Healthy Communities Intern

Internship Position Description

Position Title:

Healthy Communities Intern - Health Promotions Divison  (unpaid internship)

Applicants must be enrolled in a health- (e.g. MPH) or urban planning-related graduate program and have preferably completed the first year of graduate coursework.

Name and Location of Agency/Department Requesting Intern:

Health Care Agency
Public Health Services/Health Promotion Division
Santa Ana, CA 92701

Functions of Agency/Department:

The Orange County Health Care Agency’s Health Promotion Division develops and implements strategies to prevent illness and death due to chronic diseases and injuries through the promotion of healthy behaviors and community risk reduction.

Intern Duties/Responsibilities:

The Healthy Communities Intern will support one or more data-driven projects that promote healthy environments, including park access, walkability, and access to healthy foods. Specific responsibilities will vary by project, but may include field and archival data collection, data management, mapping, data analysis, literature searches and reviews, writing, review of planning documents, and interacting with diverse community and institutional stakeholders.

Educational Requirements:

The Healthy Communities Intern must have completed a bachelor’s degree, be currently enrolled in a health- (e.g. MPH) or urban planning-related graduate program and have preferably completed the first year of graduate coursework. The applicant also must have completed or be in the process of completing coursework in statistics and either epidemiology or research methods. Coursework in geographic information systems; survey methodologies; nutrition and/or physical activity promotion; and social determinants of health is preferred, but not required.

Skills, Training or Qualifications:

  • Experience in data collection/management/analysis
  • Intermediate-level skills in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word and PowerPoint
  • Coursework in ArcGIS and SPSS is preferred
  • Professional writing skills are required
  • Experience in working with diverse populations is preferred
  • Spanish or Vietnamese language skills are preferred

Time Commitment:

Time commitment varies by project, but is generally 400 hours. Internship hours may be scheduled Monday through Thursday between the hours of 8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Benefits Available to Intern:

Although this is an unpaid position that does not lead to paid employment, the internship offers valuable experience in emerging environmental obesity prevention approaches, including data components, as well as the satisfaction of making a difference in promoting the public’s health.

Additional Comments:

The successful applicant must be ready to contribute immediately to nutrition and physical activity environmental projects in a team environment, working diligently and proactively under minimal to moderate supervision.

Application Procedures

Please e-mail the following information to tichinose@ochca.com:

  • Cover letter that includes a brief discussion of your professional interests, the skills you hope to apply and/or develop through the internship, your ultimate career goals, and why you would be a good fit for this internship;
  • Resume or curriculum vitae;
  • List of relevant coursework (see Educational Requirements) as well as unofficial transcripts for graduate and undergraduate education;
  • One writing sample on a health- or urban planning-related topic, which can be from coursework, editorials, peer-reviewed literature, and/or “grey” literature.
Upon Health Promotion Division review of the aforementioned application materials, applicants with educational requirements and desired skill sets will be contacted for face-to-face interviews and appropriate candidates will subsequently be selected. Selected applicants will then be required to provide a reference, agree to a routine background check and complete additional County of Orange paperwork. The background screening for this internship does not require live scan fingerprinting. The application process requires a minimum of three or more weeks.