Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health, Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Programs
County: Los Angeles County, CA

Skill Area: Data Analysis and Monitoring

Internship summary
The intern will be housed in the Maternal Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Programs of Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The intern will be assigned to the Research, Planning and Evaluation (REP) unit. He or she will work closely and collaboratively with MCAH Program staff and key community stakeholders and collaborators.

Los Angeles County (LAC) is the home of nearly 10 million residents and expands to an area of approximately 4,083 square miles. LAC with its large population and multicultural communities creates a unique environment and challenges in the provision of MCAH services. The LAC Maternal Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Programs strive to achieve optimal well being for all women, infants, children and adolescents and their families in LAC. To accomplish this mission, MCAH Programs conduct assessment, policy development and assurance activities on MCAH related issues, and provide leadership in planning, collaborate with public and private providers and community partners in developing and supporting comprehensive systems of preventive and primary care, and contracts with community based organizations (CBO).

Purpose
The purpose of the internship is for the intern(s) to gain exposure and experience in MCAH research and evaluation related issues.

An evaluation project will be designed jointly with the student based on the student's skills and interests, Sample projects (described further in the attached file) include:

• Los Angeles County Mommy and Baby (LAMB) Survey: The intern will help review the survey tool, conduct phone interviews, manage/analyze data, prepare the abstracts, and discuss findings with community-stakeholders to develop effective strategies in improving birth outcomes.

• L.A. Heath Overview of a Pregnant Event (HOPE) Survey: The intern will help review the survey tool, maintain fetal/infant surveillance system, analyze data, prepare the abstracts, and discuss findings with community-stakeholders to develop effective strategies in reducing infant/fetal mortality.

• The Los Angeles County Action Learning Collaborative (LACALC): The fellow may assist the team to develop an in-depth report describing and assessing racism and infant death in LAC, following a life-course perspective; develop and revise LAMB and LA HOPE tools to further elucidate the association between racism and adverse birth outcomes; identify existing resources, potential partners, and opportunities for collaboration to further confront racism; and to develop a framework for an online learning community to share knowledge and resources for customizing training to local communities and target audiences.

Goals
The preceptor(s) will work with the student interns to develop a work plan which includes learning goals and objectives as required by his/her school and in compliance with GSIP requirement. An example of the work plan is attached.

Objectives
The preceptor(s) will work with the student interns to develop a work plan which includes learning goals and objectives as required by his/her school and in compliance with GSIP requirement. An example of the work plan is attached.

Data or analytic tasks and activities involved
Depending on the intern’s skill, experience and interest, he or she may be involved in one or more of the following projects:

• assist with LAMB/HOPE data management and analyses
• conduct data cleaning
• conduct univariate analysis
• conduct bivariate analysis (cross-tabulations, chi-square or t-tests)
• conduct multivariate analysis
• conduct multi-level analyses
• research into best practices related to improving birth outcomes and other MCAH related health issues
• research into available data to support MCAH evaluation activities

Required data or analytic skills
The following lists desired skills, but not required. We hope that the student interns will acquire these skills upon completion of the internship;

• Knowledge and ability to conceptualize and operationalize in developing a data collection system (e.g. Using Microsoft Excel, or Access);
• Skills in working with statistical packages (e.g. SAS, Epi-Info, SPSS, or others) such as generating frequency and cross-tabulation;
• Skills in data management;
• Skills in analyzing and interpreting data;
• Skills in analyzing and interpreting legislation; and
• Knowledge or experience in Geographic Information System (e.g. MapInfo, ArcView or others), - desired but not required.

Begin date
May 17, 2010

Public transportation available?
Rental assistance can be obtained by local real estate services. The MCAH program is located in a high security building and can be easily accessed by several bus lines and Los Angeles Metro Subway system.

Attachments