IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Thank you everyone for your continued patience and understanding during these difficult times. As of 4/24, The 2020 PRCHN Internship Program is being put on hold. For the safety of the students, the pause will likely continue through summer and possibly reopen in the fall. The few remote positions we were able to offer have already been filled before the hold took place. This means summer applicants should seriously consider pursuing other opportunities or apply for our fall internship instead. We understand this is not an ideal situation and can create inconveniences, but we hope to start our program back up once it is deemed safe by Case Western and the PRCHN. Please contact Sarah Koopman Gonzalez at sjk98@case.edu, for any questions or concerns regarding your application. Thank you.
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.
It has been an absolute blast to work with the PRCHN. Thank you for opening this door for me – it. has been life changing. I see the PRCHN as an invaluable learning environment for Cleveland residents, students and leaders, and feel lucky to have been connected. I can’t believe the opportunities I have been provided with, and am going forward with an improved/wider world view.
-Graduate Assistant/Intern, 2017
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:
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- 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
- 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)
The PRCHN offers a limited number of competitive paid internships each year. An additional number of hours may be required for these internships and will be tied to specific projects. To learn more, download a copy of the PRCHN Internship Handbook
Internships Session Timelines and Application Deadlines
The PRCHN offers three internship sessions during the year; Fall, Spring and Summer. The start and end dates of the internships are flexible within the session timelines (see table below) to accommodate individual schedules. 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 Deadline | Internship Timeline | Applications Open | Applications Deadline |
| Spring | Jan 15 – May 15 | September 1 | December 1 |
| Summer | May 15 – Aug 31 | January 1 | March 31 |
| Fall | Sept 15 – Dec 15 | May 1 | August 1 |
Requirements
To ensure that the intern maximizes his/her experience at the PRCHN, the internship commitment is for a minimum of 120 hours per internship session in blocks of at least 4 hours. The days and times for the internship will vary according to each specific project and the student’s schedule.
How to Apply
Interested applicants must complete the Internship Application Form and submit all documents requested before the posted deadlines. 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 in person interview. Notifications for interview 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 our Internship Coordinator will respond to you as soon as possible.
Questions?
For questions, please contact Dr. Sarah Koopman Gonzalez at sjk98@case.edu.