Field-Based Practicum for Course Credit

Position Overview

RESPIRAR is recruiting a cohort of practicum students (up to 3) to support our ongoing research project. Internship/practicum students will attend an in-person, 1-week orientation course in Salisbury, MD, covering community context and relevant research methods, including Community-Based System Dynamics and Rapid Qualitative Assessment. Upon completing the orientation course, students will contribute to our team’s fieldwork throughout Maryland’s Eastern Shore and create diverse products to enhance our research efforts.

This position works within the Payne-Sturges Environmental Health Systems and Policy Lab. Course credit is available.

Position duration:

  • Required introductory field-based course hosted in Salisbury, MD, from May 28 - June 1

  • Field-based components will tentatively run between mid-May to early August

  • Students are expected to work roughly 30-40 hours per week; hours will be irregular due to the nature of community-based field-work

Location:

This practicum is a hybrid opportunity. Most of the work may be performed remotely, and some will be in person around Salisbury, MD.

Responsibilities:

Specific role responsibilities will be based on student skills, research needs, and field team composition. Practicum responsibilities may include:

  • Development of research products, including outreach content, training materials, analysis of preliminary data, and assessment of regulatory frameworks

  • Rapid background research and literature reviews on relevant topics, such as migrant farmworker housing conditions and health, climate change impacts, and farmworker health

  • Investigate the availability and utilization of support services (legal aid, counseling, etc.) for migrant farmworkers during the summer while recommending enhancements

  • Explore the use of technology (apps, SMS services, etc.) to improve communication and provide essential information to migrant farmworkers about their working and living conditions during the summer

  • Developing information materials about RESPIRAR for various stakeholder groups

  • Conduct housing site visits with migrant farmworkers

  • Assist with the creation of a farmworker housing location database

Minimum Qualifications:

  • All B.S. Pubilc Health Science, B.S./Master of Public Health, and Master of Public Health students are eligible

  • Must be able to attend the mandatory introductory field-based course hosted in Salisbury, MD, from May 28 - June 1

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Interest in environmental health, migrant farmworker issues, and/or systems science tools

  • Prior experience using REDcap and/or exposure assessment

  • Interest in rapidly learning and integrating new skills and tools to address complex social issues

  • Independence and creative problem-solving skills

  • Experience with community-based research, group facilitation, or qualitative interviewing

  • Fluency in Spanish, French, and/or Haitian Creole languages (this is highly valued)

Special Conditions Required:

  • Ability to travel independently to Salisbury, MD  

  • Housing assistance will be provided for the week-long training and overnights on the Eastern Shore if required

Details & Credit Hours:

Undergraduate Students:

  • 2-6 credits (90-270 practicum hours)

  • Students may start virtual hours in the late spring or complete hours in the fall

  • Students must obtain approval from Public Health Science Programs first, and register for MIEH 309 under section #308 for Dr. Payne-Sturges

Graduate Students:

  • 4 credits (up to 240 internship hours)

  • Students may start virtual hours in the late spring or complete hours in the fall

  • Students must register for Practical Experience in Public Health within their home departments (e.g. MIEH778)

To Apply:

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Please send all materials to Stephanie Hernandez at respirarproject@umd.edu with Summer Practicum in the subject line:

  1. Resume/CV

  2. Cover letter describing:  

    • Your motivation for applying

    • Relevant skills and experiences

    • How you see this internship aligns with your future career goals

    • Your availability to participate within the geographical constraints of the position

    • Your availability to work within the position’s timeline

  3. A sample of your work demonstrating professional writing for a community audience (a policy brief, professional report, presentation, etc.)

About RESPIRAR

The RESPIRAR project aims to uncover insights to help inform policies and best practices protecting the health of vulnerable and essential farmworkers. We are unpacking how institutional policies, regulatory responses, and practices, historic and contemporary, shape respiratory health trends among migrant seasonal farmworkers.

Our research is comprised of three primary aims: 1) monitoring the living conditions and respiratory health of farmworkers; 2) evaluating farmworker protection laws and policies through a legal analysis; and 3) examining how policies and practices are affecting farmworkers through a community-based system dynamics approach.  

We hope our findings will inform the design of policies and best practices to improve the livelihood of essential farmworkers.  

RESPIRAR is made possible through a partnership with the National Institute of Health.