Master of Public Health (MPH)
Prevention. Promotion. Communication.

Field Training Sites

The following list of organizations have affiliation agreements with the University and are available to host students for MPH field training. You should first check with your faculty advisor to see which of the following are appropriate for your concentration.

Contact:
Ms. Erin Heaney, Executive Director
341 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14202
716-852-3813

Contact:
Ms. Joanne Haefner, MS, FNP
Executive Director
155 Lawn Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14207
(716) 875-2904 x230 or x231

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Contact

Carrie Meyer
Executive Director
511 Farber Lakes Drive
Buffalo, NY  14221
Phone: (716) 635-3947
E-mail

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Roswell Park Cancer Institute: Smoking cessation programs and projects

Applicable concentration(s): epidemiology, health behavior

1. Field Training Site Mentor/Project Director

Dr. Andrew Hyland
andrew.hyland@roswellpark.org
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences
Division of Epidemiology
Elm and Carlton Streets
Buffalo, NY 14263

2. Project

The Department of Health Behavior at Roswell Park Cancer Institute is recruiting for a student to be involved in the implementation and evaluation of smoking cessation programs and projects. Opportunity exists to collaborate with the New York State Smoker's Quitline, the Erie-Niagara Tobacco Free Partnership, the Western New York Cessation Center, which provides cessation services to thousands of smokers in the region and throughout New York State and with the Roswell Park Cancer Institute Survey Research and Data Acquisition Resource, which is conducted several studies to evaluate the impact of these services. The incumbent will work closely with research and project staff in various stages of public health programs, including program planning, implementation and evaluation. Interested students should contact Dr. Hyland.

This site requires basic infection control training before going to the site. To obtain such training, contact Mr. Leonard Borzynski, Biosafety Officer (Manager, Biosafety Division; Environment, Health and Safety): email, 829-3301. Students also need to have hepatitis B vaccination prior to an assignment at the Hospital.

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Erie County Department of Health: Epidemiology & Surveillance

Projects are related to communicable disease investigation, surveillance and related health behavior programs. Students interested in doing their field training at the Erie County Department of Health in epidemiology should take SPM 513 Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases before doing the field training.

Contact Information

Mary Walawander-Lanning
Associate Epidemiologist
Epidemiology & Surveillance
Bureau of Disease Control
Erie County Department of Health
95 Franklin St.
Buffalo, NY 14202
phone: (716) 858-7697
Email: Mary.Walawander-Lanning@erie.gov

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School of Public Health and Health Professions Departments

There are always various studies underway in departments in the School of Public Health and Health Professions and students should not hesitate to speak with faculty about the possibility of doing their field training in conjunction with one of these studies.

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Roswell Park Cancer Institute: Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences

Contact Information

James R. Marshall, Ph.D., Senior V.P.
james.marshall@roswellpark.org
Christine Ambrosone, Ph.D., Chair, Epidemiology
christine.ambrosone@roswellpark.org
Department of Cancer Prevention and Control
Elm and Carlton Streets
Buffalo, NY 14263

Cancer Prevention & Population Sciences plans and conducts research aimed at reducing cancer morbidity and mortality through the development of better links between epidemiology, tobacco control, nutrition, nutritional biochemistry, chemoprevention, and molecular biology. The Division encompasses four departments: Health Behavior, Clinical Prevention, Chemoprevention, and Epidemiology. Investigators with expertise in epidemiology, cancer cause and detection, infection surveillance and cancer surveillance comprise this program.  The Cancer Prevention Program has three major themes: Risk Assessment & Biomarkers, Tobacco Control Research, and Nutrition & Chemical Intervention.

This site requires basic infection control training before going to the site. To obtain such training, contact Mr. Leonard Borzynski, Biosafety Officer (Manager, Biosafety Division; Environment, Health and Safety): email, 829-3301. Students also need to have hepatitis B vaccination prior to an assignment at the Hospital.

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The Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo and Western New York

Contact Information

Mr. Phil Haberstro
Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo & WNY
65 Niagara Square, Room 607 (Buffalo City Hall)
Buffalo, NY 14202
716 851-4052
FAX 716 851-4309
Email: wellness@city-buffalo.org
Website: http://www.healthycommunitynetwork.com/

The Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo and Western New York USA is a public benefit  organization with the mission is to "Create Healthy Communities."  The Institute's work is done by empowering people and organizations locally, statewide and across the nation.  Founded in 1989, with offices on historic Niagara Square in Downtown Buffalo New York and on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, the Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo works with diverse teams of community-focused civic groups, non-profit organizations, businesses and public sector partners, all of whom share a common vision to help make the communities they serve better places to live.   Information on the institute’s programs can be found at http://www.healthycommunitynetwork.com/. 

