Graduate Student Internship Program

2008 Catalog of Internship Opportunities

This internship has been filled.

FIMR Intern Assistant

Program: Title V: Fetal Infant Mortality Review Program (FIMR)
Public Health (DPH)/Division of Adult & Child Health Improvement (DACHI), Maternal and child Health Branch (MCH)
Department for Public Health, Adult and Child Health Improvement, Frankfort, KY
Skill Areas: Data Analysis and Monitoring, Program Evaluation

Agency Information

Shepherd, MD, FAAP, CPHQ and Title V Director. Dr. Shepherd possesses expertise in the area of epidemiology and provides strong leadership in the areas of data collection, data analysis, evaluation and quality improvement. She is highly committed to the FIMR program and to student education and she is available for ongoing leadership, planning and consultation to the program and student as needed.

The MCH Branch, DACHI houses the FIMR program. The MCH Branch administers the Title V Block Grant and various programs and special initiatives including Prematurity Prevention Initiative- Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait; Pregnancy and Smoking Prevention project; Preventive and Coordinated School Health services program; Child Fatality Review; Lead Poisoning Prevention; and, an array of Oral Health prevention programs. Under the leadership of Linda Lancaster, RN, MPA, the MCH team collaborates on various projects and will provide a rich infrastructure to support the intern through program knowledge sharing, consultation and technical assistance.

Purpose, goals, and objectives of internship

The purpose of the internship is to assist in the further development and implementation of the Fetal Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) program in greater Louisville/Jefferson county, Kentucky with the intention of taking FIMR statewide in the next 2 years. The FIMR program will collect county specific data on fetal and infant deaths as they relate to specific causes of death. This data and information will help determine programs and interventions aimed to decrease the incidence of fetal/infant death from 8.2/1,000 live births and fetal deaths to 7.3/1,000 live births and fetal deaths.

The goal of the internship is to promote general knowledge and experience of state public health agency activities and to participate in implementation of related components of a statewide FIMR program, particularly related to data management, analysis, evaluation, and reporting.

Objectives for the internship include 1) research/literature review of best practices of FIMR 2) implementation of a FIMR database; assist with data analysis and statewide FIMR report; 3) participation in agency partnership advisory meetings relative to policy development and general implementation of the FIMR program.

The project supervisor will be Tracey Jewell, MPH, BS, MCH Epidemiologist. The intern, Ms. Jewell and the FIMR program advisory committee will work together to refine all aspects of the program including development of a timeline to fulfill the overall goals and objectives. The intern will be assigned an office, computer and phone and will be provided all supplies needed to support and accomplish the internship activities.

Ms. Lancaster, RN, MPA, MCH Branch Manager will provide oversight for the internship assuring that the intern has opportunities and experiences to collaborate with public health colleagues and gain understanding and insight into public health systems.

Data or analytic tasks and activities

Familiar with Microsoft Access, and Excel, SAS a plus
Familiar with or have a desire to learn about Maternal and Child Health issues/data
Possess a basic understanding of research methodology and Access database development
Demonstrates excellent communication skills, both oral and written
Desires to learn more about surveillance projects and their usefulness in public health research

Data or analytic skills required

Assist with implementation and communication about the FIMR program, assist with design, structure and implementation of a FIMR database, assist with analysis of Jefferson County FIMR data, and assist in the design of a County level Report Card on FIMR.

Supervisors

Primary Supervisor: Tracey Jewell, MPH, BS, MCH Epidemiologist. Ms. Tracey Jewell, MPH, BS, Division MCH Epidemiologist will provide direct first line supervision for the internship. Ms Jewell has 8.5 years experience working with databases, data analysis, and developing state level reports and publications. Ms Jewell leads the division-wide Epidemiology team and works across Division lines in on-going support of program interventions, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey, Healthy Kentuckians 2010 and PRAMS projects.

Secondary Supervisor: Linda Lancaster, RN, MPA, Branch Manager, Maternal and Child Health Ms. Lancaster has worked in Title V and MCH programs for 19 years and will assist with general supervision to promote general knowledge and experiences with the Department for Public Health.

Internship begins

Spring/Summer 2008

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