Where are they Now?
Kaitlyn Sprague works for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as a Health Scientist, Policy & Issues Management.
Robert Sagastume currently works as Senior Family College Prep Program Advisor for Greater Kansas City Hispanic Development Fund.
Linde Parcels works at the CDC in the Center for Preparedness and Response as a Policy Advisor.
Graduate Practicum
Fall Semester Practicum
This practicum opportunity involves using formative literature and policy review to collect local, state, and federal policy information from a variety of policy dissemination forums, translation of research findings and development of policy briefs and other forms of communication. The student will analyze policy-related research and translate the research into policy briefs that provide in-depth information about the processes, facilitators, and challenges of adopting, implementing, and/or enforcing public health and social welfare policies. The practicum student also conducts research activities and develops translational products that support the Institute’s commitment to equity. The following activities will need to be completed in coordination with the Clark-Fox Policy Institute Leadership team:
- Collaborate with the Institute’s analysts and Brown School faculty to produce policy briefs
- Obtain and review relevant state, county, or local public health and social welfare policies
- Develop newsletter articles, legislative testimony, opinion pieces, letters to the editor, and press releases
- Collect and review academic research as part of a systematic review of community power
- Coordinate communications with Brown School’s External Affairs Team
- Help maintain the institute’s website and email lists
- Organize lectures and meetings
- Other tasks as needed and depending on the student’s interests
Practicum Learning Objectives
- To gain experience collecting policy information on a specific public health or social work topic;
- To strengthen data analysis skills and the ability to translate research findings in a way that is accessible, succinct, and can be used to inform policymaking; and
- To develop an understanding of national, state, and local public health and social welfare policy options and their wide-ranging impacts
Practicum Deliverables
- Published policy briefs and other informational materials
- Organize a panel discussion
- Published information in Policy Institute newsletter
Qualifications
- In-progress master’s degree in social work, public health, social sciences, or public policy
- Experience collecting information and synthesizing findings for a variety of audiences (e.g., policymakers, academics, and community members)
- Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
- Highly dependable and organized
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Interest in social work and public health policy at the national, state, and community levels
If interested, please send your resume and cover letter to Stephanie Andersen at sandersen@wustl.edu.