UVM’s Health Outcomes Research Internship Program
Who Should Apply?
UVM’s Health Outcomes Research Internship is a competitive internship, with students applying toward the end of their first year in the Master’s of Science in Statistics program. Interested student apply to the Department of Health, go through an interview process, and are chosen by members of VDH’s Research and Statistics program. The internship is during the students’ second year in the master’s program, for which they receive up to six credits.
Students who are interested in applying should send an email in March (with the subject: VDH Internship Program) to Richard[dot]Single[at]uvm[dot]edu with a CV/resume and a cover letter indicating your interest in the program. Send your application
Here's what interns have to say about the program:
"My internship experience improved my ability of solving realistic problems of statistics and presented me with a better view of working as a statistician."
"The Vermont Department of Health (VDH) internship has opened my eyes as to how the statistical methods I learn in school can be applied in the real world."
“I found that the experience I’ve gained during this internship has wonderfully complemented the material I’m learning in my classes."
“The experience has helped me gain insight into the careers of statisticians in applied settings."
My internship experience worked as a bridge between school
work and the real world, preparing me to go out and look for a job with
less unknowns.” - 2013 Intern
Seeking Applicants in March
UVM’s Statistics Program and the Vermont Department of Health have partnered to offer master’s students in the statistics program an excellent opportunity to gain real-world experience before they graduate. During the second year of the master’s program, students intern at the VDH and learn about the various ways in which data are collected, analyzed, disseminated, and then utilized to promote public health.
Professor Richard Single, Director of UVM’s Health Outcomes Research Internship Program, meets regularly with the interns to provide feedback and direction on research methodology and analyses. Each intern has a supervisor in the Research and Statistics Section at the VDH. The on-sight supervisors offer day-to-day guidance on one or more of a variety of projects being undertaken at the VDH. The interns also spend time with other members of the Research and Statistics Section to learn about the various projects being conducted at the VDH.
Internship projects have included:
- Producing a data brief for the Vermont Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a program that reports on Vermont residents’ health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services.
- Conducting analyses on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a survey jointly administered by the Department of Health’s Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs and the Department of Education’s Coordinated School Health Programs.
- Analyzing the Vermont Adult Tobacco Survey for the VDH’s Tobacco Control program.
- Using the Hospital Discharge dataset, containing diagnosis, procedure, and demographic information on all discharged patients in Vermont hospitals, to report on the oral health of elderly Vermonters.
Through the internship experience, students have learned how to use SAS to analyze multi-level surveys, about the probability weighting schemes used in CDC datasets, and about presenting research results through summary tables and data briefs. Interns have reported that they have learned how to work with various statistical programs, such as SUDAAN (for analyzing probability weighted survey data) and SPSS. This instruction-centered internship exposes students to the messiness of applied research, along with the challenges faced in research from project inception to final dissemination.
Last modified October 08 2014 02:34 PM