Internship Location: Remote
Organization Type: Nonprofit
Policy Areas: Health/social determinants of health/Alzheimer’s Disease
This semester, I interned at the Center for Health Disparities Research (CHDR), an organization through the UW Madison School of Medicine and Public Health that is focused on studying and addressing social determinants of health and inequalities in health outcomes. My role involved supporting and contributing to research projects aimed at understanding how social and environmental factors influence health disparities. I contributed to researching participants in our study who had Alzheimer’s Disease, to eventually determine contributing factors of this disease. I also helped with administrative tasks and other side projects throughout the semester. One thing that surprised me through my experience was my feelings about working remotely. At the beginning of the semester I was worried I would feel disconnected from the rest of my team or struggle with time management, but working remotely actually helped me develop communication skills and time management skills. I think in the future I would prefer more of a hybrid style of work, where I have an option to be remote part of the time, and in person part of the time. One of the most valuable experiences through my internship was gaining knowledge and insight into how research informs public health policies. My work had to do with beginning research to identify barriers to health equity, so it was really interesting to see how these seemingly small steps in data collection and analysis can eventually lead to meaningful policy recommendations and potentially impactful change in the future. The skills that I have developed throughout the semester through my coursework at La Follette have helped me succeed throughout my internship. I learned a lot of valuable skills about reflecting on my work, setting intentional goals, asking for performance feedback, and the importance of communication, networking, and collaboration. Overall, I would highly recommend this internship to future students, especially to anyone who is interested in understanding how research serves as the foundation for creating impactful public health policies. This experience has increased my interest in a career in public health and motivated me to continue finding opportunities that combine research and advocacy to promote health equity in the future.