Rice, a former intern and graduate of Worcester State College, who is now the Food and Drug Inspector at MDPH’s Food Protection Program, said, “I had the chance to network with a tremendous number of different people…that was probably the most valuable thing that I got out of my internships.”

The host sites gain from this relationship as well; interns can provide a local health agency practical skills and knowledge of public health problems; extra help with projects at little or no cost; fresh ideas, enthusiasm and approaches; and cutting edge computer skills.

In another video interview on the BUSPH website, Town of Brookline Health Officer Alan Balsam describes the significant contributions interns have made, as they are put to work in various capacities.  “We get a lot in return,” he says.  “They bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm…and teach us a lot.”

Intern requirements include signing a learning contract which sets the parameters of the internship such as timeframe and deliverables; submitting a two week status report to the campus coordinator to summarize progress and voice any concerns; writing a 250 word abstract (introduction, methods and conclusions) to describe the project; and completing an evaluation once the project is completed.

Specific hours and duration of the internship are flexible and will vary greatly based on the needs of the project and the student's availability (6-8 hours/week recommended).  Depending on the project and the needs of the organization, the student may work either on-site, remotely, or both.

The HRSA-funded New England Alliance for Public Health Workforce Development (led by BUSPH) provides monetary and staff support to the LPHSI.  

“The Summer Internship provides much value to an undergraduate student who, particularly at a smaller local health department, can take on quite a bit of responsibility,” says Laura Rabin, Program Manager at the BUSPH Office of Public Health Practice.  “For the agencies, which are so often resource-strapped and facing workforce shortages, an undergraduate can offer a fresh perspective and valuable hard skills such as computer know-how which the agency can put to use in many different ways.”  Laura is hopeful that, for those local health departments taking their first undergraduate intern this summer, it turns into an annual placement opportunity.

The Summer Internship Program was initiated in 2005 by Steven Ward, Director of the Watertown Health Department and Worcester State University alumni, to connect undergraduates interested in environmental health careers with local public health agencies.  Through his affiliation with the MA Environmental Health Association, involvement with BUSPH as an MPH alumnus, and association with the Alliance, Steve collaborated with Kathleen MacVarish, BUSPH’s Director of Practice Programs and Clinical Assistant Professor of Environmental Health, to formalize the internship program. 

In 2010, the program was expanded to include the MA Health Officers Association (MHOA) and the Local Public Health Institute of MA (Institute).   Over the next year, the Practice Office hopes to further grow the program by working with additional professional associations, organizations, and academic institutions.

Organizations interested in recruiting an intern for this summer are asked to complete a Supervisor Application, and email it to Laura Rabin, Program Manager at BUSPH’s Practice Office.  Laura will be the point person for assigning a LPHSI intern to a local health agency.

More information about LPHSI, including open summer internship opportunities, is available at http://sph.bu.edu/otlt/lphi/internship.