Graduate Student Internship Program

This internship has been filled.

Nebraska

MCH Epidemiology Intern
Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services
Lifespan Health Services Unit, Lincoln, NE
Skill Area: Data Analysis and Monitoring

Agency Information

The Lifespan Health Services Unit (formerly Office of Family Health) conducts the statewide MCH assessment, does planning, leads initiatives, develops policies, and administers programs to improve the health of men, women, infants, children, adolescents and families in Nebraska. Programs within Lifespan Health Services include: 1) Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), 2) Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), 3) Reproductive Health, 4) Immunization, 5) Perinatal, Child and Adolescent Health, 6) Newborn Screening, 7) MCH Epidemiology unit which includes the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Survey (PRAMS) and the Child Death Review Team, and 8) Office of Women and Men’s Health which administers the Every Woman Matters breast & cervical screening programs and men’s colorectal screening. Through the Title V/MCH Block Grant, Lifespan Health also supports community-based organizations, e.g., local health departments, community action programs, and programs administered within Native American Tribes, academic institutions, and hospitals.

Lifespan Health has enjoyed the presence and contributions of previous interns, several of whom we are still in touch with. The Unit looks forward to welcoming another intern to our friendly and supportive work environment and Lincoln – according to the BRFSS – the healthiest city in America!

Purpose, goals, and objectives of internship

The Lifespan Health Services Unit (LHS) has several pending projects from which a GSIP intern could choose. Our first priority is a study of perinatal regionalization in Nebraska; our goal is to understand how/whether perinatal regionalization is working in the state and what improvements should and can be made. In the spring of 2007, an MPH student surveyed 73 state birthing hospitals, obtaining information about their perinatal services and transport agreements, and contrasting hospital’s self-designated perinatal care capacity ‘Level’ with their formal Level based on definitions from the AAP/ACOG Guidelines for Perinatal Care. In the fall of 2008, another MPH student did preliminary analyses of birthing distributions and outcomes by Level. More sophisticated analyses and development of recommendations for improvements to the system are still needed.

Data or analytic tasks and activities

For the perinatal regionalization project, the intern would use the state’s linked infant birth:death data sets. Analyses of interest include: determining whether mothers with medical risk are transferred before or after the birth to a higher level hospital; computing birth outcomes including neonatal mortality rates by “Level of Care” of the infants’ birth hospitals (Levels I, II or III); assess predictors of outcomes and survival (possibly including GIS analysis of distance to hospital); and developing policy recommendations related to referral of high risk mothers in Nebraska
Analytic tasks for the maternal mortality project include basic regression and descriptive statistics; linking datasets; interpretation of data and policy development.

Data or analytic skills required

These projects will require calculation of means, cross-tabs, ANOVAs, logistic regression and a bit of systems thinking. Software skills include SAS by preference (SPSS if necessary); Excel; Word. Data linkage will be conducted using Linkage Wiz.

Supervisors

Primary: Dr. Debora Barnes-Josiah, MCH Epidemiologist in LHS

Secondary: Ms. Paula Eurek, LHS Administrator

Internship begins

The start date is flexible.

Housing

DHHS is in the downtown area, close to many apartment and housing complexes. Campus dorm rooms may also be available, depending on the exact timing. Our previous interns have preferred to find apartments or rented rooms.

Transportation

The building is served by several major bus routes.

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