Interns will be provided the mentorship and training to conduct their own research project. Here are the five possible projects students can be matched with:
Understanding immigrants’ cardiovascular disease preventive care utilization: An epidemiologic and system dynamics approach
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Danielle Crookes
Project Overview:
This project with use community-based system dynamics (CBSD) group model building (GMB), a participatory approach to system dynamics, to create a system map that depicts causal relationships and feedback loops between community-identified components of the sociopolitical environment thought to affect cardiovascular disease preventive care utilization. In CBSD, community members and other stakeholders are engaged in one or more parts of the system dynamics model building process to develop an evolving, shared understanding of the system structure. In GMB, community members and other stakeholders are convened to develop and refine a system map that graphically depicts the system structure hypothesized to yield changes to a problem of interest. Selected interns will be incorporated into the Core Modeling Team (planning team) and will be asked to attend trainings on CBSD and GMB, attend planning meetings (e.g., plan GMB activities and agendas, selection and recruitment of community organizations and community representatives to participate in the GMB activities), serve as support during the conduct of the GMB sessions (e.g., 3 90-minute sessions), participate in session debriefs, and participate in the assembly of report-out documents for participants, community dissemination and academic dissemination. Interns will be mentored and trained throughout the process, directly by myself at all activities, as well as by a graduate student assistant. The interns will also have the opportunity to interact with other faculty and community organizations who serve on the planning committee throughout any planning activities.
Migration and Health Initiative
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Carmel Salhi
Project Overview:
Selected interns will work on Dr. Salhi’s Migration & Health Initiative, under the Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research. This initiative is focused on highlighting community-driven scholarship that is happening in and around the Boston area, particularly as it relates to efforts to combat forced migration and its effects. Interns will learn about community-based efforts in the area, reach out to potential partners or collaborators, and organize events which take place in community locations. In the past, this initiative has worked with community partners such as the Asian Community Development Corporation, the Asian American Resource Workshop, and CHIC Community Engagement Consulting in Chinatown.
The Perspectives about Trauma and Health (PATH) Project
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alisa Lincoln
Project Overview:
Selected interns will join Dr. Lincoln’s community-engaged research team funded by the Biology of Trauma Initiative at The Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA. The Perspectives about Trauma and Health Project is focused on understanding how people who have experienced a wide range of trauma think about and make meaning of the ways trauma impacts health. The team is partnering with community organizations who support people who have experienced trauma occurring at different points across the life course. Interns will assist in conducting 60-80 qualitative interviews as part of the first phase of the project.
Multilevel Determinants of Physical Activity Engagement in Black Autistic Children and their Caregivers
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Winston Kennedy
Project Overview:
Selected interns will assist on a project that will include interviewing Black autistic adolescents and their caregivers, so they can share their lived experiences pertaining to physical activity engagement. The information will be used to address the long-term goal of this work, which is to create a toolkit that community physical activity programs can use. The toolkits will support the creation and adaptation of community programming that promotes Black autistic adolescents engaging in physical activity, so they can maintain a healthy lifestyle as they grow into adults.
Evaluation of Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition Programs
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Laura Senier
Project Overview:
Selected interns will work with Dr. Senier and her team to conduct a thorough evaluation of all MFFC programming. The team will be creating new survey tools that they will use to collect data at the weekly farmer’s market, the youth farm stand, the Woolson Street community gardens, and the Annual Fall Nature Walk/Tea Party. After attending training sessions, participating in a research experience, and receiving mentorship by faculty-community-near peers, the year will culminate in each SHINE trainee presenting a research poster to the SHINE community including all faculty, community, and near peer research mentors. Dr. Senier, the mentor leading the project, has been working with the Mattapan Food & Fitness Coalition since 2018, providing technical assistance and program evaluation support, particularly for their youth development program. With support from NU-PEL (The Northeastern University Public Evaluation Lab), the IHESJR, and Health Equity Interns, she has supervised data collection (qualitative and quantitative) to assess outcomes of their youth development program, known as Vigorous Youth. Interns will continue this partnership beyond the youth program and take a broader look at the work they do to support the Mattapan and Boston community.
Community Program Assessment
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Idia Thurston
Project Overview:
Dr. Thurston, who directs the CHANGE Lab – a youth health equity research unit, leads an initiative to identify and collaborate with Boston-based organizations to identify, amplify, and develop health equity strategies for adolescents and their families. The work is guided by Ungar’s multilevel resilience framework and focused on strengths-based strategies for addressing health inequities. Through outreach and interviews, the project gathers insights from youth, organizations who support youth, and youth workers about the strengths and challenges marginalized youth face in the greater Boston community, thus filling gaps left by adult-focused assessments. Selected interns will work on evaluating community programming. They will get hands-on experience engaging with strengths-based and community-based participatory research that guides work done in the CHANGE Lab.