COVID-19 Outbreak Response Team

Apply to join Emory’s Outbreak Response Team as part of your Applied Practicum Experience (APE)!

This small team, which is part of the Emory COVID Response Collaborative (ECRC) and led by Dr. Jodie Guest, provides COVID-19 resources to communities in Georgia that are disproportionally affected by the pandemic. In the past, the ORT’s work has ranged from organizing and running COVID-19 testing and vaccination events to delivering masks to students through a school meal delivery program.

Applications for the ORT are due by February 21st at 11:59 PM EST.

You can apply here and learn more about the program here.

Global Field Experience

The Global Field Experience Financial Award (GFEFA) is a unique scholarship offered by the Rollins School of Public Health. GFE Financial Awards provide supplemental funding to support Rollins student summer field experiences in low- and middle-income countries. The scholarship was started to encourage students interested in global health to participate in supervised field training which will facilitate the transfer of classroom knowledge into practical experiences.

> View slides from 2022 GFEFA Info Session
> View recording of GFEFA Info Session
> View examples of previously funded Global Field Experiences.

The total amount of funding awarded each cycle will be based on availability of funds in a given year, the number of students who apply and the quality of the applications.

MSPH and MPH students from all departments are eligible to submit a proposal for a GFE Financial Award and must be enrolled at Rollins for the semester prior to their field experience to qualify for an award.

Students can apply to receive a GFE Financial Award after they have completed 9 hours at Rollins.
To apply, students must develop and submit an application describing a project that is:

·         Well-defined, rational, and feasible

·         Integral to the student’s public health training

·         Of measurable value to the host organization/community, and

·         Based in a clearly articulated, mutually beneficial partnership

It is important to note that the GFE Financial Award on its own does not provide you with an Applied Practice Experience. Rollins School of Public Health has separate resources dedicated to Applied Practice Experience (APE).

GFEFA Student, Project and Site Eligibility and Exclusion Criteria

Student

·         The GFEFA applications are open to RSPH MPH and MPSH students pursuing summer fieldwork, usually between their first and second years. GFEFA is not available to accelerated MPH students.

·         The field experience must be a minimum of six weeks but average field experiences are between 10 ‐ 12 weeks.

·         Students must be enrolled at RSPH or Emory for the semester following their field experience to qualify for a financial award (and to meet award requirements).

Project

·         For the purposes of GFEFA, a field experience is defined as applying public health knowledge and skills in partnership with a community to advance the wellbeing of a population(s); this includes but is not limited to research projects.

·         Funding is not provided for student travel that can be categorized as medical- or public health-“tourism;” short term mission opportunities; or shadowing clinicians in settings abroad. Students are also warned not to fall prey to third-party companies that “sell” experiences in LMIC and call these APE even though they do not offer public health supervision nor a specific implementation/research partner. Such organizations often charge for a service such as tuition, enrollment or registration. If you are not sure if your site is eligible, please contact Dr. McFarland.

·         If a project will consist only of data analysis or lab-based work, the applicant will need to justify why those activities require a student to be in-country.

Site

·         The review committee gives priority consideration to eligible fieldwork that takes place in low- and middle-income (LMIC) nations as defined by the World Bank or within indigenous regions, e.g. tribal designated statistical areas (TDSAs), land base or reservations.

·         Consideration will be given to projects in the United States and other high-income countries for specific projects related to underserved or marginal populations, e.g. refugee populations in Belgium, post-hurricane environmental data collection in Puerto Rico or Zika virus education and surveillance in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

·         The review committee will not consider applications to countries with a U.S. State Department Level 4 warning at the time of application. Should the risk of a project site escalate after funds are awarded, additional criteria may apply and there is a chance the trip may not occur at all. In addition, travel to all countries under trade or economic embargoes by the United States government (OFAC) and Afghanistan require a specific endorsement by Emory’s international insurance carrier.

·         There will be modified site eligibility in summer 2022

APE Opportunity, American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Host site: American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Practicum Description: Unique, innovative project focused on the intersect of clinical care and population health. Consists of partnership with health systems to support documentation of the emerging models used to deliver care utilizing intensive therapeutic lifestyle change.

The care delivery models are implemented in cohorts of patient, employee, or community-based populations, and the following information (at a minimum) is gathered for each implementation model:

• Model Title

• Program Location

• Summary Statement

• Background Facts

• Objective

• Program Design

• Outcome Measures

• Summary of Findings

• Program Limitations

• Implications for LM Practice

Practicum responsibilities may include any of the following:

• Introduce and describe the project

• Conduct in-depth interviews with health system leaders

• Make strategic decisions about where and how to follow up (some places whole series of conversations, possibly follow-up emails or interviews, administration)

• Manage creation of implementation brief documents

• Correct and revise drafts models in collaboration with health system leaders

• Collect and appropriately visualize outcomes data

• Contribute to the creation of the final implementation brief model

• Assist in write-up and editing/review of co-author text, potentially leading to co-authorship on publication(s)

Contact: email krystyna [dot] rastorguieva [at] emoryhealthcare [dot] org if interested

Host site: Emory Lifestyle Medicine & Wellness

Practicum Description: Production, editing and promotion of a weekly Emory podcast on health and wellness – The Whole Health Cure.