This site may be most applicable for the health services administration and the community health and health behavior MPH concentrations.

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HIV/AIDS and Women of Color

Applicable concentration(s): health behavior

Contact Information

Arthur M. Michalek, Ph.D.
Chairman of Educational Affairs
Dean, Roswell Park Graduate Division
University at Buffalo
Tel: 716-845-2339
Art.Michalek@RoswellPark.org

New York leads the nation in reported cases of HIV Infection and AIDS and the number of young women of color becoming infected continues to rise. It is clear that we are not doing all that we can and should do to reach these young women with messages and means to prevent their infection with HIV. Heterosexual transmission of HIV is now the main route of infection reported by women. Many women lack the ability to negotiate protection for themselves for a variety of social and cultural reasons and need to change these circumstances that put them at risk for HIV and more.

The New York State HIV/AIDS Hotline offers free anonymous counseling over the telephone; referrals for free anonymous or confidential HIV testing; referrals for other HIV-related services; and free literature on the topics of HIV/AIDS and STDs.

Student Role

We are looking for interns to further identify the problem as well as to develop culturally appropriate messages that could be used in these communities to target women of color. This would include women with African American, Hispanic, Native American and Asian/Pacific Islander ethnic origins. These messages might be in the form of brochures, PSAs, recorded script, media campaign or simple mailings. For those interns looking for a longer experience, this project could be followed through to data collection and evaluation.

This site requires basic infection control training before going to the site. To obtain such training, contact Mr. Leonard Borzynski, Biosafety Officer (Manager, Biosafety Division; Environment, Health and Safety): email, 829-3301. Students also need to have hepatitis B vaccination prior to an assignment at the Hospital.

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The Primary Care Research Institute, Department of Family Medicine, University at Buffalo

Applicable concentrations: would depend on the specific project.

The Primary Care Research Institute (PCRI) is a transdisciplinary research unit dedicated to improving health, patient care and medical education by encouraging scholarship in primary care. With over 30 faculty and staff, the unit pursues a dynamic and diverse agenda of clinical, community, and health systems research committed to practical applications. 

Major focus areas include:

  • Health disparities
  • Integration of primary care and mental health
  • Patient safety
  • Community based participatory research
  • Addiction research
  • Distribution of health professional workforce
  • Childhood obesity
  • Complex chronic disease
  • Medical home
  • Health information technology
  • Health care planning

Students interested in exploring current projects at the Institute should contact:

Linda Kahn, PhD
Associate Vice Chair of Research Scholarship
Primary Care Research Institute
462 Grider Street
Buffalo, NY 14215
716-898-5965
Email: lskahn@buffalo.edu

Addiction Research Studies, Primary Care Research Institute, Department of Family Medicine, University at Buffalo

Contact Information

Richard D. Blondell, MD
Director of Research on Addictions
Primary Care Research Institute
University at Buffalo
462 Grider Street, CC-190
Buffalo, New York 14215-3021
Tel: 716-898-4971
Blondell@buffalo.edu

Dr. Blondell oversees many research studies related to addictions which provide useful methodological experiences in epidemiology and biostatistics.  Student should have experience working with Word, Excel and SPSS/SAS for data entry and analysis and may need to be capable of conducting telephone and in-person interviews.

Studies are conducted at various locations including Sheehan Health Network (425 Michigan Avenue, Buffalo, NY), Erie County Medical Center, and the clinical center office (1408 Sweet Home Road). The 462 Grider Street office is expected to move to 77 Goodell in early 2012.

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Catholic Medical Parners – Public Health in a Population Oriented Health Care Delivery System

Catholic Medical Partner’s (CMP)is a physician and hospital organization that has a mission to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of delivering healthcare. It designs programs to improve clinical care and service using systems theory and concepts of clinical integration. CMP is an integrated delivery system that includes 800 physicians, four acute care hospitals, and a home health care company. In addition to providing clinical services, the CMP focuses attention on health promotion (primary prevention), early detection and treatment (secondary prevention), and the prevention of long-term disability (tertiary prevention). CMP also places special emphasis upon fostering a comprehensive care management program for its client/patient membership using office based care coordinators. Such a program relies upon public health strategies built into a clinical integration framework, including demand management (primary prevention), utilization management, and outcome assessment and practice profiling.

