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The Worcester Center for Public Health Practice
2015 Summer Internship Program
Open to Clark University Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Application Instructions
Deadline: March 20, 4:30 pm
Worcester’s Division of Public Health (DPH) has partnered with Clark University’s Mosakowski
Institute for Public Enterprise to offer qualified students paid internships for summer 2015.
Opportunities are available for undergraduate and graduate students to work on projects relating
to epidemiology, public health assessments, health-information communication, and other fields
within public health.
Each student’s summer activities will be overseen by both DPH professionals and a Clark faculty
mentor. The internships are for a period of 10 weeks, starting at the end of May or beginning of
June. The primary workspace for most interns will be on the Clark University campus.
However, interns will be expected to travel to the DPH office, and possibly to sites around the
community, periodically throughout the summer.
Interns will be selected on a competitive basis, and will receive a summer stipend of $2,500. The
stipends for graduate students will be paid by the Mosakowski Institute. Undergraduate students
are expected to apply to participate in the LEEP Fellows Program, through which they may
receive a stipend if their application is accepted. Undergraduate students who are selected for
DPH internships, but who are not accepted into the LEEP Fellows Program will be paid by the
Mosakowski Institute. We anticipate hosting approximately ten interns from Clark during
summer 2015. Students who accept internships are responsible for arranging housing for the
summer (housing will be available in Clark’s Blackstone Hall for the standard summer housing
rate). After completion of the internship, students will be expected to present the results of their
work at an appropriate university forum, and provide a brief summary report (1-2 pages) to the
Institute.
Who is Eligible to Apply?
Opportunities exist for both undergraduate and graduate students at Clark. The program is aimed
primarily at graduate students and undergraduates in their junior year, although first and second
year students and seniors who have been accepted into a Clark fifth year program are welcome to
apply. To be eligible, all applicants must be planning to return to Clark University for the
academic year after their summer internship. Some of the skills expected to be put into practice
by interns include, but are not limited to, statistics, writing, interviewing, data analysis, and GIS.
Placements and Selection
Interested students should apply following the instructions provided below. Applications will be
reviewed by a panel of Clark University faculty and administrators and DPH personnel for such
factors as academic achievement, work experience, and technical skills. DPH may also choose to
interview some applicants. Accepted students will be notified of their placements (i.e., the
specific internship that they are being offered) near the beginning of April. Descriptions of the
specific internship offerings can be found in Appendix B at the end of this document. Applicants
will indicate the internship(s) they are interested in applying for in the “Experience and
Expectations” section of their application.
Internship details will be discussed between the student and a DPH supervisor once initial
placements are announced. Through this discussion, both the student and the supervisor will
determine whether the internship placement is a good fit. Students must accept or decline
offered placements by April 13.
Faculty Mentors
Each student must choose a faculty mentor, who agrees to participate in the student’s application.
This mentor must be a full-time member of the Clark University faculty or administration. The
primary role of mentors is to provide students with guidance and communication during the
internship and to maximize the connections between the DPH internship and the student’s
academic program. The mentor also serves as a friendly ear with whom the student can share any
questions or concerns about the internship. Faculty mentors of students selected for the program
will receive a stipend of $750, and are expected to be in regular contact with both the student and
their DPH supervisor. This communication is expected to take place at least 2 times per month
during the internship period. Faculty mentors must approve the student’s application, and must
complete a Faculty Mentor Confirmation Form (see Appendix A). Undergraduate students
applying through the LEEP Fellows Program (see below) do not have to complete this form, and
should instead follow the instructions on the LEEP Projects page.
How to Apply
Applications must include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
A completed Center for Public Health Practice Internship Application (attached),
A resume or curriculum vitae of no more than 2 pages,
An electronic or scanned copy of the student’s current transcript,
Graduate students only: A completed Faculty Mentor Confirmation Form (Appendix A).
All materials, including the Faculty Mentor Confirmation Form, must be submitted as a single
pdf file to [email protected]. Hard copy submissions or those not meeting submission
requirements will not be accepted. All applications must be received by Friday, March 20, no
later than 4:30 pm, ET. Late applications will not be accepted, and deadline extensions will not
be granted.
Additional Step for Undergraduate Interns
Undergraduate students who are selected by DPH will be expected to use their internship
experience as the basis of a LEEP project. Once selected for an internship, undergraduates will
submit a LEEP Fellows application.
LEEP Fellows Program and LEEP Funding
Students who are accepted into the LEEP Fellows Program and receive LEEP Fellows funding
will be expected to complete the requirements of that program, including participation in the
LEEP Fellows boot camp and fall programming. For more information about the LEEP Fellows
Program, click here. Students with questions about the LEEP Fellows Program should contact
Michelle Bata at [email protected].
Relevant Dates
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March 20, 2015: Applications due via email no later than 4:30 pm, ET.
April 3, 2015: Approximate date by which students will be notified of application status,
and selected students will be notified of internship placements.
April 3 - April 10, 2015: Selected students communicate with DPH intern supervisors
about initial internship placements.
April 13, 2015: Deadline for selected students to accept or decline internship offers.
April 17, 2015: Deadline for undergraduates to submit LEEP Project/LEEP Fellows
applications.
Late May or early June through August, 2015: Internship activities take place.
