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Introduction:
My name is Emma Vann and I served as the Public Health Nutrition Analyst for Georgia

College & State University’s (GCSU) Center for Health and Social Issues (CHSI). The Center

was founded in 2002 and is a part of Georgia College that works to improve the health of local

residents through research and education. The Center believes that good health is

multidimensional and is essential to living a full life. The Center for Health and Social Issues

participates in various community health outreach projects and research such as: diabetes

prevention programs, community-based participatory research, Live Healthy Baldwin,

Harrisburg Community Engagement, as well as Childhood Obesity Prevention in afterschool

programs. By CHSI participating in and facilitating these events, it aims to empower local

residents to positively change their health statuses as well as also influence local public health

policy.

The Center, which is currently run by director Dr. Damian Francis, has one full time

grad-fellow, one part-time community outreach coordinator, and two interns. CHSI also hosts a

plethora of student and community member volunteers that rotate throughout the year. CHSI

while researching and providing education on a plethora of health issues they primarily focus on

six main areas of prevention: obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental health, cancer, and

healthcare access. CHSI is currently involved in several community health outreach and research

projects that are actively contributing to creating a healthier community here in Baldwin County

and surrounding areas. The Center is located on Georgia College’s campus which acts as a

central location for the community engagement and advocacy events that they participate in.

The Center ultimately acts as an outreach arm of GCSU as it works to improve the health of

residents within our community through the extensive and extraordinary work that it has been

and is currently doing.

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Description of Experiences:
I served as the Public Health Nutrition Analyst Intern for GCSU’s Center for Health and

Social Issues. In my role I was working on a project between us the Center, the Department of

Public Health North Central Health District, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

For this project I have been responsible for creating a list of and then contacting all identified

local stakeholders within Baldwin County to make them aware of the project. After contacting

them and beginning to build rapport we hosted an informational stakeholder meeting to

introduce them to the project and what the next steps will be. After this we created our survey

and I began interviewing each individual stakeholder, which includes anywhere food is

sold/served/distributed in Baldwin County excluding restaurants and public schools (i.e.

nursing homes, hospitals, prisons, jails, colleges/universities, food banks etc.). These

interviews and the data gathered would allow the center to assess what the current food

service guidelines are to gage what will need to be implemented for them to align with the

CDC’s Food Service Guidelines for Federal Facilities.

I have also served as a representative of CHSI at various community health outreach

events. I have thoroughly enjoyed serving in this role at the Center. My favorite experience

was getting to lobby on behalf of the American Heart Association for the passing of HB 874

and CPR funding in schools. Truly the best part of my internship was being able to work

directly within the community and learn more about the community as well as the people that

I worked with. I loved being able to be involved in the community that I have been living in

more and to feel as if this research has the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives.

While the best part was working with the community that was also the most challenging part

of the internship as well. It was very difficult to get in contact and maintain contact with

certain stakeholders in the community. Yet I was comforted in knowing that I did all in my
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abilities to attempt to contact them, and it served as a great learning opportunity for me in

building rapport with stakeholders. I wish I could have spent more time collaborating with my

stakeholders as that became a true highlight of my internship, and this was something I had

not expected at the beginning. There is not anything I wish I would have done less of.

Perception and Evaluation of the Internship:

My internship did meet and, in some ways, even exceeded my personal expectations.

Before starting my internship, I was able to meet with my supervisor to discuss the expectations

as well as reviewing my project. This was ultimately very helpful in clarifying what would be

expected of me throughout my time at CHSI. Before beginning I had expected to contribute to

the community, but I did not expect the effect that it would have on me and furthering my

passion this community. My internship gave me an opportunity to improve my professional

network and networking abilities as well as improving my confidence within the working

environment. It also allowed me to improve my working skills as well as my interpersonal skills

as I continued throughout the semester. It was exciting that the organization was very open to

my ideas and my contributions. I felt as if my input and contributions were always valued by

other workers and my supervisor as well.

My supervisor always provided me with sufficient feedback when asked, but I do think it

could be helpful in the future to require a certain amount of meeting between the supervisor and

interns. By implementing either weekly or biweekly meeting requirements it could allow for

improved working communication as well as it could serve as a time where interns could receive

feedback. This would be beneficial for both the student, the supervisor, and the professor as the

class as it could be implemented into the class requirements to ensure that interns are progressing

throughout the semester. At sometimes I did find it difficult to track down my supervisor, but he
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is an incredibly busy and by enforcing a meeting requirement it could improve this for future

interns.

