Student Internship Projects & Opportunities
The Arizona Center for Rural Health staff work with professional, graduate and undergraduate students to complete internship projects impacting rural and urban underserved areas. Students can conduct a community assessment for use in developing a program plan; design, implement, and evaluate a health education program for a selected target population in the community; research and produce draft public health legislation that impacts a community, or complete biostatistical analysis and prepare quantitative public health data reports.
Examples:
- Community Health Needs Assessments
- Literature Reviews and Research
- Project SHARE Coordination, Assessment, and Marketing
- Coalition Participation
- Event and training logistics coordination
- Hospital Community Engagement Analysis
- Monthly Webinar Scheduling
- Critical Access Hospital Bypass Reports
- Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) Assistance
- Marketing and Social Media Development
- Blogs, newsletters, and reports publishing
Rural Health Internship Opportunities:
- Arizona Center for Rural Health Insurance Training Intern - The AzCRH Health Insurance Training Intern will help the Center coordinate, assess, and improve education and evaluation content for Students Helping Arizona Register Everyone (Project SHARE), a student group that trains health professional students about health insurance coverage basics and resources.
- The AzCRH Prevention Intern - will help the Center coordinate, implement, market, assess, and participate in the Arizona Prescription Drug Misuse & Abuse Initiative-Strategy 2 (promote responsible prescribing and dispensing policies and procedures) activities.
Want to advertise a rural internship project?
Please fill out the form and send a pdf version to Melissa Quezada at melissaquezada@email.arizona.edu.
Current Interns:
Beatriz Melina Martinez is born and raised in Arizona and grew up near the bordertown of Rio Rico in Santa Cruz County. Her passion for public health came about due to her geographical location along the border and having witnessed the hardships border communities face. This gave her inspiration to try and fight for the marginalized populations. Miss Martinez attended Northern Arizona University where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Public health and minors in both Spanish and Biology. She comes from a large family and through hard work and perseverance was able to become the first of her family to graduate from a four year University. Soon she aspires to attend Dental School, and will fulfill her aspiration to become a Dental Hygienist and serve rural and border communities.
Elena Cameron is a senior undergraduate public health student following the health deliveries track. She works part-time at a mosquito lab on campus that investigates mosquito-borne diseases. Ms. Cameron is also a French minor student with a thesis examining the lasting health effects of French colonization in Martinique. Her internship focuses on supporting interdisciplinary efforts for the Prescription Drug Misuse & Abuse Initiative and other opioid-related interventions and programs. Ms. Cameron’s main goal after graduating is to pursue an MPH with a focus on mental health or substance abuse to provide support to communities.
Former Interns: Experiences and Advice
Kelly Rogel
Internship Title: Prevention Intern, Spring 2018
Supervisor: Alyssa Padilla
Projects Completed at AzCRH: Created a visual representation of neonatal abstinence syndrome in Arizona targeting consumers and physicians.
"The mission of AzCRH aligned with my interests and provided insight into my future career path. I knew that working alongside an organization committed to their target population would motivate me to enjoy my projects. In addition, AzCRH provided the perfect professional setting to apply my skills and gain new ones."
Advice for Future Interns: "Take this opportunity to flourish as a professional by being proactive on leading projects/deliverable you are passionate about. Explore new interests and challenge yourself!"
Alivia Gleason
Internship Title: Marketing and Social Media Intern, Spring 2017
Supervisor: Alyssa Padilla
Projects Completed at AzCRH: Market the AZ Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse Initiative materials, market and distribute Health Insurance Literacy tools, expand Social Media content and marketing opportunities, create the AzCRH LinkedIn, draft Monthly AzCRH Newsletters, and attend and present at public health events
“I chose to do my internship at AzCRH because I was interested in reaching out to hard to reach communities and providing them with resources that can help them improve their health and wellness. I am passionate about health and wellness and believe that providing communities with educational resources regarding health and wellness is the first step to an overall healthier country.”
Advice for Future Interns: “For students who are looking for internships, I would suggest that you are open minded and look into various different internship opportunities. Make sure to ask the organization what they expect from you and be sure to let them know what you are looking for in an organization. Go with the internship that you will get something out of because you will have more valuable experience to put on your resume...”
Celine Bui
Internship Title: Medicare & Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (AzFlex) Intern, Spring 2017
Supervisor: Jill Bullock
Projects Completed at AzCRH: Compile statewide Community Health Needs Assessments, assist with the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP), help create the internship profile webpage, and compile rural resources and articles
“I have encountered patients who struggle with accessing quality healthcare, which was a motivating factor in my interest of pursuing a career as Physician Assistant. I thought that interning with AzCRH would provide me the opportunity to gain a better understanding on the issues that rural and underserved population face when accessing quality healthcare and the factors that can help improve the healthcare delivery system.”
Advice for Future Interns: “… find something that they are passionate about and to not be afraid to reach out to agencies to see if there are opportunities available and doing something that is out of their comfort zone. They should engage in activities, such as volunteering, to gain a better understanding on what their interest are and what they are passionate about. When preparing for the career they want to go into, they should follow their own pace. Even though someone may be at a different place in their career than where they are at, they should not feel rushed and to just take small steps at a time and do what is best for them.”
For more information about internships, email Melissa Quezada, melissaquezada@email.arizona.edu.
