Internship - Chronic Disease and Obesity Prevention Needs Assessments

Department Information

This internship is a remote position within Colorado. Applicants must be local to Colorado.

This is a non-employee intern position. No benefits are available.

This is a temporary part-time internship (minimum 20 hours/week) and will exist for 4 months or less.

This position is not covered by the Partnership Agreement between the State of Colorado and Colorado Workers for Innovative and New Solutions (COWins)

The posting is capped at 70 applicants and will close once 70 applicants have applied or on 12/16/2024, whichever comes first.

(This posting may be used to fill multiple vacancies and may be extended.)

Make a real difference . . .

Do you have a passion and drive to apply your talent to create a better Colorado? Are you looking for an internship that provides you with opportunities to learn how to improve the world around you? The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is seeking diverse individuals from all backgrounds to apply for a fantastic internship position that provides experiential learning about improving the lives of Colorado citizens. Our mission is to protect and improve the health of Colorado's people and the quality of its environment.

If your goal is to pursue a career upon graduation that makes a difference, consider an internship with the dedicated people of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Our tobacco-free campus offers free parking and is conveniently located near RTD bus lines, the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, Glendale City Set, and the Cherry Creek bike path.

We are committed to increasing the diversity of our staff and providing culturally responsive programs and services. Therefore, we encourage responses from people of diverse backgrounds and abilities.

Description Of Job

Tentative Start Date:

Spring Internship - Flexible Start Dates for Spring Semester

Desired start date is 2/3/2025 to 6/6/2025

About The Work Unit

The Prevention Services Division (PSD) mission is to promote healthy lifestyles, prevent disease and injuries, and promote access to healthcare for Colorado’s citizen, in partnership with public and private organizations. PSD works with public and private partners across Colorado to improve the health of all Coloradans. Division professionals develop, review, implement, and evaluate public health interventions proven to promote healthy living, prevent chronic disease, protect against injury and ensure access to health care and opportunities for a healthy lifestyle. PSD is committed to the professional development, collaborative effort, and sustained wellness of its workforce.

Internship Description

Project Title: Chronic Disease and Obesity Prevention Needs Assessments Internship

Project Description

This project aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of chronic diseases across Colorado, including the current needs of Coloradans with or at risk for diabetes/prediabetes, cardiovascular disease, colorectal cancer, asthma/COPD, HPV, and obesity. It seeks to understand what funding or resources would be necessary to completely address all the needs of Coloradans impacted by those diseases. For each disease, the intern(s) will conduct research and a literature review to identify trends in prevalence for each disease, populations with increased risk, and all possible interventions that could impact the disease. They will also conduct a literature review to assess what has been or is currently being done to address each disease in Colorado, as well as gaps in services/resources. This will ultimately provide an assessment of the state’s current capacity. Lastly, each intern will describe the financial and resource needs to fill gaps in services/resources so that Colorado’s chronic disease needs are met.

Objectives

• By April 7, 2025, intern(s) will conduct research and a literature review to identify trends in prevalence for each disease, populations with increased risk, and all possible interventions that could impact the disease.
• By April 7, 2025, intern(s) will conduct assessments and literature reviews to identify what has been or is currently being done to address each disease in Colorado, as well as gaps in services/resources.
• By June 6, 2025, intern(s) will prepare a needs assessment report for each chronic disease area, summarizing the financial and resource needs to fill gaps in services/resources in Colorado.
  
  

Deliverables Or Outcomes

• For each disease area, gain an understanding of the state’s current capacity and how, if at all, that capacity differs from the need in Colorado. If it does differ, how much additional funding would be necessary to meet the state’s needs?
• Diabetes/prediabetes needs assessment: Detailed report on diabetes-specific resources, needs, and funding requirements.
• Cardiovascular disease needs assessment: Comprehensive report on cardiovascular needs, resources, and funding requirements.
• Asthma and COPD needs assessment: Combined report on asthma and COPD resource needs, resources, and funding requirements.
• HPV Prevention Program needs assessment: Report detailing HPV program outreach needs, resources, and funding requirements.
• Colorectal cancer strategy assessment: Detailed report on service gaps and recommendations for cost-effective screening.
• Obesity Prevention Strategy assessment: Obesity prevention report detailing needs, resources, and funding requirements with long-term savings estimates for upstream obesity prevention work.
  
  

Which Public Health Core Competencies skills does the project develop?

Analytical/Assessment, Interprofessional Practice, Public Health and Health Care Systems, Planning and Management to Promote Health

Minimum Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

Qualified Candidates Must Be Either

Masters student enrolled in an accredited college or university s eeking a degree program in public health, public administration, business or business administration, sociology, psychology, epidemiology, or a closely related field.

OR

A recent masters graduate. Recently graduated means t he individual should have attended an accredited college or university and have graduated with a masters degree in public health, public administration, business or business administration, sociology, psychology, epidemiology, or a closely related field within three calendar years (include transcripts).

College Transcripts

If you are using education to qualify, a legible copy of your official or unofficial college transcript(s) or a foreign credential evaluation report must be submitted with your application. Transcripts must show the name of the school and that a degree was conferred. Transcripts from colleges or universities outside of the United States must be assessed for U.S. equivalency by a NACES educational credential evaluation service. Failure to provide a transcript or foreign credential evaluation report may result in your application being rejected and you will not be able to continue in the selection process for this position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong Communication experience
• Research experience
• Experience writing manuscripts
• Literature review experience
• Facilitation experience
• Previous experience in federal, state, or local government
  
  

Conditions Of Employment

• Pursuant to CDPHE policy, a background check is required for all positions at CDPHE.
• Signed Non-Employee Confidentiality Agreement is required
• If you will be using this internship for academic credit, a Signed Affiliation Agreement is required between CDPHE and your University.
  
  

Supplemental Information

Supplemental Information

A complete application packet must include:

• A completed State of Colorado application.
• A resume.
• If you are using education to qualify, a copy of your official or unofficial transcript showing that your degree has been conferred and the name of your school, or your NACES accreditation. Please submit this as an attachment to your online application.
  
  

The Selection Process

• All applications that are received by the closing of this announcement will be reviewed. Candidates who are selected for further consideration will proceed to the next step and all applicants will be notified by email of their status at each step of the process.
  
  

ADAAA Accommodations

The State of Colorado believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADAAA Coordinator, Dan McKenna, at daniel.mckenna@state.co.us or call 303-692-2060, option 5.