Graduate Student Internship Program

This internship has been filled.

Montana

MCH Partnerships and Data Assessment
Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Family and Community Health Bureau, Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Unit, Helena, MT
Skill Area: Data Analysis and Monitoring

Agency Information

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services is the second largest government agency in Montana, housing public health, Medicaid, child protective services, and social services. The department is made up of 11 divisions, including the Public Health and Safety Division, which includes most of the public health programs and services. The Public Health and Safety Division is divided into 6 bureaus, including the Family and Community Health Bureau (FCHB), which has a staff of 34 and a budget of approximately $21 million. The Bureau is primarily responsible for population-based services for families, pregnant women and women of child-bearing age, infants, children and adolescents. The programs administered in the Bureau include the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant, WIC, Title X (Family Planning), oral health, fetal, infant and child mortality review (FICMR), Children’s Special Health Services, and Public Health Home Visiting.

Purpose, goals, and objectives of internship

Purpose: To assess and describe Montana’s MCH partnerships and MCH data accessibility and use.

Goals: (1) Describe MCH-related organizations and services throughout the state. (2) Identify how MCH data and reports (including the needs assessment) are currently used. (3) Identify ways MCH data could be more accessible and useful to partner organizations.

Objectives: (1) Develop a methodology and tools for identifying and collecting information on MCH organizations throughout the state. (2) Conduct data collection from MCH-related organizations around the state on: their purpose; the populations, areas, and issues they address; how they use MCH data; what MCH data they use; accessibility of MCH data; and suggestions for additional sources and/or reports of MCH data. (3) Summarize the results of the project and prepare recommendations. (4) Present the results of the project in a visually appealing and easily understood manner, including some mapping of resources available, to project participants and other stakeholders.

Data or analytic tasks and activities

Analysis will be primarily descriptive in nature, with the possibility of some more in-depth analysis. Narrative description of findings will be a responsibility of the student. Data collection is expected to take place electronically and in-person. The student will have the opportunity to present findings to the Family and Community Health Bureau and the Family Health Advisory Council and have findings published in the 2010 Montana MCH Needs Assessment. Materials developed by the student will be used in the needs assessment planning and implementation process. The student will be requested to translate and present the project results so that they are understandable to public health practitioners and other stakeholders who are not necessarily familiar with epidemiological methods or terminology. The student is expected to participate in some data analysis related to the MCH Block Grant that will be submitted in 2009.

Data or analytic skills required

Students are expected to have basic analytic abilities and familiarity with at least one statistical software package. SPSS and SAS are the statistical analysis software packages currently used in the Bureau. Experience with Microsoft Access and Excel is helpful.

Supervisors

Primary: Dianna Frick, MPH. Dianna is the Lead Maternal and Child Health Epidemiologist for the Family and Community Health Bureau (FCHB) and the MCH Epidemiology Unit supervisor.

Secondary: Ann Hagen-Buss, MPA. Ann has worked in the Family and Community Health Bureau for two and a half years as the Maternal and Child Health Coordination Section Supervisor.

Internship begins

The start time is negotiable. May would be ideal.

Housing

Montana has had many student interns through the GSIP program and through arrangements with Emory University and other academic institutions over the last few years. Helena, the state capitol and site of the proposed student placement, is located in the middle of Montana, with easy access to mountains and lakes. Helena is home to Carroll College, and short term rentals are available during summers in accordance with the academic year. Students have had good luck with finding apartments, houses or rooms to rent in the Helena community. The local newspaper, the Helena Independent Record, has housing listings in its online classifieds section. Interns have also found rentals through Craigslist. We would also be willing to solicit the 170+ division staff for housing recommendations at the student’s request. Housing in Helena is reasonably priced.

Transportation

Helena has limited public transportation. There are buses that run on limited routes within the city limits – recent improvements (2007) have improved efficiency and access. Several students have completed a 10 week rotation with no car, using a bicycle or walking to get around town. While a vehicle would be beneficial, especially in order to enjoy the beautiful state, it is not a requirement. Much of the housing within Helena city limits is within biking or walking distance of the internship site.

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