Because CMP is a large and comprehensive health care delivery organization with emphasis on both prevention and provision of clinical care, public health students can find various opportunities to apply and learn public health skills in areas such as population health assessment, program interventions, evaluation, “pay for performance” systems, evidence based public health and evidence based medicine, and decision support systems.

CMP is working on new initiatives to spread electronic health record implementation into private practicing physicians' offices to assist office based physicians in improving quality. Student would be engaged in quality improvement initiatives in the areas of prevention and chronic health conditions using population based health data from claims, EHR and self reported data from physicians. CMP has been awarded several major grants that support the use of electronic health technology to improve clinical care.

CMP provides independent study courses for students who are interested in pursuing careers in health care administration.

Students interested in a career in managed care (eg, HMOs) and integrated health care systems should contact Mr. Dennis Horrigan to discuss possible field training opportunities at Catholic Medical Partner’s.

Dennis R. Horrigan
President and CEO
Catholic Medical Partners
1083 Delaware Ave.
Buffalo, NY 14209
Phone: 862-2162
Fax:     886-1721
E-mail: dhorriga@chsbuffalo.org

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Family Justice Center of Erie County

Applicable concentration(s): health services administration, health behavior

Organization Description

The creation of the Family Justice Center (FJC) was in response to an assessment by elected officials, community leaders, domestic violence service agencies, advocates and funders that there were systematic gaps in service delivery to victims of domestic, intimate partner and family violence, and  lack of a coordinated and well integrated response system. The FJC was established to provide a focused, efficient, coordinated and user friendly system that would improve the access and delivery of services to victims, increase victim safety and increase offender accountability. The FJC brings together the services of 13 different on-site partner agencies including the Buffalo Police Department, Erie County Sheriff’s Department, District Attorney’s Office, 8th Judicial Court, Probation Department, Neighborhood Legal Services, UB Family Medicine, Haven House, Crisis Services, The Child Advocacy Center, Hispanics United of Buffalo, International Institute of Buffalo and the Erie County Department of Social Services. A supervised waiting area is also available for children while clients are meeting with center professionals.

Students interested in working in this setting will meet with the FJC’s Volunteer Coordinator, Julie Rockmaker, and their field training faculty advisor to design an appropriate experience.
Family Justice Center website: http://www.fjcsafe.org/

Project Location

The Family Justice Center of Erie County
237 Main St., 14th Floor
Buffalo, NY 14203

Contact

Julie Rockmaker
716 558-5262
jrockmaker@fjcsafe.org

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Wellness Education Services at University at Buffalo

Applicable concentration(s): epidemiology, health behavior, biostatistics, health services administration

Organization Description

Wellness Education Services (WES) is the health promotion unit for the University at Buffalo.   WES utilizes health promotion principles and environmental strategies to build a healthy campus, to promote students' personal health, and to support academic success. WES’ staff includes an epidemiologist, an exercise science specialist, a registered dietician, substance abuse specialists, health educators, and graduate students and peer educators. The primary programmatic areas are:  alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention, sexual violence prevention, nutrition and physical activity, stress management, mental health promotion, and outreach to underserved populations (LGBTQ, veterans/military students, and international students). WES works in partnership with Counseling Services and Health Services.

Student Opportunities – Data analysis, Program Planning and Evaluation, Policy Development

WES implements the National College Health Assessment survey to evaluate college student health (see http://www.acha.org/projects_programs/assessment.cfm). This survey queries students about their habits, behaviors, and perceptions on prevalent campus health topics: alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use; sexual health; weight, nutrition, and exercise; mental health; and injury prevention, personal safety, and violence. MPH students can assist with data analysis, report writing, and program planning and evaluation based upon the findings of the survey.  The most recent implementation of the NCHA occurred during spring 2010 and includes 5,233 participants. 
Under the direction of WES, all incoming freshmen must complete an online program called AlcoholEdu. AlcoholEdu is an online prevention program that provides students with feedback about their alcohol behavior, information about alcohol use, skill development for functioning in a social environment, and reflection about the role of alcohol in an individual's life. Students complete Part 1 of the program before coming to campus, and then complete a short post-survey 45 days later. Four years of data are available for analysis (n=8,000).

