Pediatric Auditory Experience and Brain Lab

Internship Location: Madison WI

Organization Type: Nonprofit

Policy Areas: Health, Research Protocols

Throughout my time with the Pediatric Auditory Experience and Brain Lab, I had the opportunity to learn about various aspects of the research process and permitting of research programs. While working under Dr. Carlos Benitez-Barrera, I have had the chance to work in a variety of capacities. My first jobs working with him were understanding the purchasing and funding aspects of research. I worked with organizations like ShopUW+ and the accounting department at Waisman to set up funding strings for paying our participants, reconciling purchases made outside of ShopUW+, and purchasing bigger ticket items through ShopUW+ with vendors in network with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My second job was working with the Institutional Review Board to ensure that all edits for our IRB protocols were accepted and proper procedures were implemented in the lab. I was able to learn valuable lessons from the IRB process about how the permitting process for research works. I was able to learn important phrases and how to be concise and clear in my writing so that the protocols could be accepted and properly implemented. Finally, I worked on the recruitment side of both research projects. I worked directly with public and private schools across the tristate area, connected with non-profit organizations working with children who are Deaf and hard of hearing, and directly connected with families to coordinate schedules and answer questions about our research study. Throughout my time at the PAEB Lab, I was able to learn about the funding aspects of research, the permitting side, and the public side of research. This experience will be extremely valuable as I continue on my path to securing a health policy certificate as understanding health research is crucial to writing effective health policy.