Internship Guidelines

STUDENTS:

Download the Internship Guidelines and the Internship Orientation PowerPoint

PRECEPTORS:

Download the Preceptor Orientation PowerPoint and the Internship Guidelines

Purpose: The internship is intended to broaden students' public health perspectives and provide experience in applying information learned in courses. This course is designed to integrate practical experience in the field of public health with theory and content learned in didactic courses. The student is expected to write a report demonstrating the integration of classroom experience with the on-site internship (proposal form enclosed). This requirement is utilized to assist the student in developing a broader perspective on the work s/he is doing. In addition, the preceptor and the student should both have a sense that the internship activities are contributing to the preceptor’s work.

Process: Our program recommends that MPH students contact a state or county health department or some other health agency to arrange the internship experience. Many of our students have been closely involved with epidemiologists in a variety of settings and have undertaken the analysis of diverse datasets under the guidance of those mentors/preceptors. Internship sites are listed at

http://www.ohsu.edu/public-health/education/mph/intern_sites.doc

Supervision: Preceptors should provide close supervision and maintain frequent contact with the student. There should be a focus on how a team and the preceptor work and the rewards of doing that work. This is an opportunity for students to explore potential career paths in public health.

Projects: Student projects could involve a wide range of tasks, from developing information regarding available services to determining the effectiveness of protocols, therapies, or a consulting service. They could be involved in coding, sorting records, observing, describing projects, analyzing data, and preparing case reports. Students may assist with outbreak investigations or be involved in developing health policy through local or state agencies.

Pre-requisites: All students participating in this experience will have completed at least Epidemiology I and Biostatistics 1. The faculty strongly recommends taking Epidemiology II and Biostatistics 2 as well before participating in the internship.

Proposal: Before registering for the internship placement, the student will complete an internship proposal form that is to be signed by the internship preceptor, the student's advisor, and the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Track Director.

Report and grade: At the end of the experience, the student will submit a project report to the preceptor describing the experience and what the student has gained from it. The preceptor evaluates the paper and, based upon the student's performance during the field experience and the report, the preceptor will assign an internship grade of Pass/Fail. The preceptor will send a copy of the internship grade and the report to the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Track Director. This recommendation can be sent via email.

Extended projects: Depending upon the student and the nature of the placement, the student may be interested in doing further work at the placement site that might develop into a thesis project.

Credits and time commitment: The time to credit ratio is 36 hours of internship experience earns one course credit. MPH students need a minimum of 3, and a maximum of 6, internship credits.

DHS Expectations: If the student is located at DHS, the student must comply with the following expectations (students are already in compliance with #2):

Problems: If problems or issues arise that are barriers to achieving your learning objectives for the internship/organizational experience, discuss them with preceptor first. Then, if problems or issues cannot be resolved, discuss them with faculty advisor. Address problems early.

Waivers: Requests for waivers can be made in writing and sent to the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Track Director. Given the goal to increase student skills and develop new insights into public health, the internship requirement is rarely waived. Students with extensive public health experience, such as in a state or county health department, are expected to seek an alternate type of challenge in another area, such as health policy, health care systems research, etc. A student with substantial research experience in an academic setting will be strongly encouraged to seek field experience in a health department or other agency that will broaden the student's horizons in public health.

Internship Opportunities

posted 5/19/09:

Biostatistics Core (BC) of Methamphetamine Abuse Research Center (MARC, www.ohsu.edu/marc) at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is looking for a paid graduate student intern to assist its central database development. The position is immediately open and remains open until filled, pending the final approval of 2010 budget on the week of 5/18/09. The initial hiring period will end on 6/30/2010 with possibility of extension for another year. The work load will be up to 10 hrs per week. One of BC’s main tasks is to develop flexible central databases to housing all data generated by various research components of MARC to promote data sharing and collaborations. The intern will work under the supervision of Dr. Dongseok Choi and main job includes but not limited to

1) participate in meeting with investigators,

2) participate in designing /developing databases,

3) perform initial data quality check and descriptive analysis,

4) upload/retrieve data,

5) participate in data analysis projects

Prior experience with a statistical package will be desirable. It is expected to learn R, MySQL and basic level UNIX OS environment for projects. The pay level will be commensurate with experience. Please contact Dr. Dongseok Choi (choid@ohsu.edu, 503-494-5336) for further questions. OHSU is an equal opportunity employer.