Other areas where MPH students may find opportunities include sexual violence  prevention (analysis of bystander intervention and policy assessments), tobacco control, nutrition and exercise promotion, sexual health (including pregnancy issues, emergency contraception and STI prevention), health services trends, and health education hands-on interactive workshops (alcohol education for freshman and older students including ‘Drink, Flip, Think’ and ‘Secrets of a Party Girl’).

Competencies

This site can provide experiences which address the general field training competencies and the biostatistics, epidemiology, health behavior and health services administration field training competencies. For concentration-specific field training competencies, go to the concentration web pages (links to concentrations are in the left side navigation bar).

Site Mentor and Contact Information

Sherri L. Darrow, PhD
Director, Wellness Education Services
University at Buffalo
Student Wellness Team
716 645-2837 x1
darrow@buffalo.edu

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Kaleida Health: School-Based and Community Health and Wellness

Applicable concentration(s): epidemiology, health behavior, biostatistics, health services administration

This site requires basic infection control training before going to the site. To obtain such training, contact Mr. Leonard Borzynski, Biosafety Officer (Manager, Biosafety Division; Environment, Health and Safety): email, 829-3301. This site also requires a hepatitis B vaccination prior to rotation at the hospital.

Kaleida Health is involved in many activities and programs related to school and community health and wellness. Kaleida Health operates 13 City of Buffalo school-based health centers and provides school nursing services at the remaining City of Buffalo schools. School-based health centers is one of the ways that communities address the unmet health needs of young children and adolescents in the school setting during school hours. A school-based health center provides age-appropriate, culturally-sensitive primary health care and health promotion and disease prevention services. The objective is to promote wellness and healthy lifestyle habits for children, youth and families in addition to providing for comprehensive primary health care. Services provided include risk behavior assessments, nutrition education and weight management, behavioral health counseling, immunizations, health education and wellness services, annual physical examinations, diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses, First Aid, medication administration, referral to specialists, laboratory services, age-appropriate reproductive services, and vision, hearing and scoliosis screening. In addition, programs have been initiated in asthma prevention and health education, Type II diabetes prevention in middle and high school and the community, and abstinence education.

Programs and activities are continually changing. Potential areas for student involvement in various programs are many and would be matched to the student's area of study and career plans. Potential areas include, for example, needs assessments; program planning, development and implementation; evaluation; data analysis; administration (see also Kaleida Health: Administrative Opportunities in Performance Improvement); and policy research and policy development. Interested students should contact Ms. Borchardt for an appointment to discuss existing or upcoming opportunities.

Biostatistics: Work with Kaleida Health personnel to develop a public health research question that is of mutual interest to the student and Kaleida.  Proceed through the various steps necessary to answer the posed question, including: collection of available data, statistical analysis, and dissemination of results. The student's focus will be a complete and appropriate statistical analysis and interpretation of results.

Epidemiology: Work with Kaleida Health personnel and their collaborators (such as the Health Related Services Department of Buffalo Public Schools) to develop a public health research question that is of mutual interest to the student and Kaleida. Proceed through the various steps necessary to answer the posed question, including: collection of available or original data, basic epidemiologic analysis, and dissemination of results.

Health services administration: Work with members of Kaleida's Office of Community Health administrative team with the goals of exposure to and participation in the daily work tasks of the team, as well as exposure to the more global strategic plans of the department. Develop an individualized health services administration project to be completed during course of field work.

Health behavior: Work with members of Kaleida's Community Health team to develop evidence-based health behavior focused self-management skills development programming. This will be utilized to educate community lay leaders and who will disseminate the information to their numerous community contacts.

Schedule: Opportunities likely will be able to accommodate various schedules and one or two students.

Prerequisites: Prerequisites will vary depending upon the opportunities. These can be discussed with Ms. Borchardt.

Contact person:

Patricia Borchardt
Program Coordinator
Office of Community Health
Kaleida Health
726 Exchange Street, Suite 255
Buffalo, NY 14210
Phone: 859-8041
Pager: 642-5961
Email: PBorchardt@Kaleidahealth.org


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Kaleida Health: Administrative Opportunities in Performance Improvement – Hospital, School Health and other areas of Kaleida

Applicable concentration: health services administration

This site requires basic infection control training before going to the site. To obtain such training, contact Mr. Leonard Borzynski, Biosafety Officer (Manager, Biosafety Division; Environment, Health and Safety): email, 829-3301. This site also requires a hepatitis B vaccination prior to rotation at the hospital.

