Health
Impact Assessment Intern – SNAP and Sugar Sweetened Beverages
INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY – SUMMER 2012
Illinois Public Health Institute
The
Illinois Public Health Institute is looking for a talented Master’s student to
assist with a Health Impact Assessment (HIA).
Candidate should be a student or recent graduate in public health,
public policy, economics or other field with strong analytical methods.
The
Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI) is a partnership of public, private and
voluntary organizations that seeks to maximize health, wellness and quality of
life for the people of Illinois. IPHI
administers a number of partnership-driven projects addressing specific program
areas, including the Center for Community Capacity Development (CCCD), the
Center for Health and Information Technology (CHIT), and the Center for Policy
and Partnership Initiatives (CPPI).
IPHI stands at the nexus of public health planning and policy, with
programs, partnerships or projects in Reducing Health Disparities, working on
the State Health Improvement Plan, Training and Technical Assistance for local
health department (LHD) assessment and certification, a pilot for voluntary LHD
Accreditation, Quality improvement and performance management training and
technical assistance, the development of a statewide Public Health Web-based
Data Query System, coordination of stakeholder engagement for large-scale
health information system design initiatives, and leadership and advocacy
around preventing obesity in Illinois.
IPHI
is working with a broad group of stakeholders to assess the health impacts of
proposed restrictions on the purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages with SNAP
(Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a set of
tools that analyzes the potential positive and negative health impacts of a
proposed policy. The HIA findings are
used to inform the policy decision-making process and provide recommendations
to mitigate health risks and maximize health benefits. For this HIA, potential positive impacts include reductions in
obesity and improvements in nutrition and oral health. Potential negative
health impacts include increased under-nourishment from reduced food access if
grocers stopped accepting SNAP, or increased stress and negative mental health
outcomes for recipients as a result of an increase in stigma. This intern will work alongside IPHI staff
and gain hands-on experience with Health Impact Assessment.
This
intern will primarily be involved in the analysis and reporting phases of this
HIA which includes: Analyzing baseline
conditions data; conducting literature reviews; collecting qualitative data (e.g., focus group, survey, key informant
interview); data analysis (qualitative and quantitative) to predict health
outcomes; writing up findings for HIA reports.
Qualified
applicants will possess the following: excellent verbal and written
communication skills; strong organizational skills; ability to take initiative
on projects; comfortable working independently and in a team; an interest in
improving the public health through policy and systems change.
This is an
exciting, hands-on learning and training opportunity to be part of the emerging
field of HIA. A range of demonstrated
skills and abilities are desirable, such as:
·
Conducting
creative research;
·
Policy
analysis;
·
Understanding
and applying literature in public health, social policy, and economics;
·
Familiarity
with methods used to predict impacts;
·
Statistical
analysis;
·
Engaging
with state-level political process;
·
Communication
of technical health findings to diverse audiences.
The
intern will have a designated space, with a desk and a computer at Illinois
Public Health Institute, 954 West Washington, 4th Floor, Chicago, IL
60607. The intern will likely
participate in some activities outside the office such as qualitative data
collection and stakeholder meetings.
The
duration and time commitment will be negotiated between the successful
applicant and her internship supervisor, and be further defined according by
the internship requirements of the student’s school. The selected candidate will be expected to
produce at least 250 hours of work during this time, with a preference for
candidates that can produce at least 300 hours of work. Interns will be expected to track their own
hours worked and meet all negotiated requirements.
This
internship will be expected to begin as soon as possible in June and will
conclude no later than the end of August.
Generally, work will be carried out between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.,
Mondays through Fridays. IPHI will be
happy to work with the student’s institution to support course credit or
practicum requirements.
This
is an unpaid position. A cash stipend may
be available to the selected intern to help defray educational expenses.
No
phone calls, please. To apply, send the
following three items to Jessica.Lynch@iphionline.org:
·
a personalized cover letter referencing
the candidate’s relevant experience and training and how they fit the
internship opportunity
·
a resume or curriculum vitae
·
one writing sample, no longer than five
pages
Applications
without all three requirements will not be considered.
The
Illinois Public Health Institute values diversity and is dedicated to the
principals of equal opportunity. All
jobs and internship opportunities are open to everyone equally. It is the policy and practice of IPHI not to
discriminate against any applicant because of race, color, religion national
origin, age, sex, disability, sexual orientation, status as a disabled veteran,
veteran of the Vietnam Era, or any other personal characteristic which is not a
relevant qualification to the specific position.