• Closing date: open until filled
• Starting date: ASAP

posted 2/13/09:

Intracranial Hypertension Registry

The Registry, a joint project of the Casey Eye institute at OHSU and the Intracranial Hypertension Research Foundation, Vancouver, Washington is located one floor (7 th) above the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine office at:

The Intracranial Hypertension Registry seeks interns (MD/MPH and MPH) and candidates for thesis projects. Our database, designed exclusively for research, contains detailed longitudinal health information on more than 1200 patients. This is the largest collection of medical data on patients with this disorder. Chronic intracranial hypertension is a disorder of neuro-hydrodynamics with undetermined etiology. Patient symptoms include severe headache, visual disturbances with potential loss of vision, and tinnitus. Signs of intracranial hypertension include papilledema, cranial nerve palsies, and CSF pressure elevations. This disorder has been under-researched and, therefore, provides MPH candidates excellent opportunities for original investigation involving epidemiology and biostatistics.

Examples of intern/thesis projects done or in progress are the association between weight gain and visual status in women with idiopathic intracranial hypertension and predictors of successful optic nerve sheath decompression in chronic intracranial hypertension. The Registry has a multitude of different studies possible. We are also open to consider suggested projects by degree candidates. The following illustrates several projects immediately available:

• Empty Sella Syndrome: Prevalence and associations of CSF pressure levels and duration of disorder. The empty sella describes the neuroradiological appearance of the “empty” pituitary fossa as a result of compression and flattening of the pituitary gland due to the mechanical effect of sustained elevated CSF pressure. This project would make use of our Neuroimaging library which is a collection of several thousand MRI and CT head studies housed within the radiology department at OHSU. The student would work with an OHSU neuroradiologist. Clinical information in the Registry database would be used in conjunction with neuroradiologic readings of sequential studies. Questions that may be addressed: whether an empty sella is evidence of disease progression and whether it is a predictor of treatment outcome? 
• Does the degree of intracranial pressure determine potential failure of medical management and the need for surgical intervention? While there is agreement on what constitute high intracranial opening pressure readings on spinal tap,  the predictive value of these readings as to management outcomes is not known.  At what pressure levels is medical management doomed to fail? In surgical management is one type of surgery (shunt vs. optic nerve sheath decompression) offer superior outcomes based on degree of CSF pressure elevation?
• Evaluating failures of different types of neurosurgical shunts (used for CSF diversion) as a possible predictor of best shunt choice for optimal surgical outcome. There are two types of shunts used in diverting CSF: one from either a lateral ventricle (intracranial) or from the lumbar subarachnoid space to an absorptive site, most often the abdominal cavity. The former are known as VP shunts, the later as LP shunts. Both VP and LP shunts are said to have a 50% failure rate in the first year of implantation. By apparently personal experience some neurosurgeons favor one over the other. The study would determine number of failures and rate and number of revision surgeries for each type of shunt.
• Incidence of sinusitis and sinus abnormalities (based on objective neuroradiological findings) in patients with intracranial hypertension. CSF is produced within the brain (choroid plexus) and was believed only absorbed into the venous system by the one way flow through structures called arachnoid granulations. Recent studies have proposed alternative routes including the lymphatic system. Animal studies, on goats and sheep, have shown that CSF lymphatics represent the major CSF outflow channels and the nasal mucosa functions as the end destination for CSF elimination. If a similar nasal mucosal use occurs in human, under the abnormal conditions of intracranial hypertension would edematous or changes in the mucosa increase the incidence of sinusitis/sinus abnormalities? Is there a higher occurrence of sinusitis/sinus abnormalities as compared to a similar matched non IH population? In conjunction with accepted criteria would these findings improve the clinical diagnostic determination of intracranial hypertension? Of note is recent evidence that there is a reduction of smell (hyposmia) in patients with intracranial hypertension without clear explanation. Use of the Registry’s Neuroimaging Library collection of Registry patients would be utilized with the assistance of an OHSU neuroradiologist to determine the present of mucosal changes consistent with sinus abnormalities.

The IH Registry is staffed by a medical director (M.D.), 2 research co-coordinators, one completing a Registry thesis project for her MPH and one an applicant to the MPH program, and 4 OHSU volunteers. Our research coordinators are directly familiar with the MPH program and are uniquely aware and sensitive to MPH students and their circumstances.

For more information, contact:

Sara Loboy, Research Coordinator
Intracranial Hypertension Registry, Casey Eye Institute, OHSU
Mailcode - CB723
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road
Portland, OR  97239
Phone: (503) 418-2141, Fax: (503) 418-2139

posted 10/14/08:

Please see description below.  If you are interested in this internship, please contact Todd Bratton at tbratton.health@cowlitz.org

The Cowlitz Indian Tribe and the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB) have a unique internship opportunity for one OHSU student in the Master of Public Health Program.

