Background
The School’s capacity building programme offers a range of opportunities for those interested in pursuing a career in public health research.
We identified a gap in the early career researcher pathway where there were no opportunities for undergraduates to explore whether public health research was a career option for them.
In response, we developed summer internships. These are aimed at undergraduates who are interested in public health research as a career path.
About the internship scheme
Our internships offer paid employment for six to eight weeks for undergraduate students. Interns undertake short projects supervised by SPHR early career researchers. They provide an opportunity for interns to develop their research and writing skills as well as learning the value of practice, policy and public involvement and engagement in research.
Importantly, interns become more aware of the opportunities a career in public health can offer. The early career researchers who oversee and recruit them develop their supervisory skills.
From 2017–2022 we hosted 24 internships, in our current funding period 2022–2027 we’ve hosted nine, with a further 18 planned for the summers of 2024 and 2025.
The quality outputs produced have increased the volume and impact of research conducted in SPHR. Early evidence suggests this programme has increased numbers opting for a public health research career.
Key findings from intern experiences
Interns and their main supervisor are asked to complete a short, structured report at the end of the internship. We have also conducted a survey of all our Alumni interns to determine what their next career steps have been after their placements.
Feedback from interns indicates that they have all found the experience valuable. They have appreciated the opportunity to be directly involved in public health research projects, to develop their research and writing skills, to learn about practice and public involvement and how to expand their professional networks. Those who had the opportunity to present the results of their work to an audience have also found this valuable. See below some feedback from interns:
“This internship has been a positive introduction to public health research as a career option for me. This experience has provided me with lots of experience and the opportunity to network and learn about various public health research roles. I think due to the vast majority of research areas, public health is definitely a viable option for me in the future.”
“From completing this internship, I have cemented the idea that research, and in particular public health research, is something I would really like to be involved in, in the future, especially researching factors such as physical activity, exercise and mental health. I have really enjoyed being able to research a topic that I am very passionate about. Also, I have enjoyed being able to develop some of the essential skills needed to pursue a career in this area. My current plans are to go on to complete a Master’s degree in public health once I have finished my undergraduate degree.”
“As a result of this internship, I have learnt more about the career pathway of a public health consultant and I am considering this as a career option after med school. I realised that I prefer public health policy to public health research.”
Emerging impact
The quality outputs produced have increased the volume and impact of research conducted in the School. Early evidence suggests this programme has increased numbers opting for a public health research career.
To date, they have written 14 blogs and produced 20 research briefings.
SPHR interns have given 10 presentations at our Annual Scientific Meetings. See below some examples and highlights:
- You can hear from Katie Beresford on her experience as an intern at the 2022 ASM
- Hear from one of our 2021 Summer Interns, Nicola Merrett, on her project and how it has supported her decision to pursue a career in research
- Oscar Sharples, one of our interns received a special commendation at our 2024 Annual Scientific meeting for the attention paid to equality, diversity and inclusion in the design and content of the poster that he presented.
Further examples of emerging impact
- Two of our interns, Nicola Merrett and Jamie Wong, have been awarded NIHR Three Schools Public Mental Health Master’s degree scholarships.
- On exit from the programme, 32/34 interns indicated that they would like to pursue a career in public health research.
- In a recent survey of our intern Alumni, 7/15 reported entry into a career in research, 9/15 have continued with postgraduate education, two specifically have completed a Master’s in Public Health, and three others have completed Master’s degrees in closely related fields.
- A recent survey of early career researchers who supervised internships found that 11/12 were able to provide examples of the positive impact that the experience had had on their careers. This included increased confidence in supervision and leadership and the internships leading to opportunities for research funding.
- 6/11 early career researchers indicated that the work undertaken by the intern had continued to have impact beyond the period of the internship by contributing to publications and research grant and fellowship applications.
- The success of the scheme has led to the NIHR Academy offering a very similar internship scheme and our sister Schools (SPCR and SSCR) now offer internship programmes.