Specific tasks:

– Audio editing

– Episode preparation (notes, links, podcast art)

– Podcast hosting (currently on Simplecast, considering migration)

– Promotion of podcast on social media platforms (IG, FB, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Youtube)

– Potential assistance with scheduling of recordings and tech support

Skills:

– Advanced tech skills

– Audio editing

– Video/audioconferencing (zoom, zencastr)

– Social media skills, to help lead and grow podcast following on variety of platforms

– *We can provide training as needed, but need someone who can take initiative and is willing to learn

Benefits & perks:

– Networking with leaders of lifestyle medicine at Emory, nationally and internationally (the podcast is now in 128 countries, on 68 different platforms)

– Ability to grow your own social media presence

– Resume builder, and mentorship opportunity

– Perfect environment for someone interested in health, wellness and lifestyle medicine to learn about research, and connect with likeminded individuals

Contact: email krystyna [dot] rastorguieva [at] emoryhealthcare [dot] org if interested

Volunteer Opportunities, Emory University Urban Health Initiative

The Emory University Urban Health Initiative aims to provide health disparities education and advocacy, build collaborative partnerships and develop best practice models with low-resourced communities and those who work with them to advance equity in health and well-being. The mission of the Emory University Urban Health Initiative is to understand, sustain, and improve the health and healthcare of diverse and underserved populations in Atlanta and surrounding areas through community partnership, interdisciplinary education, community-driven research, and evidence-based programs.

Emory UHI has the following two volunteer positions available:

• Rolling Suitcase Drive Project Coordinator– Connect with any individual or organization that will collect rolling suitcases for those who receive services from the Atlanta Mission. Keep track of number of suitcases delivered through pictures and write a publishable article. This summer and fall we have several Macy’s department stores whose employee teams plan to collect suitcases.
• Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator (May qualify for Applied Practice Hours) – Research factors that may impact program effectiveness. Work with each of the UHI teams to assist in development and monitoring of evaluation plans. Monitor and report progress of program objectives and goals. Develop evaluation reports and briefings. Develop and lead education sessions for project coordinators and their teams. Write a publishable article about monitoring and evaluating university projects.

The number of hours that volunteers may work is flexible. However, most volunteers like to work six to eight hours per week.

• All volunteers will need to be CITI certified and complete the UHI Onboarding process as part of volunteer requirements.
• If interested in either position, please contact Tracie McCargo, tracie [dot] curry [at] emory [dot] edu.

For more information about the Emory Urban Health Initiative, please visit http://urbanhealthinitiative.emory.edu/index.html

Food as Medicine Practicum, Grady

In 2017, Grady established the Food as Medicine (FAM) Partnership with the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Open Hand Atlanta to address food access and chronic disease among Grady patients, employees and the greater community. Through this partnership, Grady has established mobile food pharmacies at three neighborhood clinics and opened Jesse Hill Market at Grady Memorial Hospital featuring a Food Pharmacy, Teaching Kitchen, and Farmers Market. Grady is looking for 2-3 students to assist with implementation and evaluation of FAM programs, including Fresh Food Carts serving three neighborhood clinics, JHM Food Pharmacy, cooking classes, and employee wellness efforts.
Responsibilities
Practicum students will work with Grady’s Community Benefit Manager, the Food as Medicine team, and our Registered Dietitians. The primary responsibilities of practicum students will include:

• Support JHM Food Pharmacy and Fresh Food Cart operations including planning, food packing and distribution to patients, evaluation and sustainability
• Assist with patient and employee cooking classes and food demons in the Teaching Kitchen
• Support FAM volunteer recruitment, onboarding and training
• Evaluate the nutrition program currently being offered to Grady employees
• Continue development of employee engagement opportunities related to FAM
• Assist with required FAM reporting for research and philanthropic grants

*Attendance at Fresh Food Carts at the neighborhood clinics twice per month is required. Addresses are located here.

