Supporting Community Health Initiatives

Description: This opportunity will offer the student a variety of experiences within the Kent County Health Department's (KCHD) Center for Community Health Strategy (CCHS). The student will work closely with CCHS staff on projects related to the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), Kent County Health Equity Council and KCHD strategic plan.  

Potential activities include creating community surveys, manuscript writing, and analysis and presentation of data from public health surveillance systems. The student will have the opportunity to explore a variety of public health topics identified as priorities in the 2023 Community Health Needs Assessment (housing, access to healthy foods, health insurance, access to health care) and take part in meetings with community partners.

Importance to Public Health: KCHD's Center for Community Health Strategy coordinates initiatives to promote healthy living, advance health equity, and improve the quality of life in Kent County. CCHS staff does not always have the capacity to perform all tasks necessary to support these initiatives or document successes to contribute to the evidence base. 

This internship will enhance the capacity of KCHD to meet the demands of these various initiatives while offering the student the opportunity to apply their education and knowledge in a real-world setting.  At the end of the internship, the student will better understand how the health department engages with community-based organizations and community members on initiatives to improve the health of those who call Kent County home.

Project Deliverables: 

The student will  work on a variety of projects, including, but not limited to: 

• Creating, administering and analyzing results of a survey delivered to community partners.
• Contributing to a manuscript documenting the implementation of strategies focused on CHIP priorities.
• Conducting epidemiological analyses of public health data and creating infographics or summary reports to share with community partners.

The student will be expected to deliver a presentation summarizing their internship experience a the Student Research Day that will take place in August.

Minimum Qualifications: 

Must be enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s degree program

• Preference given to those working with SPSS and Excel
• Computer proficiency is required