Sarah Uhlenbrock '15--Harvard School of Public Health

Sarah Uhlenbrock

Class: 2015

Major(s): Allied Health, Religion

Hometown: Cincinnati, OH

Internship: Harvard School of Public Health

Location: Boston, MA

Internship Responsibilities: My month in Boston was spent working at the Harvard School of Public Health within the epidemiology department. Epidemiology is a branch of public health that studies the spread, causation, and prevention of diseases. Epidemiologists constantly work with large sets of data from surveys and conduct research. My research in Boston was focused on prostate cancer, specifically cadmium and prostate specific antigen (PSA).

PSA is a protein that is produced in the prostate and it is used a biomarker in men to detect early signs of prostate cancer. My research group and I asked this question: What is the effect of cadmium on PSA levels? We hypothesized that there would be a positive correlation between the PSA levels in the blood and cadmium which was measured in urine. To find our results we used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). This is a biannual survey that uses a non-random sample of people to collect a national representative sample. We sorted through this data to find our two variables, PSA and cadmium, and then used R (a coding software to deal with the large amounts of numbers) to create spreadsheets and graphs. Our results were anticlimactic. We found no correlation between PSA levels and cadmium exposure.

What I Learned: Regardless of our null findings, the experience of working in the epidemiology department at HSPH was worth being stuck in the airport for six hours because of a flight cancellation. The experience enhanced my resume, but the opportunity of being in Boston was the best part. I fell in love with the city and I cannot wait to return to make it my home someday.

Brianne Buletko '14 - Cleveland Clinic

Name: Brianne Buletko
Class Year: 2014
Major: Psychology & Religion Double Major
Hometown: Canton, OH
Internship: Behavior Modification Counselor at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Summer Treatment Program and Undergraduate Research Assistant with The Cleveland Clinic
Location: Cleveland, OH

Internship Responsibilities:
As a counselor, I worked with a group of children with ADHD in order to monitor and modify their behaviors. Summer Treatment Program is set up as a day camp and runs Monday through Friday. I was also responsible for the program’s data each day. I recorded each “behavioral point call” on the data sheets daily, and coded the data into excel. The computer data was then printed and logged in a data binder by each counselor. At the conclusion of the summer I wrote two individual treatment summaries which included recommendations for future physicians, clinicians, and teachers. The report noted behaviors that showed improvements based on the program, behaviors resistant to treatment, recommendations for future therapies and trend graphs.
Check out the STP website here.
As a researcher, I worked as an assistant for a graduate dissertation. I had the opportunity to work more closely with clients, conduct clinical 1-1 interviews, and code and transcribe data from the interviews.

What I learned: 

I learned that working with children in the clinical setting is exactly what I want to do. That’s the beauty of internships! When you invest yourself in the opportunities they offer, you gain a sense of understanding that simply cannot be learned in the classroom. The real-world experiences I’ve had in different internships have allowed me to discern what I am best at and most enjoy. While Otterbein offers so many opportunities and tons of assistance in helping you find out what career may fit you best, being an intern with different programs truly allows you to get a glimpse of what you will be doing once you’re in the field and out of school.

Advice about searching for an internship: 

Do not be afraid to reach out to people. Not only should you contact friends and professors from Otterbein about their connections, but you should do some online researching yourself. If there is some place specific you’d like to intern then check out their website and reach out to them. Even if there isn’t a specific position created, many internship sites are very receptive to initiative! If it is a large organization such as the Cleveland Clinic then be sure to find specific people to email and include why you are interested and what drew you to their program.

Advice on how to make the most of an internship experience: 

Be someone they will remember! Employers can tell when you are genuine – so be sincere. Ask questions if you have them, do more than what is asked of you, get involved in each opportunity that is offered, and have a great attitude. These tips will help you succeed in your internship. Each place you intern is an important connection to establish and maintain so make a good name for yourself. Also, remember to enjoy the experience and utilize the experience to discern your call to your future career.