• Asa Yancey: 1st Wednesday of the month at 9am-2pm
• Brookhaven: 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at 9am-3pm
• Ponce Center: 3rd Wednesday at 9am-2pm

Timeline
The practicum may take place over one or two semesters starting August 2021 and students must work a minimum of 10 hours/week.
Grady Health System Requirements
Students must complete a background check, drug screening, and health clearance through the ACEMAPP platform at their own expense (estimated cost is $100-150).
Students must adhere to all Grady COVID precautions including universal masking, symptom screening when on campus, and social distancing. Students are required to provide their own PPE (medical mask when on campus or cloth mask when working outdoors).
How to Apply
For more information or to apply, contact Katie Mooney, Manager of Population Health and Community Benefit, at klmooney [at] gmh [dot] edu or 678-296-2282 or. Applicants should send their resume and a brief explanation of interest by Wednesday, July 21, 2021.

APE Opportunity, Emory School of Medicine

Graduate Research Assistant, Hubert Department of Global Health

Description 

Dr. Bethany Caruso and Dr. Melissa Young, Assistant Professors in the Hubert Department of Global Health, are seeking a graduate research assistant (GRA) to assist with analysis of data from a multi-country study focused on feeding behavior and growth among a cohort of low birthweight infants. Varied analyses will focus specifically on understanding the influence of water, sanitation, and hygiene environments and hygienic feeding behaviors on growth outcomes.

Analyses opportunities and needs include basic descriptive statistics and comparisons, basic regression, and multiple regression. The student will play a crucial role to help complete necessarily analyses for papers and will therefore have an opportunity to serve as a co-author.

The ideal candidate is excited about analysis, and is proficient in SAS, R, and/or STATA for statistical analysis. The candidate should be willing to manage and clean data, open to learning new analysis techniques, and willing and able to independently troubleshoot to seek out solutions to analysis obstacles (finding resources online and in-person who may be able to assist as needed).

Knowledge about sanitation and/or nutrition great, but not required.

There may be opportunities for the student to use data for their thesis.

Second year students, particularly those in the Biostatistics and Epidemiology departments, or with strong quantitative experience are strongly encouraged to apply.

This opportunity may be of particular value for students pursuing the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) and/or WASH certificates.

The position is intended to start in the summer and may continue in the fall and spring as well. Position open for REAL and non-REAL eligible students.

Duties and Responsibilities

Primary tasks include:

• Independently analyzing data for reports and papers
• Data cleaning and management
• Producing tables for papers
• Writing up methods and results sections of papers

How to Apply:

• For the required cover letter, please describe
  • (1) Your experience with data analysis, including what statistical programs you have used in the past and are most comfortable with.
  • (2) Your public health experience, including interest/experience with WASH and/or nutrition research (reminder: it is ok if you have no experience with WASH and/or nutrition research)
  • (3) what you want to get out of the position (e.g. what skill sets do you want to practice or learn?).
• Please share resume and cover letter to Dr. Bethany Caruso (bcaruso [at] emory [dot] edu).

Graduate Research Assistant, RSPH

Position Description

An RSPH faculty member is seeking to hire a Graduate Research Assistant for federally funded cancer related projects. They are hoping to hire a student for the summer to work on our cancer survivorship program and help with data collection and analyses. This would be a great opportunity for those interested in program evaluation and implementation. Primary responsibilities may include:

• Program and monitor online data collection instruments
• Data collection (i.e. telephone-based interviews) and data entry
• Assist with administrative research tasks (i.e., research related mailings)
• Assist with mixed methods data analyses (e.g., creation of data tables, thematic analyses)
• Other tasks may include: attend research meetings and assist in report and manuscript writing.

Background

Many evidence-based interventions (EBIs) exist; however, their adoption and implementation in clinical and community settings is not optimal. Capacity-building and active dissemination are required to enhance their uptake. The cancer-related studies that the GRA would be working on seek to build capacity among health professionals in the areas of use of EBIs and program adaptation. The main project will package, evaluate and disseminate an educational and electronic personal health record for pediatric cancer survivors (SurvivorLink) among 12 pediatric cancer centers.

Qualifications

Minimum

• Highly motivated, efficient, organized, detail-oriented and interested in or experience working on research projects.

Preferred 

• Prior work experience and research preferred. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Experience with Microsoft Office products and databases, especially Excel and RedCAP, and online surveys. Experience with SPSS or SAS preferred.

Other Information 

• Compensation:  $13.50/hour.
• Start Date: as early as April 20, 2021
• Application Deadline: May 13, 2021 (Applications will be screened as they arrive; positions may be filled prior to this deadline.)   

How to Apply 

• Send resume and cover letter by email to:
  • Cam Escoffery, PhD, MPH, CHES, cescoff [at] emory [dot] edu – Associate Professor, Rollins School of Public Health
  • Victoria Krauss, MPH, vkrauss [at] emory [dot] edu – Public Health Program Associate, Rollins School of Public Health