Graduate Student Internship Program

This internship has been filled.

Louisiana

Assessing Needs in Behavioral Health through MCH surveillance and program data
Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals
Office of Public Health, Maternal and Child Health, New Orleans, LA
Skill Area: Needs Assessment

Agency Information

The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Program in the State of Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals serves to assure access to primary and preventive health care services for pregnant women, women of childbearing age, infants, children, and youth in Louisiana. The Louisiana MCH Program strives to identify leading causes and risk factors of morbidity and mortality among women and children in order to create targeted public health campaigns to prevent negative health outcomes and promote prevention and healthy lifestyles.

In preparation for the 2010 Title V needs assessment, five program areas and three global areas have been identified. The five program areas include Children’s Special Health Services, Maternity and Women’s Health, Child Health, Oral Health, and Behavioral Health. The three global areas to be involved with each program area include data/epidemiology, health education, and nutrition. The 2005 Title V Needs Assessment findings indicated that reducing infant mortality rates remained a critical need across Louisiana. The Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative promoted the state-wide growth of fetal and infant mortality review (FIMR) programs, which have since become known as the Louisiana FIMR Network.

Purpose, goals, and objectives of internship

In 2002, the MCH program initiated the Louisiana Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative to address high infant mortality rates across the state. The primary components of this initiative included the evidence-based Nurse Family Partnership home visiting program for first-time, low-income mothers and regional fetal and infant mortality review (FIMR) programs. In order to support the FIMR programs, the Louisiana MCH Epidemiology program undertook a large-scale, regional level data analysis project using Phase 1 Perinatal Periods of Risk (PPOR) methodology. Data from these analyses were used to support the 2005 needs assessment, and updated data are required to support decision-making for the 2010 needs assessment. As two additional years of vital records data, 2006 and 2007, will be available by late Spring 2009, new data are available just in time for the upcoming needs assessment. The availability of these data will introduce the first post-2005 hurricane data into a planning process.

The overarching purpose of this internship is to assist the Louisiana MCH Program with completion of the maternity program’s 2010 Title V Needs Assessment by using the Perinatal Periods of Risk (PPOR) approach, Phase 1 and Phase 2 birth weight specific mortality/birth weight distribution analyses, to summarize data relevant for the assessment of perinatal health needs in Louisiana as well as present these data to at least two of the eight regional FIMR groups state-wide.

Goals: (1) To learn about the Perinatal Periods of Risk (PPOR) approach by: reviewing examples of PPOR analyses from other cities and states; learning how to complete the analytic portion of the methodology; and translating the findings into useful community level presentations as part of the needs assessment process. (2)  To become familiar with vital records data, including mastering skills to appropriately manipulate data using SAS or SPSS code; (3) To become familiar with data linkage methodology and techniques; (4) To learn appropriate data to action translation skills by participating in a multi-disciplinary team to help draw conclusions and make recommendations regarding perinatal health needs in Louisiana, with specific focus on infant mortality prevention efforts; (5) To advance writing and oral presentation skills through a summary report and oral presentation to stakeholders.

Objectives: (1) Learn how to perform a data linkage for use in PPOR analyses. (2) Use 2006-2007 data in SAS or SPSS to calculate Phase 1 PPOR tables for the State of Louisiana and each of the nine Public Health Regions. (3) Assist in the selection of an appropriate reference group, and create the corresponding Phase 1 PPOR tables for the selected best case group(s). Use this information to calculate excess mortality state-wide and for each of the nine regions. (4) Use 2006-2007 data to evaluate birth weight specific mortality and birth weight distribution components of overall mortality in Louisiana and in each of the nine regions. (5) Summarize all data, including making appropriate comparisons to previous PPOR analyses (2000-02 and 2003-04), and work with MCH professionals to make recommendations to communities based on data analysis results. (6) Present data and recommendations to at least two regional and/or state-level stakeholder groups as part of the 2010 Title V needs assessment process.

Data or analytic tasks and activities

The intern will use Louisiana Vital Records data from 2006-2007 to complete the specified state-wide and regional PPOR analyses. The intern will have the opportunity to learn data linkage (birth – death), data concatenation (birth-death to fetal death), and data manipulation skills if desired. Otherwise, a pre-linked data-set will be made available for analyses. The main focus of the internship will be to learn the PPOR methodology and complete the PPOR data analysis. As PPOR has become widely recognized as a community mobilization tool relying in part on vital records data, the analytic methods combined with the opportunity to summarize and translate the data to real audiences will prepare the intern for future data to action activities as well as expose the intern to the Title V needs assessment process.

Data or analytic skills required

A successful intern will be proficient in Microsoft Excel, and either SAS or SPSS. The primary skills required for this internship include proficiency in data manipulation, including recoding of existing data into meaningful categories and calculation of new variables. Advanced data linkage and analytic methods specific to PPOR will be presented as part of the internship experience. Advanced data linkage skills using SAS and LinkPro or Link Plus will be taught by MCH senior epidemiologist before the intern conducts the data linkage. It is imperative that the intern have excellent verbal and written communication skills to prepare a final report of findings.

Supervisors

Lyn Kieltyka, PhD, CDC MCH Epidemiology Assignee to the State of Louisiana and MCH Program Senior Epidemiologist, will be the primary supervisor and mentor for the intern.

Tri Tran, MD, MPH, will serve as the secondary supervisor. 

Internship begins

Any time after May 15, 2009

Housing

Temporary housing may be found through subletting from local university students; in addition, short term leases are available from nearby apartment complexes.

Transportation

A personal vehicle is required, as this worksite is not readily accessible via public transportation.

Back to top