Meet the 2008 Summer Interns!
This talented group of nine people—a cross section of individuals from around the country—have much to offer and much to learn. Their internships began with a general orientation by GHFP, attendance at the Global Health Council Annual Conference, and an in-depth orientation to the PHN sector at USAID (GHFP's PHuNdamentals course) to be followed by ten weeks at USAID’s Bureau for Global Health in Washington, DC. As the summer progresses, they are busy contributing to the work of several offices including HIV/AIDS; Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition; Population and Reproductive Health; and Professional Development and Management Support. In addition, GHFP will be providing a weekly series of seminars on career development and technical issues tailored to their needs. We are very pleased to welcome them as they continue to further their careers in the field of international development. Take a close up look at the interns and see what they’ve already accomplished and what they are doing now at USAID.
As the summer progresses, they will be adding updates--"Internship Insights"-- in the form of dated entries alongside their photos.
Applications for Summer 2009 internships available November 2008. For notification join our listserv.
Mawuena Agbonyitor is the HIV/AIDS Monitoring and Evaluation Intern in the Office of HIV/AIDS, Strategic Planning, Evaluation and Reporting Division. Mawuena is working on her MD degree, to be completed in 2011, at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is the Chair of HIV Intervention and Prevention Corps.
July 14, 2008 I am working with the HIV monitoring and evaluation (M&E) team in the Office of HIV and AIDS and it has been a great experience. Interacting with PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief) I have seen how many different organizations, opinions and ideas make up the initiative. Through my work in Nigeria I saw first hand how PEPFAR funded antiretrovirals were provided free to people who would otherwise not be able to afford them, so it is great to see all the behind the scenes work that goes into creating that process.
My internship has mainly focused on the use of two new monitoring and evaluation tools - one is used for monitoring the support of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), and the other helps to create a reporting system for collecting information on community based HIV-related programs. M&E is often overlooked by development programs, as most focus more on program implementation. Many people see it as something that they must begrudgingly go through in order to get funding from donor organizations. However, M&E is a necessary process that all development programs must go through - not only to evaluate and improve their programs, but also to allow beneficiaries and staff to have input on the implementation process. This internship has been great because it has shown me how M&E can be taken from the researcher level and put back into the grassroots caregiver level. The two tools being developed are really trying to get input from the people working in the trenches to help their communities, but also allow beneficiaries to have a say in how program resources should be distributed. The tool that has been used to collect OVC outcomes will especially have a great impact on improving OVC support, as it directly looks at the needs of children and informs programs on the specific resources that should be given to a child in order to improve his or her overall wellbeing. I don't think people always realize how useful M&E can be in producing such results.
The best part of my internship has been my trip to Kigali, Rwanda to participate in the pilot testing of the tool evaluating OVC support. The trip was organized to get feedback on the tool from OVC caregivers, NGO staff, and government officials - it was very interesting to look at the differing opinions of each group as they related to the tool. The focus however, was always put back to the child and the OVC caregiver. The tool has the ability for development workers to re-evaluate the way they provide services to children, allowing them to be seen in a more holistic manner. It was great to be a part of the process for this tool's roll-out and to witness first hand how proper program monitoring and evaluation can work to improve the lives of at-risk children.
Sean Baird is the Malaria Intern in the Office of Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition, Infectious Diseases Division, President’s Malaria Initiative Team. Sean is working on his MHS-International Health degree at Johns Hopkins University to be completed in December 2008.
July 29, 2008 My internship this summer has involved:
1) Review/Finalize Malaria Operational Plans: Developing a review sheet based on MOP guidance used by PMI to examine information presented in the MOPs. Participating in the Technical Working Group for each MOP by offering input on planned activities as well as monitoring budget/indicators in each MOP
2) Outlining a database which will consolidate and synchronize data from annual reports, MOPs, DHS, MIS, and MICS. Data has been/will be analyzed for inconsistencies in indicators (primarily inaccurate definitions), financial information will be included and searchable by partner/technical intervention/country/year
3) Policy Brief on the impact of TRIPS and ACT procurement- Researching and reviewing literature surrounding TRIPS and IP law. Meetings with GC members and PMI commodity staff to inform potential problems of future malaria drug patents
4) Participating in the Human Resources for Health working group, developing project information for the PMI team informing the working group about activities currently being implemented that influence HR capacity in the field.
