What can we learn from organizations working to improve access to preventive health care? This internship offers hands-on experience researching mobile health programs, referral processes, and strategies for connecting communities to care. Through research and engagement with public health organizations, you'll identify best practices, explore challenges, and develop recommendations to inform future public health initiatives.
The intern will work with the Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) to support initiatives related to the Health in Arizona Policy Initiative (HAPI), with a focus on mobile health units (MHUs), preventive health services, and community referrals.
This internship will provide hands-on experience in public health research, program planning, and community health coordination, with opportunities to learn from organizations locally, statewide, and nationally.
Primary Responsibilities
• Mobile Health Unit Research and Best Practices: Examine and connect with mobile health unit programs across Maricopa County, Arizona, and nationally to learn about their operations, outreach strategies, services, and best practices for improving access to preventive health care.
• Referral Processes and Best Practices: Research how public health agencies, healthcare providers, and community organizations coordinate, manage, track, and follow up on referrals for preventive screenings, follow-up care, and other services, including Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) programs. Explore referral tools, workflows, and strategies to identify effective practices, common challenges, and how organizations measure successful connections to care.
• Research Report and Recommendations: Summarize findings in a report highlighting best practices, lessons learned, and recommendations that can help strengthen HAPI initiatives and be shared with other public health organizations and community partners.
Learning Objectives and Impact
Through this internship, the student will gain practical experience in public health research, health systems coordination, process improvement, and comparative analysis. The project will provide opportunities to strengthen skills in research methodology, workflow mapping, stakeholder engagement, and communicating research findings.
The intern's work will directly support HAPI's efforts to strengthen mobile health unit coordination, improve referral pathways, and expand access to preventive and early detection services. Research findings will inform future program planning and contribute to the development of evidence-informed practices and resources that can be shared with public health agencies and community partners.