Kaleida's Performance Improvement (PI) team currently has opportunities to work with and mentor students in the following areas:

  • Retention and Recruitment
  • Throughput
  • Length-of-Stay Initiatives

MPH students will have the opportunity to learn and apply skills of Six Sigma, Change Acceleration Process (CAP), Work Out (WO), and Lean.  The steps will involve analyzing data and project management to implement process improvements for populations served by Kaleida.

Performance Improvement opportunities exist in many areas of Kaleida Health, including the hospital setting, school health and other programs.

Contact person:

Stephen A. Kishel
Director, Performance Improvement
859-8721 (office)
SKishel@KaleidaHealth.Org

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Independent Health – Government Affairs Office

Contact information:

Ms. Roberta Rifkin
Director of Government Affairs
Independent Health
511 Farber Lakes Drive
Williamsville, NY 14221
email: rrifkin@independenthealth.com

Among the responsibilities of the Government Affairs Office at Independent Health (IHA) is that of keeping track of state and federal legislation that impacts IHA business.  As a student intern, you would be responsible for helping to support the activities that fall under this task, using an internet based tool and with guidance from the Director of Government Affairs. By tracking legislation at state and federal levels, you will learn how health care policy becomes active and how it impacts the course of health care practices. You also will have the opportunity to contribute and participate in the other activities of the Office as deemed appropriate by the Director of Government Affairs.

If you are interested, send an email letter of interest with an attached resume to: Ms. Roberta Rifkin at rrifkin@independenthealth.com

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New York State Department of Health, Western Regional Office

The New York State Department of Health Western Regional Office oversees the full range of health and health related issues in Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates Counties.

Public health and health care surveillance activities encompassing Communicable Disease Control, Family and Community Health, Acute and Primary Care, EMS, Health Emergency Preparedness, Continuing Care (Nursing Homes, Home Health Care, Adult Homes, and Hospice), Environmental Health, Professional Medical Conduct and Narcotic Control are conducted by the Regional staff.  Direct services such as HIV counseling and testing, communicable disease investigation and control, and environmental health protection are provided, as well as contract management services, and technical consultation for community based organizations/agencies and county health departments.  Additionally, the Western Regional Office staff conducts a variety of complaint investigations and facility surveillance activities, and is actively engaged in health preparedness planning and emergency response. 

The Western Region operates out of offices in Buffalo and Rochester and has two District Offices that provide environmental health services.  Office locations include:

Buffalo
584 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14202

Rochester
335 East Main Street
Rochester, NY 14604

Geneva District Office
624 Pre-Emption Road
Geneva, NY 14456

Hornell District Office
107 Broadway
Hornell, NY 14843

Field placement opportunities may be available in several program areas dependent upon workload and DOH priorities.   Interested students should contact:

Robert Furlani
Assistant Regional Director
Western Region
NYS Department of Health
584 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14202
(716) 847-4302
raf02@health.state.ny.us

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Allegany/Western Steuben Rural Health Network, Inc.

The Allegany/Western Steuben Rural Health Network is a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the health and wellness of the community by identifying unmet needs and gaps in services and working collaboratively with other organizations to fill those needs through the development and improvement of programs.  The network is comprised of service providers and community leaders in Allegany and Steuben counties in New York.  Its objectives are to improve awareness and accessibility to quality health care; increase the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery by facilitating communication, planning, problem solving, and leveraging mutual resources; and promote the development of strategies that improve the ability of agencies to deliver services, reduce duplication and improve operational performance.  The Network has ongoing projects related to aging, behavioral health, health literacy, pharmacy, transportation, youth development, childhood nutrition, and physical activity.

Website:  http://allegany.ny.networkofcare.org/ph

If you are interested in working in a rural, community health setting, contact information:

Ms. Helen Evans
Associate Director
585-593-5223 ext. 11
Email: evansh@awsrhn.org

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American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society is the nationwide, community-based, voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service.  As a global grassroots force, the Society relies on the strength of more than three million dedicated volunteers. From the boards of directors who set strategy and policy to members of the community who organize special events and education programs, Society volunteers, supported by professional staff, drive every part of our mission. The Society’s vast array of volunteer opportunities empowers people from every community to play a role in saving lives, while they fulfill their own.