5) Literature review on recent publications surrounding LLIN distribution strategies
David Eric Blankenship is the Avian Influenza Commodity and Logistics Intern in the Office of Health, Infectious Diseases, and Nutrition, Avian and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Unit. David was an Emergency Room nurse in Bend, Oregon and is working on an MPH at the University of Montana. He began his nursing career working in a rural village ER in the highlands of Western Guatemala.
July 2, 2008 Primarily, my activities have involved collaborative efforts with USAID partners, specifically John Snow, Inc., aimed at meeting Task Order 2 (Avian Influenza) objectives of the USAID | DELIVER PROJECT. The overall objective of Task Order 2 is the management of the Avian Influenza International Stockpile (AIIS), which is comprised of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Decontamination, Disinfection and Disposal (3-D kits), Surveillance and Biosecurity (SBS) Kits and a variety of diagnostic supplies. The proper and effective management of these commodities requires that the following primary actions be taken:
- planning and coordinating commodity needs with USAID, partners, and other stakeholders;
- shipping and tracking AIIS commodities;
- coordinating and supporting the in-country receipt, storage, and distribution of these commodities; and
- the provision of in-country logistics technical support to improve receipt, storage, and distribution, as required.
Being a relatively new program that is constantly evolving due to the unstable nature of the virus, there have been a number of opportunities for me to become actively involved in the planning, developing and implementing of new activities and strategies. Thus far, my efforts have been focused on the development of a set of tools I have named the Inventory, Forecasting and Tracking Package. The intent of this package, as you might guess, is to improve and expand-upon existing capacity for inventory, forecasting and tracking of Avian Influenza (AI) commodities. This will in turn increase transparency of and accountability for AI commodity distribution and use, while improving demand planning systems at all levels. The Package has been presented to USAID AI and DELIVER PROJECT staff, and a scope of work has been developed outlining a Technical Assistance visit to Kaduna, Nigeria. The timeframe for this TA visit is in discussion at this time.
Britt Ehrhardt is an HIV/AIDS Counseling and Testing Intern in the Office of HIV/AIDS/Technical Leadership and Research Division. Britt will receive an MHS-International Health degree with a concentration in Social and Behavioral Interventions from Johns Hopkins University in May 2009.
July 14, 2008 I am just back from a trip to Namibia, in south-western Africa. Namibia is a focus country of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program. This means that organizations in the country receive large amounts of money from the U.S. Government (USG) for HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment. Each year, the USG team in the country (including employees of the Centers for Disease Control, the State Department, Peace Corps, USAID, and others) meets with these implementing partners and with representatives of the Namibian Government to create a detailed plan for how this HIV/AIDS money will be spent during the upcoming year. I assisted with this planning retreat and, now back in the States, continue to support remotely ongoing follow-up and planning.
My Onsite Manager will be attending the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City in August, and my second set of responsibilities has been to help her prepare for the trip. Some of this is just scheduling, but because she'll be speaking at an important session, I've also been working on the development of her presentation and on the document she'll be helping to introduce. The session will introduce some new World Health Organization guidance notes for a particular aspect of HIV counseling and testing. Drafting and finalizing anything at that level, with such a large number of stakeholders, takes an incredible amount of effort and time. We have been busy!
April Grant is an HIV/AIDS Counseling and Testing Intern in the Office of HIV/AIDS/Technical Leadership and Research Division. April has just completed her MPA-International Public Service and Development at Rutgers University Graduate School.
