What is an Internship?

An internship is a short-term placement in one of the ACPHD programs or services that is a learning opportunity/ career exploration. The activities in a professional work setting can be for course credit and/or for hours that count towards entering an upper division college major. In some cases, interns request a letter of recommendation for admission into college or graduate programs. Learning activities could be research, such as analysis of secondary population data.

ACPHD does NOT guarantee an employment position after an internship. However, volunteer interns have enhanced their skills and resumes to successfully obtain positions within ACPHD or another organization.

An internship builds skills and knowledge that interns can utilize towards career goals.

WHAT CAN AN ACPHD INTERN DO?

Interns support many of ACPHD’s programs and services. College and graduate student interns have worked on numerous topics and performed various tasks. Some examples are:

• Health services administration and management
  • Assisted with logistics of vaccination clinics
  • Assisted Public Health Commission with setting up monthly meetings, developing agendas, taking notes and writing meeting summaries
  • Developed an ACCESS database for ACPHD’s internship program

• Health policy and advocacy
  • On violence prevention, conducted a literature review and summarizing types of community and policy-level interventions
  • Conducted literature review and summarized findings on health care access in Alameda County

• Health education and behavior change
  • Developed health education materials for youth on nutrition and physical activity
  • Conducted classes on healthy cooking and eating for middle school children

• Epidemiology
  
  • Data analysis on the relationship between transportation access and health outcomes

• Community health and health equity
  • Assisted with developing a survey on faith-based organizations’ participation with health promotion and cancer prevention for African American men

High school students contribute their knowledge and skills as interns. ACPHD hosted Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) high school students for three summers. Here’s a summary of the summer 2018 OUSD internship program:

• Health services administration and management
  
  • Participated in quality improvement planning meetings

• Health policy and advocacy
  • Worked with ACPHD staff to conduct a review of local policy and ordinance that would regulate sales of flavored tobacco to young people

• Health education and behavior change
  • Reviewed and edited health education messages on STD prevention aimed at young people
  • CHS’ Nutrition Services Unit assisted with community health education by staging Rethink Your Drink events at recreation centers, recipe tastings and demonstrations at local retail stores. She also assisted with developing a community-focused page for their website.

• Epidemiology
  • Worked in the DCDCP STD Prevention Unit to gather and analyze HIV & STD data related to youth in Alameda County and designed HIV/STD prevention messages targeting youth in Alameda County.
  • Community health and health equity
  • Assisted with an East Oakland community survey
  • Participated in reviewing and editing a financial health tool for youth
  • Observed health care screenings, assisted with food distribution and co-developed and conducted a pilot community health assessment with Maya Mam-speaking community in Oakland.