Volunteer opportunities in the Buffalo/Amherst area are available around a variety of programs and campaigns that support the Society's cancer control mission, including prevention and early detection initiatives in the community, healthcare systems and worksites; cancer support groups and other patient and family services; and advocacy for increased funding for cancer research and prevention programs, better access to health care, and improved quality of life for cancer patients and their families.

Interested students should contact Hillary Clarke at 881-2695 or Karen Hall at 689-6982.  

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Clean Air Coalition of Western New York

Posted March 2012

Clean Air Coalition of Western New York Education/Research Intern

The Clean Air Coalition of Western New York envisions a world where our environment promotes health and equity and where communities are actively engaged in decisions that impact their lives. The Clean Air Coalition builds community power by developing grassroots leaders who organize their communities to run and win environmental justice and public health campaigns in Western New York.  The organization seeks interns to assist with research and analysis for three projects: regulatory research intern, toxic research intern, and political research intern. The information gathered through these projects will be used to educate community members and inform future campaigns.

 Website: http://www.cacwny.org/

For additional information:
Contact Dr. William Scheider at wls3@buffalo.edu or 829-5369 in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine.

How to apply:
Send a cover letter explaining your interest and your availability along with your resume to the Clean Air Coalition’s Executive Director Erin Heaney at erin@cacwny.org.

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Independent Health Association, Inc. – Business and Clinical Informatics

              See also: Summer 2012 opportunity in informatics

Independent Health Association, Inc. (IHA) is one of the largest companies in Western New York meeting the community’s health needs. As a health plan, IHA serves the eight counties of Western New York and nearly 400,000 members across the country.  IHA supports many lines of business including commercial HMO and PPO/EPO, traditional indemnity, Family Health Plus, Medicare Advantage, and others. 

The Business & Clinical Informatics department at IHA provides for the integrity, use, analysis and reporting of information to effectively monitor the medical resource utilization of our members and share information internally and with providers to manage health outcomes and waste minimization; quickly and accurately identifies and interprets information to support best practice clinical delivery of care to members, including identification of care opportunities and predictive analytics; and does data mining and analysis of information in support of provider contracting and reimbursement opportunities, benefit and product development and alignment and support of other information business processes across the organization.  Clinical informatics supports employer reporting, medical/clinical decision-making, clinical performance expectations (defining best practice and adherence to best practice), ROI (return on investment) and program evaluation, provider engagement, reimbursement modeling, transparency and public reporting and regulatory reporting.

Student interns preferably would have knowledge of medical terminology; ability to express complex technical information in a user-friendly language and style; and skills in statistical analysis, biostatistics, and epidemiology.

Contact Information:

Allen Naidoo, VP Business & Clinical Informatics
511 Farber Lakes Drive
Buffalo, NY 14221
716-635-3894
anaidoo@independenthealth.com

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Summer 2012 opportunity in informatics

Description of field placement project:
The student will gain the following competencies in the field placement:

  • Understanding the role of epidemiology and biostatistics in the health insurance industry
  • Understanding the application of quality improvement principles in the industry
  • Understanding the design and execution of disease and care management programs
  • Gathering, synthesizing, and applying evidence in the public health literature to improve business processes

The Independent Health Department of Informatics will offer an unpaid MPH field placement position in summer 2012. The student will assist in the development and implementation of a  predictive model and business process designed to improve the methods by which Independent Health members are identified and recruited for disease and care management services.

Roles and responsibilities: The intern will perform literature searches to synthesize and report published information on disease and care management programs; assist in developing a business process to collect model input information across diverse departments; and perform descriptive analyses to aid in development and testing of the predictive model. The intern will also shadow research analysts and scientists, attend meetings, and perform other activities to learn about the health insurance industry with an emphasis on the role of informatics.

Requirements: completion of SPM 501 and either STA 527 or SPM 505.

Schedule: 240 hours total, 20-40 hours per week from June  11-August 24. The schedule is somewhat flexible.

Preceptor: Carole Rudra, PhD MPH, Research Scientist, Independent Health. 

Application: To apply for this position, please send a transcript and cover letter by April 15, 2012 to Dr. Rudra at crudra@independenthealth.com.