I would definitely recommend this setting to future interns! Interning at the Center allows

you to become directly involved with the community that our college resides in and allows you

actively facilitate change within this community. This setting provides students an opportunity to

still be on campus while also experiencing a professional work setting. As someone who did

some service learning with them, I thoroughly enjoyed also getting to intern with them as it gave

me a different perspective of the center as I was completing different types of work. I would

consider a career in this setting if it was more aligned with my career goals, but I do believe that

I would enjoy working in an environment like this.

Internship Preparedness:
Coming into the beginning of the internship I felt as if I had been very well prepared for

my placement. Our classes and specifically senior seminar helped to prepare me for what to

expect during my internship. The internship orientation and resources provided to us at the

beginning allowed me to feel ready, comfortable, and excited to start my internship. I also felt as

if my previous job experiences have helped me to feel prepared to begin my internship. I felt

most confident about my ability to work in a timely manner and provide quality work. This

internship has been a great opportunity for me to use all the skills I have learned over the last

three and a half years so far. I learned throughout my internship that I was more prepared for this

than I had previously believed. I had also met with my internship supervisor prior to beginning

my internship to review the project, requirements, and expectations of my internship and I found

this to be incredibly beneficial as I progressed through my internship. Before beginning I was

given a folder that contained a project model, background information, and various CDC tools

and infographics that I would become very familiar with throughout my internship.
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The courses that I found most helpful and relevant to my internship were community

health, public health policy and law, senior seminar, and health promotion program planning.

Overall, the course material taught in these classes prepared me very well for my internship

placement and for future employment. By GCSU implementing requirements to meet with the

student’s supervisor prior to beginning the internship could be beneficial for all parties involved

but would allow the student to feel more comfortable about beginning the internship.

There could have been more assistance provided regarding locating an internship as well as if

there were more paid internship opportunities available. Personally, I was required to stay in

Milledgeville for this semester and this led to increased stress due to the lack of paid internships

that are available in this area. For students, like myself and several others, who are financially

responsible for themselves it can be incredibly difficult and stressful to maintain a job if due to

internship hour requirements. Providing more paid internship sites as well as thinking more

about these students would be very beneficial in the coming years.

Internship Performance
I learned a lot about using new resources that are typical within the Public Health world,

such as STATA, Qualtrics, and Zotero. One of my favorite resources I was introduced to and

learned in this internship was Zotero, which is a wonderful platform that tracks citations, notes,

and other documents all in one place. I learned so much general knowledge as well throughout

my time in my internship. This internship also allowed me an opportunity to sharpen the skills

and knowledge that I have been matriculating the last three and a half years. I now have a

working knowledge of STATA and Qualtrics which will be beneficial to me in the years to

come, especially in graduate school. This internship allowed me to improve my verbal and

written communication skills as well as improving my skills communicating with diverse

populations. In my internship I was able to witness first-hand the importance of flexibility as

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things are ever changing in public health. It also allowed me to improve my self-reflection skills

as I had to review my progress and evaluate it.

I ultimately was very satisfied with performance on the various assignments and tasks

that I was provided with over the summer. I was able to successfully meet my deadlines with

ample time. I was also able to successfully construct and offer a survey to almost twenty

institutions. I was very satisfied with my time-management abilities that allowed me to complete

all assigned tasks and more. I was also very proud of the work that I produced throughout my

time. The only part of my work that I was not truly satisfied with was the number of participants

I was able to recruit. I had a few institutions that never responded to me despite my continued

follow through with numerous contact attempts in various methods. I did come to accept this, yet

I am able to grow through this and learn how to improve my methods for the next time I do a

project like this. Overall, all the skills I have learned and taken away from this internship I do

need to continue to work on and improve as it is important to always continue to learn and self-

improve. As I enter my next stage of graduate school, I can use this opportunity as a learning

experience and a time that I can reflect on.

Personal/Professional Insights/Benefits:
This internship allowed me to further progress in my academic, professional, and

personal goals. As I am preparing for graduate schools, the skills and experiences I can take

away from my internship will set me apart from other students. This semester provided me with

invaluable work experience while still pursing my undergraduate degree and allowed me to gain

real-life public health work experience. This internship improved my confidence all around. It

improved my confidence in presenting to others, confidence in my work, as well as confidence in

my ability to facilitate change and accomplish large tasks. This internship allowed me a fantastic

opportunity to work directly with the community and expand the reach of the center as well. This
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internship also allowed me to solidify my choice of entering the Public Health field as it truly

aligns with my passions, goals, and personal interests. This internship highlighted my passion for

working deeply within the communities in order to assist in facilitating change. This opportunity

created an ability for me to foster my skills while also create an entire project and learn along the

way. I am truly grateful for this experience and my time at the Center for Health and Social

Issues.