June 20, 2008 Right now I am working with both the Prevention and Counseling and Testing Technical Working Groups to help provide support and assistance, particularly with the COP (The Emergency Plan Country Operational Plan) process. I also am actively involved in supporting and participating in the Family Planning- HIV Integration Interagency Working Group Panel of Counseling and Testing Experts. We are all reviewing the most recent literature in the field in teams in preparation for the FP/HIV Integration workshop in October. Also, I am involved in providing support for the Orphan and Vulnerable Children Task Order under Project Search. Other ongoing tasks I have been working on include literature searches for both the Prevention and Counseling and Testing teams, working with the COPRS (The Emergency Plan Country Operational Plan and Reporting Systemt) database, and also managing the Counseling and Testing site on the PEPFAR extranet so that those in the field and in Washington can have the latest updates and information relating to Counseling and Testing. I am expecting to travel to Mozambique the end of July into August to assist with the Counseling and Testing interagency group heading out there as well as help support the mission. A SOW is currently being developed.
Ashley Lykins is the Commodity Security and Logistics Intern in the Office of Population and Reproductive Health/Commodity Security and Logistics Division. Ashley will receive a Master of Business Administration degree with concentrations in Health Care, Operations and Strategy from Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management in May 2009.
July 14, 2008 I have been spending my internship stint with the Contraceptive Security Team of the Bureau for Global Health, Office of Population and Reproductive Health, Division of Commodity Security and Logistics – GH/PRH/CSL for short. The Commodity Security and Logistics Division contains individuals from diverse educational and professional backgrounds who combine proficiency in public health, management principles, and technical expertise to promote contraceptive security around the world and across the professional field of reproductive health and family planning.
My role within the CSL Division seems to be utilizing all of my previous educational and professional experience to facilitate the Division’s overarching goal of contraceptive security. CSL, along with JSI, manages Task Order 1 of the USAID | DELIVER PROJECT. I have primarily been collecting information on procurement professional certifications; requirements/best standards for procurement specialists in public and private entities; and best practices for public procurement as they relate to this project. This research has allowed be to interact with a variety of government contracting entities, professional organizations, academics, multinational organizations, public agencies, and private industry. I have been able to incorporate my management and supply chain education along with my public policy experience to determine the impact that developing “best” practices and protocols can have in the field through risk analyses and operational impact projections. It is great to be part of such a supportive professional environment –both at CSL and PHI—and, consequently, I feel like even in my short time with USAID I will be able to offer a new perspective to existing and future discussions relating to contraceptive security.
I also feel like the internship has offered great exposure to the functionality of USAID as a donor agency and how contracting organizations fit into its overall mission. It has been a relatively complex experience to decode the intricacies of how these relationships develop and are maintained, but fascinating nonetheless! Additionally, I have been able to take advantage of a wide variety of programming offered by the Bureau and broader partners including country presentations, M&E and tool-kit reports, policy briefings, and (my personal favorite) public-private partnership trainings.
Tamarah Moss-Knight is the Program Management and Publication Intern in the Office of Population and Reproductive Health/ Service Delivery Improvement Division. Tamarah is in the PhD program in the School of Social Work at Howard University with a dissertation focus on Health services and the experiences of pregnant adolescents.
June 24, 2008 This summer is off to a great start!
I am a student in the PhD program in the School of Social Work, and the Graduate Certificate in International Studies at Howard University.
My internship started out with an introduction to the Public Health Institute, USAID, and the Global Health Fellows Internship Program. My cohort and I were then sent to attend the annual Global Health Council Conference in Washington, DC. At this meeting, I was able to hear first-hand the experiences of health professionals from a variety of settings, from all around the world. This event gave me an opportunity to absorb the information on global health trends, be exposed to the latest best practices, and learn about innovative strategies in health and development. Time spent at this conference gave me some foundational lessons to learn as I prepared for my work at USAID.
