Intern Spotlights

Jasmine Gates, MPH'27

Internship Organization: Roots of Health (Ugat ng Kalusugan)

Internship Location: Puerto Princesa City, Palawan (The Philippines)

Title/Position: Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Team Research Fellow  

What drew you to apply to this position? 

I hope to pursue a career in the reproductive health/rights/justice field, and I was very drawn to the mission of Roots of Health! I have been able to work domestically in the SRH space, but I haven’t had the opportunity to work internationally before. After learning more about the intentional and holistic approach Roots of Health has to SRH services, and I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of. Additionally, I am very interested in monitoring, evaluation & learning (MEL) work in public health and how it can help organizations assess and best utilize their resources. 

What are some of your daily tasks? What projects are you working on?

I am co-conducting a mixed methods outcome evaluation on Roots of Health’s HIV & LGBT Stigma Reduction Project with another Mailman Student (Hannah Alvarado, Epidemiology). This intervention aimed to reduce stigma surrounding HIV status and sexual and gender minorities in healthcare settings. 

My daily tasks all surround this evaluation, which can include thematic coding of focus groups, additional interviews with intervention participants and check-ins with members of the Monitoring, Learning & Evaluations team. 

What challenges have you faced/anticipate?

Whenever you live in a place where you are not fluent in the language, there are bound to be some initial difficulties. However, I am working to learn Tagalog! 

What surprised you? 

I have been amazed by all of the natural beauty here in Palawan! I saw photos before coming here but seeing it in person is so special. I went on a company-wide hike on the Philippines Independence Day, and the view from the top of the mountain was incredible. The beaches are also completely fantastic. I am so grateful to be so close to so much nature! 

Anything else? 

This has been such an amazing summer of learning and exploring already, I am so grateful to be here! 

Fiona Williams, MHA'27

Internship Organization: HRTP: A Public Health Internship Program at New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene

Internship Location: New York, NY

Title/Position: Intern, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Center of Population Health and Data Science 

What drew you to apply to this position?

I was drawn to this position because it offers the opportunity to apply what I have been learning at Mailman to public health issues at one of the largest public health agencies.

What are some of your daily tasks? What projects are you working on?

I am familiarizing myself with the Bureau of Vital Statistics legal guide (Bluebook) and NYC Health Code. I am reviewing legislative changes, including Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) law and new reporting requirements for induced terminations of pregnancy (ITOP). In addition, I am updating the Bluebook and developing a chatbot that will support BVS senior staff.

What challenges have you faced/anticipate?

One of the biggest challenges is developing a chatbot that relies on a living document. Since the Bluebook is regularly updated to reflect legal and policy changes, the chatbot must remain accurate and current as the content evolves.

What surprised you? 

While I associated BVS’ work with issuing birth and death certificates, there is also a significant amount of internal work involving legal guidance, public health data, and policy implementation that supports the agency’s operations.