Hey everyone! My name is Alyssa Bialek. I am a senior majoring in Public Health and Environmental Biology. I’m graduating this May but will return in the fall to continue my education at Tulane, earning my Master’s in Public Health and Tropical Medicine. I’m very invested in the health of the people of this city and I guess you could say I just was not quite ready to leave. Eventually, I hope to go on to PA school or stay in the field of public health, conducting meaningful research in climate change and other social determinants of health.
This summer, I will be interning at the American Public Health Association (APHA) in Washington D.C. I will be working in their new Climate and Health Equity Center. I am very excited to be a part of this impactful organization – APHA is a 150-year-old national non-profit that champions the health of all people and communities. The Climate and Health Equity Center focuses on advancing the conversation of climate change where it intersects with health equity and justice.
My job will include completing research on issues, developing fact sheets, blog posts, and background reports, supporting outreach and communication to members and partners, and contributing content to climate webpages. In addition, I will be able to participate in hearings, briefings, meetings, and webinars, as well as interact with APHA leadership and members. I will be able to directly apply my two degrees in Public Health and Environmental Biology at this internship, a unique opportunity that I am looking forward to.
This internship will help me hone the very important skill of being able to translate complicated evidence-based journals into articles and policy briefs that a layperson or legislator will be able to understand. Impacting meaningful change necessitates convincing people to care about what they are reading. Not only that, but they have to trust the source and be able to understand it. Being able to write effectively about science in order to inform people’s health is an important skill that I will be able to improve and build upon through this internship. Along with this, I have a few other learning objectives for this summer that I am going to prioritize:
- Contribute to research on current climate change issues relating to health equity by co-authoring papers in a peer-reviewed journal
- Update the APHA Climate and Health Equity Center’s website to reflect current priorities, research, and projects
- Form meaningful personal connections with APHA leadership, members, and fellow interns
- Practice translating complex scientific issues into language for the layperson and policymakers
- Attend and help plan APHA trainings and conferences to further professional development
NCI’s mission is educating undergraduates for women’s leadership, which will directly relate to this internship. I will be vastly improving upon my writing and research skills as well as getting to know senior leadership within APHA that will serve as role models for me.
I’m extremely excited to graduate and focus all my efforts on my internship at the APHA. Already, I have found housing and am working on figuring out the metro system! I’m from Maryland, so I grew up visiting D.C. a couple of times a year; transitioning to working there should be easier than moving to a completely new city. D.C. is known for its vibrant summer intern life and I’ll soon be taking the plunge into that myself!