The selected student will be working on a project to identify the health status and health needs of Cowlitz Indian Tribal Members.  The majority of the student’s time will be spent revising and/or developing mail surveys which will capture the health status and needs of the tribal members.  The surveys will be developed in a manner that allows for collected information to be compared to national data. 

The Cowlitz Indian Tribe, in Washington State, was federally-recognized in 2002.  The Tribe has no reservation, but there are nearly 3700 enrolled members dispersed throughout the Northwest and beyond. A new Tribal Clinic is under construction and will open in late summer, 2009.  The Tribe’s Health and Human Services Department programs include an Ambulatory Medical Clinic, Chemical Dependency services, Vocational Rehabilitation, Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence advocacy and services, Tobacco Prevention, Diabetes Education, Contract Health Services, and Elders, Senior Nutrition and Caregiver support services. 

Project Goal:     

Provide accurate data for the Tribal Health and Human Services Department to use in planning and delivery of health services.

Project Objectives:

1.            Quantify health status of enrolled Cowlitz Indian Tribal Members

2.            Determine the health needs of Cowlitz Indian Tribal Members residing in the seven-      county Contract Health Service delivery area.

Project Activities for Intern:

1.            Revise and reformat existing comprehensive survey into separate health needs and health status questionnaires (including instruction sheets) which will capture quantifiable,      comparable data.

2.            Prepare and print survey instruments for mail-out, including preparation of confidential return envelopes.          

Internship Requirements:

1.            Be an enrolled student in the OHSU MPH program.

2.            Consult with project participants on an ongoing manner as necessary.

3.            Follow Policies, Procedures, and other applicable rules of the NPAIHB, OHSU, and the    Cowlitz Indian Tribe.

The Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Health and Human Services Department will provide a written evaluation of the Internship.

posted 8/21/08:

Community Profile Intern

posted 7/10/08: Student Research Assistant: State of Black America Report  

The Urban League of Portland is seeking a Student Research Assistant. 

Responsible To: The State of Black Oregon Advisory Committee  

Purpose:   The Student Research Assistant will participate in the design, execution, analysis and evaluation of the State of Black Oregon report findings; collate data from existing data sources, such as census data, state and county data, coordinate written summaries and submissions   The State of Black Oregon is a report on the disparities between African Americans and the majority population based on key social and economic indicators. The report in Oregon follows the National Urban League's Equality Index, measuring the relative status of black versus white Oregonians in health, education, economics (employment, business, homeownership), criminal justice and civic engagement. It may also include comparisons over a designated period. The State of Black Oregon will contain recommendations for policy changes and practice across local, state and federal authorities, and the private sector.   The State of Black Oregon is scheduled to be published in October 2008.  

Required abilities and dispositions:  

• High personal motivation, self-management, and detail-orientation; ability to take responsibility in meeting deadlines and making progress without direct supervision.  
• Strong spoken and written communications skills.  
• Capacity and will to learn new software, research methods, and work routines quickly,  
• Motivation to engage in and manage a wide range of intellectual and physical work, ranging from organizing case studies to analyzing proposed data-collection designs.  
• Ability to share responsibilities and rewards with a networked team of coworkers,   Preferred additional qualities:  
• Strong existing computer skills with Microsoft Office (especially Excel), and general Internet and electronic communications.  
• Articulate and tactful communications skills; readiness to meet and work directly with partners and clients.  
• Junior or senior standing in the fall, or graduate student with an interest in social policy, sociology, urban studies, or black studies.   Responsibilities:  
• Handle and protect confidential and sensitive data with integrity.   o Manage data collection projects, enter and retrieve data, identifying appropriate data sources, learn and use technology to do these tasks more efficiently.  
• Assist staff and clients in the design, execution and evaluation of the research project,   including literature reviews, surveys, focus groups, data integration and analysis.  
• Produce written, tabular and visual materials for research reports and presentations.  

Position details:   This is an unpaid position; a per diem stipend will be available. Researcher will be acknowledged in the authorship credits.   The location of the project is at the Urban League of Portland, 10 N. Russell Street, Portland, OR 97227; some short distance travel might be required.   Please apply to Midge Purcell, 10 N. Russell Street, Portland ,OR 97227. Telephone: 503 280 2626. email: mpurcell@ulpdx.org or online at http://www.ulpdx.org  

posted 5/30/08:

Graduate Student Research Seed Grant on Problem Gambling