Internship Location: Remote
Organization Type: Nonprofit
Policy Areas: Health policy
This summer, I had the pleasure of interning with the Wisconsin Rare Disease Alliance. This inspiring organization strives to help Wisconsinites with rare disease achieve the best possible health outcomes and quality of life. They are a coalition of stakeholders that include individuals with rare diseases and their family, caretakers, clinicians, researchers, business owners, and allies. As a bipartisan organization, the Wisconsin Rare Disease Alliance uses its platform to inform and engage decision makers and legislators in Wisconsin on rare disease needs. I held a position as an Advocacy Intern. This meant that I worked to bring awareness to our organization’s projects and goals while connecting with stakeholders. My projects involved raising awareness on newborn screening (NBS) and the policy that surrounds it in Wisconsin. I became an expert on NBS and was able to communicate important information to others. I also researched rare disease diagnosis methods and made a summary page to help families navigate the difficult road of diagnosing a rare disease. This internship was very interactive through weekly meetings with the team at Wisconsin Rare and connecting with other stakeholders in the rare community. The most valuable aspect of this internship is that everyone in this field is extremely dedicated to the cause, and you can see how this passion drives real change. The individuals at Wisconsin Rare want you to get the most out of your experience, so they let you choose a project that caters to your interests and goals for internship. I was thrilled with my experience at Wisconsin Rare this summer, and I would absolutely recommend this internship to anyone who is interested in health policy. I learned valuable skills that shaped my perspective and knowledge of health policy and rare disease advocacy, especially through legislative processes.