As the Program Management and Publication Intern, I work within Global Health Bureau’s Office of Population and Reproductive Health (PRH), Service Delivery Improvement Division. I participate with the program manager in the day-to-day management of the ACQUIRE project http://www.acquireproject.org/). Also, since completing the USAID PHuNdamentals for Success course as part of my internship, I am able to understand the strategic objectives of USAID, the Office of PRH, and how various projects fit. The opportunity to attend such professional development workshops as part of the Public Health Institute’s Global Health Fellows Program has been a bonus towards the growth of my career. I have also attended programmatic meetings with colleagues related to post abortion care and broader family planning issues, which will inform my development of a co-authored publication with my onsite manager.
Being involved with international development from the donor perspective is unique and exciting!
Treniese Polk is the Management Resources Planning Intern in the Office of Professional Development and Management Support. Treniese is presently pursuing a Master’s in Health Systems Management with a concentration in Health Policy Analysis at George Mason University. She is also preparing for Peace Corps service in September 2008.
July 14, 2008 Interning with the Professional Development team in the Office of Professional Development and Management Support (PDMS) has been both challenging and rewarding! Working with this USAID office has afforded me the opportunity to observe the bottom up processing of the Bureau for Global Health. From program support including budget requests and procurement plans to administrative support including Security and COOP/Vital Records & Evacuation, PDMS plays an indispensable role. In addition, PDMS is also heavily involved in overseeing the staffing of employees at Missions and providing the management and leadership development for all employees. During my internship I have been able to observe the integration of all of these components.
I am currently working on three major projects:
1.) Drafting a hiring manual for the Missions: The manual facilitates communication to the field staff regarding Global Health (GH) hiring mechanisms and highlights factors such as usage, pros and cons, and associated costs for each mechanism.
2.) Diversity Analysis: The analysis looks at diversity across three Non-Direct Hire Mechanisms and diversity as a whole in the Bureau for Global Health. I am currently working with staff to collect data on diversity trends over the last 2 years looking at race, gender, etc. over time.
3.) GH Staffing Reports: As PDMS is responsible for tracking all Non-Direct and Direct Hire staff; I have been updating the staffing numbers for Global Health worldwide, and I am working with the Office Director and other HR team members to research numbers and categories of staff. I am also updating a Kenya staffing analysis presentation.
I am certain that the remainder of the summer will continue to provide me outstanding exposure to the field of global health!
Elizabeth Torrone is the Service Delivery Improvement Research Intern in the Office of Population and Reproductive Health, Service Delivery Improvement Division, Service Delivery Improvement Team. Elizabeth is a PhD candidate in Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina. Her dissertation is entitled: Risk behavior disclosure during HIV test counseling.
July 28, 2008 I chose to participate in the GHFP Summer Internship program because I wanted to learn how to translate health research into programming/policies. As a doctoral student in epidemiology, I was well-versed in academic, research-based data analysis, but my training stopped there. Although my professors assured me that health education specialists and policy makers would seek out, access and read our research, then translate it into programs and policies, I was doubtful if that ever happened and if the research we were doing was even relevant to people on the ground!
My placement at USAID’s Office of Population and Reproductive Health in the Service Delivery Improvement Division has given me a hands-on view of research translation. The Division supports evidence-based interventions to increase the availability and quality of reproductive health services. As part of my internship, I am working with the Long Acting and Permanent Methods (LAPM) of contraception technical priority group to help identify gaps in relevant research. As a result of the research review, the working group asked that I analyze Demographic and Health Survey datasets to summarize current trends in demands for limiting and spacing by age groups across 21 countries in Africa. This project has allowed me to use my research skills while learning how to formulate a research question that is relevant and useful to program staff.
In addition, my Onsite Manager has been committed to ensuring my internship exposes me to the full breadth of USAID, including the agencies that work with the Agency. In July, I accompanied USAID project staff to New York City for an end of project review. There I had the opportunity to meet with key staff working in country on LAPM programs and participate in brainstorming sessions on future programming.