International Students
International students that are accepted into the program will have to extend their I-20, complete
a work authorization form, and have a social security number in order to receive stipends. Please
plan accordingly, as this process can take several weeks. International students who are selected
should contact the International Students and Scholars Office in order to make sure that all the
necessary paperwork is completed.
Contact
Any questions should be directed to: Joseph Krahe, Research Associate, Moaskowski Institute
for Public Enterprise, [email protected].
Appendix A: The Worcester Center for Public Health Practice
2015 Summer Internship Program
Sponsored by Clark University
The Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise
Faculty Mentor Confirmation Form for Graduate Students
Each graduate student applying for an internship with the Worcester Division of Public Health
(DPH) must choose a faculty mentor, who agrees to participate in the student’s application. This
mentor must be a full-time member of the Clark University faculty or administration. The
primary role of mentors is to provide students with guidance and communication during the
internship and to maximize the connections between the Division of Public Health internship and
the student’s academic program. Faculty mentors of students selected for the program will
receive a stipend of $750 from the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise and are expected
to be in regular contact with both the student and their DPH supervisor during the summer.
Faculty mentors must approve the student’s application. By completing this form, the faculty
member certifies and he or she is aware of the application and has agreed to participate as a
mentor, should the student be selected for an internship.
Instructions for Faculty Mentor: Please complete this form and return it to the student, who will
submit it to Lisa Coakley, Executive Assistant to the Director, Mosakowski Institute,
[email protected]. Complete applications must be returned by the student no later than 4:30
p.m., Friday, March 20, 2015.
Name of faculty mentor ______________________________________
Name/year/program of DPH internship applicant ______________________________________
Please provide brief answers (a few sentences) to the following:
1.
How long and in what connection have you known the applicant?
2.
What do you consider the applicant’s greatest strengths?
3.
Why do you believe the applicant would succeed at and benefit from a summer 2015
DPH internship?
4.
Is there anything else you would like to add? (This can include any relevant weaknesses
of the applicant of which we should be aware.)
By returning this form, I agree to serve as Faculty Mentor for ____________________________
if s/he is selected as a DPH intern for the summer of 2015.
For further information, contact Joseph Krahe, Rsearch Associate, Mosakowski Institute for
Public Enterprise, [email protected].
Appendix B: The Worcester Center for Public Health Practice
2015 Summer Internship Descriptions
The Worcester Division of Public Health has announced the five following summer internship
opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students. Multiple interns may be assigned to work
on the same project.
YouthConnect Summer Program
Skills needed: Prior experience in monitoring and evaluation, prior experience working with
underserved youth preferred
YouthConnect Worcester provides neighborhood-based, youth development opportunities for
recreation, education, and culture, to isolated and underserved Worcester youth age 5-24 who
reside in Worcester’s most at risk neighborhoods. Summer programming runs July through
August. Students will do a comprehensive evaluation of the program, which includes surveys
and focus groups. Each student will be assigned to one site once a week (6:00 pm – 9:00 pm) to
provide administrative support. Students will be required to attend appropriate trainings through
HOPE Coalition prior to being placed at each site.
Students will be assigned to a site, and be on site once a week. (6pm-9pm) YWCA, YMCA,
Friendly House, Boys and Girls Club. Girls Inc. is a secondary site, and if there is a 5th student,
they will go to this site. Students will attend HOPE Coalition training before they go to their site
for the first time.
Healthy Markets
Skills needed: Comfort with diverse populations, organization and follow-up skills
WDPH coordinates two programs to increase food access for our region—the Healthy Corner
Store Initiative, and the Healthy Aging Food Access project. Both projects seek to change the
environments people live in to make it easier to access fresh and local fruits and vegetables.
Working with a local food justice organization, WDPH engages senior housing and small corner
stores to source produce from local farms when in season and a local distributor during the
winter and spring. Interns will work to engage storeowners, seniors, and coordinate ordering for
these sites, and will also contribute to a research study.
Greater Worcester Community Health Assessment
Skills needed: Data collection, monitoring & evaluation, comfort interacting with the public
As part of the 2015 Greater Worcester Community Health Assessment, WDPH will be leading a
process to collect an unprecedented amount of quantitative and qualitative data in partnership
with UMass Memorial and Fallon Health. The project will be directed by an advisory committee
comprised of dozens of organizations and individuals that make up the local public health system
in Worcester. Interns for this project will help collate data, interface with the community in
informing the data collection, and participate in the advisory committee meetings.
Wheels to Water and Beyond
Skills needed: Comfort working with children and/or youth development
Wheels to Water is a summer program to get young people in Worcester out moving for six
weeks of summer through directed recreation in City parks. The program includes swimming at
community organizations’ pools, a health curriculum, supplemental education from community
partners such as the EcoTarium, and a summer meals program. Interns will provide staff support
for all aspects of the program and should feel comfortable working with young people ages 7-17.
Safe Routes to School
Skills needed: Comfort with young children, observation skills
This summer WDPH will be looking to bolster its pedestrian safety programs by increasing data
collection around schools and assembling a first-ever pedestrian injury report for the city of
Worcester, combining data from all available sources. Interns will be instrumental in collecting
data and researching past efforts by other communities, as well as helping to assemble the final
report. Additionally, interns will be trained to deliver pedestrian safety training for 2nd graders to
be used at schools and after-school programs.