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Erin Stamper, MPH in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences

Erin Stamper – MPH in Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
Practicum Site: Washington Health Foundation

I believe that I fulfilled the learning objectives and the purpose of the practicum. I learned skills and competencies that I would not have been exposed to otherwise, had the opportunity to witness and participate in partnership building with the DOH on immunizations, traveled beyond my introverted tendency to develop lasting contacts at UW for the WHF, contribute to the media, communication, and marketing aspects of health, and received a flavor for fundraising and procurement of donations.

It would have been more helpful to dedicate 40 hours per week to the project and then complete it in a shorter time frame. The WHF has a wonderful mission to make the internship experience an educational experience as well. As such, they invited various speakers in the field to talk with us and provided opportunities to go down to Olympia and participate in meetings. Despite efforts from both sides, I felt like the 20 hours per week I put in during the morning hours was a hindrance to developing strong ties with the people in the office.

Key competencies

  • Communication: both within the WHF and externally with various organizations
  • Qualitative research methods: both in determining why specific questions were asked during the focus groups and how to integrate information and idiosyncratic vernacular into a cohesive summary
  • Agenda setting: participation in meetings with state departments not only revealed the importance of face-to-face interaction and cooperation, but also revealed the importance of preparedness for such meetings and goal setting prior to, during and after
  • Fundraising: extraneous to my core project, I worked with the The Connections Group, and learned the basic principles of conducting "an ask," participated in going out to "do the ask," and brainstorming who we should be targeting

Impact personal & professional development / Resources & contacts developed

The weekly lunches that the VP of Public Affairs organized were incredibly helpful in hearing first hand experience from those in the field, beginning to develop contacts and practicing networking in a comfortable environment. Speakers that she brought in included:
- Nicole Pender, DOH Adult Immunization Program
- James Whitfield, Region 10 Director, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
- Nick Handy, Director of Elections, WA Secretary of State's Office
- Cathy Allen, President & CEO, The Connections Group
- Alison Carl White, Executive Director, Seattle Works
Due to the nature of our informal conversations, I feel comfortable contacting these people in the future. It was also helpful to see how different people, in positions of authority, reacted to our questions, our comments, and us (in general).

Recommendations

Before interviewing for a internship or practicum position establish what you want to do. I found an organization that I felt had a mission congruent with my interests, but didn't have a clear idea of which program I wanted to work on. This wasn't because I hadn't done my research. In fact, I knew about all of the programs they had to offer. I just hadn't come to a personal decision as to which project I would find most interesting. I think this was a hindrance because there was actually another program involving elementary schools that I now realize I would have rather worked on. Without coming to that decision prior to the interview, I felt I was funneled into a project that I didn't have much passion for. Ultimately, just because you like a company and the people that work there and you want to work there, don't compromise what you want to be doing there.