Internship Experiences

Read about the recent internship experiences of some of our public health students.

Simone Kacal '23

Interned at Amazon in Swedesboro, NJ

Kacal, a public health major and Italian studies minor, completed a summer internship at an Amazon warehouse, where she worked as a workplace health and safety specialist. In addition to routine safety inspections among the workstations, Kacal took on a culminating project to help mitigate risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders.

At the end of her internship, Kacal presented an intervention plan to Amazon management that would rearrange work stations to reduce the repetitive movement strains that were slowly taking a toll on workers’ bodies.

Kacal said she prioritized getting to know the workers on the site, earning their trust so she could do her best work to help improve the quality of their workday. Kacal credited her public health curriculum with helping her understand that physical and mental health were tied closely together.

"It was really important for me to get to know them on a personal basis," Kacal said. "Learning how one’s environment can make an impact on not only one's physical health but also their mental health was eye-opening and motivated me."

Nicole Steiner '23

Interned at The F-Factor in New York City

Public health major Nicole Steiner, ’23 completed a summer internship at The F-Factor in New York City, a dietitian-created program that targets weight loss and optimal health goals using fiber-rich nutrition. Steiner said her lifelong athleticism taught her to appreciate the power of good nutrition and she was thrilled to take this to a new level with an internship.

"Overall, the opportunity to do an internship at F-Factor has been an incredible experience," she said."I have been able to learn from great people and observe a very successful company in the private sector in the area of my interest. This opportunity will definitely help me to shape my future."

Maayan Malomet ’21

Interned as a remote researcher with Children's Specialized Hospital in New Jersey

In 2020, Maayan Malomet ’21 took on a remote research role within the infant and toddler rehabilitation unit at Children''s Specialized Hospital in New Jersey, helping to analyze data that would show how well parents understood their children's diagnosis.

A psychology major and public health minor, Malomet examined how parents' understanding evolved from the time their baby or toddler was admitted to the hospital compared with once they're discharged.

“Working with the data and seeing the different cases has been really helpful for my understanding of the book side of occupational therapy,” says Malomet, a psychology major and public health minor. “There are two sides—interacting with the patients and conducting the therapy, then the medical notes and documentation and everything that’s not what you think about when you think about a job in occupational therapy.”

Malomet said she found the research and work "meaningful" as her collaboration helped the hospital understand how to best communicate with patient' families about what can sometimes be very complicated medical information. 

Malomet met weekly via videoconference with the hospital’s three other research interns for their “journal club,” in which they trade off presenting journal articles they’ve read and analyzed. The final element of her internship involved the opportunity to interview the occupational therapists who work directly with patients and their families.

Michael Rainone '20

Interned at NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, NY

For the Summer of 2019, Michael Rainone '20 interned with NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, NY. NYU Winthrop Hospital, an affiliate of NYU Langone Health, provides inpatient and outpatient pediatric, adult, and geriatric medical care through an extensive network of Long Island healthcare facilities. He worked under the Department of Surgical Services and the Department of Medical Staff Services. The Department of Surgical Services aspires to soundly and efficiently operate TCV, Urology, Ophthalmology, and ENT services.

The Department of Medical Staff Services is responsible for credentialing physicians and other healthcare professionals (often referred to as privileges), resolving issues and complaints, ensuring healthcare providers adhere to quality regulations and policies, and maintaining credentials. Rainone said he was was fortunate enough to delve into the “behind the scenes” public health work, whether it was listening in on conference calls, learning new software such as Alpha, IntelleChart, Cactus, or EPIC, or even speaking to clients over the phone. Rainone said he found that public health comes in many shapes and forms, and public health credentialing and management proved to be truly interesting.