Graduate Student Internship Program

This internship has been filled.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts Maternal and Child Health Title V Needs Assessment
Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Skill Area: Quantitative and Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis

Agency Information

Established in 1869, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) was the first state board of health in the United States. Throughout its history, MDPH has been a pioneer in the development and implementation of public health programs. Under the leadership of its current Commissioner, John Auerbach, the Department has prioritized the promotion of wellness in the workplace, school, community, and home, the management of chronic disease, and the elimination of racial and ethic disparities in health. MDPH has a strong and long-standing commitment to maternal and child health (MCH) taking a life-span approach to strengthening families. MDPH is also committed to strengthening both internal and external collaboration.

The MDPH Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition (BFHN) is the state Title V MCH program. The Bureau includes a broad array of MCH programs including WIC, Early Intervention, and Children with Special Health Needs. Other perinatal programs include home-visiting programs for families at risk; projects that examine racial disparities in perinatal outcomes and work closely with communities to address these disparities; a project focused on maternal and infant mental health; and activities promoting women’s health across the lifespan.

MDPH and the BFHN have a long history of providing services to women in their childbearing years, and our approach to service delivery is in line with the approach of the proposed project – a recognition that the health of the infant is dependent upon the health of the mother and family. Our comprehensive approach links systems and programs designed to improve pregnancy outcomes, reduce infant mortality, promote maternal health and infant health and development, and support healthy families. Our perspective emphasizes that a baby thrives best in a family that provides a safe, nurturing, healthy environment for all its members – mothers, fathers, children, and grandparents – in traditional and non-traditional family structures.

Purpose, goals, and objectives of internship

Purpose: The intern emphasize would work closely with the Title V Director, MCH Director; MCH Epidemiologist and other MDPH staff to prepare for the state MCH five-year Needs Assessment using a life-course perspective which highlights the role of social determinants of health model for assessing (1) maternal and child health; (2) child and adolescent health; (3) the health of children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHN) and their families; and (4) the state capacity for addressing the health care needs of these populations. This would include assisting with the overall planning and implementation of the Massachusetts Five-Year Needs Assessment by conducting a literature review on MCH best practices; developing and implementing a plan to outreach to stakeholders to engage them in the needs assessment and priority setting process; reviewing data from multiple sources on MCH outcomes and indicators in Massachusetts; developing and conducting surveys for families and providers to elicit their priorities for addressing MCH needs; working with stakeholders to develop theory logic models for addressing the needs of the perinatal families and children with special health care needs and their families; and finalizing the Massachusetts Five-Year Assessment Plan.
Goals: Improve the health of women, children and youth including children with special health care needs and their families by identifying state needs and assets and determining the health priorities for these populations in Massachusetts from a life-course perspective.

Objectives: Work collaboratively with MDPH staff to (1) Conduct literature review of MCH, child and adolescent health and CYSHCN best-practices. (2) Collect, analyze and summarize relevant state data on MCH, Child and Adolescent Health and CYSHCN outcomes and indicators from multiple data sources (3) Design, conduct, implement and report results of surveys, key informant interviews and focus groups for a wide range of stakeholders to assess needs and priorities for the MCH, Child and Adolescent and CYSHCN populations; (4) Develop theory logic models to illustrate plans for addressing the needs of each of these populations; (5) Prepare written summaries and reports for a variety of audiences.

Data or analytic tasks and activities

The intern will use multiple quantitative and qualitative data from the community, state and national levels. Quantitative sources of data include birth certificate data, census data, surveillance data, and population-based surveys including the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), Youth Risk Behavior System (YRBS)/Youth Health Survey (YHS), Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System (PedNSS), and Pregnancy Nutrition Surveillance System (PNSS). Project level data can also provide both quantitative and qualitative data. Additional sources of qualitative data include key informant interviews, focus groups, and family and provider surveys.

Data or analytic skills required

Interns with backgrounds in epidemiology or biostatistics and/or experience conducting and analyzing quantitative data are encouraged to apply. Experience in community organizing and working with diverse populations would be an asset. The intern will also need strong interpersonal, communication and writing skills to translate these data into reports.

Supervisors

Karin Downs, RN, MPH, Assistant Director for Clinical Affairs, Division Perinatal, Early Childhood and Special Health Needs, Acting MCH Director

Hafsatou Diop, MD, MPH, Director of Office of Data Translation (ODT) and MCH Epidemiologist

Internship begins

The data is available, and the intern could begin work any time.

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