Internships
The PRCHN Internship Program seeks undergraduate and graduate students who wish to gain experience in public health research. There are many projects and initiatives at the PRCHN offering interns a variety of experiences including: ground truthing, food retail audits, field data collection, environmental surveillance, data entry, and data analysis (depending on skill level). Specific intern duties will vary based on placement, but interns will also have the opportunity to gain an overview of all the research and surveillance conducted at the Center.
Program Overview
The goal of the PRCHN Internship program is to provide students with a dynamic experiential internship in preparation for a career in public health by developing core public health practice skills. There are many diverse research projects and initiatives at the PRCHN covering topics such as childhood and adolescent obesity and the impact of exercise and healthy eating, food deserts and access to healthy food, community gardens, adolescent health risk behaviors, use of food stamps at farmers’ markets, and cigar use in young adults.
While at the PRCHN, interns work specifically on one project but also have the opportunity to gain an overview of all the research and surveillance conducted at the center. The specific duties of each PRCHN intern will vary depending on his/her placement, but the following list provides an insight into the scope and breadth of the opportunities:
- Attendance at meetings/webinars/seminars attended by PRCHN staff to develop a deeper understanding of community partnerships to address the burden of chronic disease Identification and application of principles of health and wellness research and evaluation
- Identification and application of principles of health and wellness research and evaluation
- Develop an understanding of health literacy and the dissemination of public health knowledge
- Develop an ability to collaborate with diverse state and county health organizations, non-profit organizations, and community organizations
- Gain experience with a national school based survey monitoring adolescent behaviors: the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS)
Internships Session Timelines and Application Deadlines
The 2023 PRCHN Summer Internship Program will take place from June 5th through August 4th. This is a 9-week internship program where interns complete a minimum of 120 hours. However, the start and end dates of the internship are flexible to accommodate individual schedules if necessary. An additional number of hours may be required for these internships and will be tied to specific projects.
The internship begins with a mandatory half-day orientation and introduction to the PRCHN and to the specific project to which the intern is assigned. This is also a great opportunity to meet your fellow interns and the staff at the center!
Applications for the summer 2023 cohort are due by Friday, April 7th at 5:00 pm EST .
Requirements
- 18 years or older
- An undergraduate or graduate student at a college or university (this opportunity is open to non-CWRU students)
- Support the values and mission of the PRCHN
- Be able to complete a minimum of 120 hours for internship
The ideal student will have excellent communication and organizational skills, an ability to follow study protocols, an ability to work well with other team members, a very flexible schedule, and will be detail-oriented. All majors are welcome, but the student should be interested in research/or and public health. The students must have at least a 3.5 GPA and access to transportation.
How to Apply
Interested applicants must complete the PRCHN Training and Mentoring Application Form by April 7th. Please read the information on this page before submitting your application.
All applications will be reviewed upon receipt, and selected applicants will be invited for an interview (via Zoom or in-person). Notifications for interviews will be emailed two weeks after the application deadline. If you are applying outside the formal internship application timeline, your application will be reviewed when received and we will respond to you as soon as possible.
Adolescent Health Opportunities
The PRCHN is currently seeking students who are interested in the topic of adolescent health and wellbeing. This summer, we have a number of opportunities related to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and the Cuyahoga County Youth Work Institute.
Neighborhood Environmental Assessment Project Opportunity
June 2023 – August 2023 The Neighborhood Environmental Assessment Project (NEAP) is a place-based surveillance data collection project intended to provide community partners and researchers with valuable data about the built environmental landscape of Cleveland in relation to healthy lifestyles.
Questions?
For questions or more information, please contact Director of Training & Mentoring, Kate Chapman at KDC6@case.edu.