The Need for Public Health Experiential Education and Internship-Like Experience
Historically, high-level internships (or similar experiences) in the public health space abroad have been difficult to secure, and in the rare cases where a student is placed in a high-level foreign healthcare organization, they are often left to do somewhat inconsequential tasks on their own. Even within the U.S., it is difficult to place students, who are still learning, inside healthcare organizations that are doing meaningful and important work without distracting those organizations.
Atlantis Has Built an Approach that Solves This Challenge for Both the Students and The Public Health Organizations
In almost 15 years of running programs with healthcare organizations abroad, and more recently with domestic organizations, Atlantis has partnered with many hospitals, and often their respective governmental health departments, as well as other healthcare institutions. These organizations are continually facing new challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic being just one example, and public health students who obtain practical experience through learning via Atlantis will actually impact these organizations (while learning), and in just a few short weeks, deliver valuable research that is both meaningful and impactful. Students aren’t working at the host organizations, but they are being taught by a project leader in the context of a real project that gives them the same skills that a work experience would, and benefits the host organization.
How It Works
Atlantis Service-Research Projects take place abroad and in the U.S., and this page details them, but keep in mind that this page explains our Projects to a pre-med student audience. However, the same exact concept is valuable to public health students. Below is a recent example from a Service-Research Project program in the U.S.
Case Study: Children’s National Hospital, Washington, D.C.
Atlantis has done several full-time projects with Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., one of the top pediatric hospitals nationwide. Students spent a few, intense weeks analyzing differences in children’s health outcomes in the D.C. metro area and identifying barriers to racial equity in healthcare. Here’s an example of what one group of Atlantis participants was able to deliver in just two, brief weeks (Dec 2020–Jan 2021):
- A 30+ page, data-rich report on methods of measuring disparities in health outcomes;
- A lengthy interview guide for connecting with community stakeholders;
- A comprehensive spreadsheet of all the recommended contacts for Children’s National Hospital to reach out to;
- And a powerful Tableau visualization of the Childhood Opportunity scores in D.C., down to the census tract level.
The above are representative of the value that Atlantis Service-Research Projects can provide to both student participants and our public health partners. The above items are simply the byproduct of the learning that our students do, it just happens that that byproduct is useful to the host organizations, and part of the reason we are able to work with elite partners.
Innovating in Public Health Education
Children’s National Hospital and Atlantis were co-presenters at the ASPPH 2021 Annual Meeting, in a session on how public health organizations and departments can take advantage of our unique learning model – both for the betterment of student learning and for maximum social impact for the host organizations.
We extend our thanks to the Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) for their hard work in preparing a successful and informative conference.
Service-Research Projects: The View of An Alumna Who Is a Recent Public Health Grad (who Happens to Be Applying to Med School)
Alumna Later Admitted Into Johns Hopkins Public Heath Describes Atlantis’ Impact
Promoting Core Competencies
Atlantis Service-Research Projects support seven out of eight domains in the Public Health Core Competencies, which are:
- Analytical/Assessment Skills
- Policy Development/Program Planning Skills
- Communication Skills
- Cultural Competency Skills
- Community Dimensions of Practice Skills
- Public Health Sciences Skills
- Financial Planning and Management Skills
- Leadership and Systems Thinking Skills
Our methodology works on all 8 domains except Public Health Sciences Skills (#6); however, generally, those are covered in academic coursework.
Our Alumni Attend Great
Public Health Programs
Michelle Kaminski
- Atlantis '17
- Gettysburg College '20
- Columbia MPH '22
Lyndsey McLain
- Atlantis '18
- UNC Chapel Hill '19
- UPenn MPH '21
Kathleen Bynon
- Atlantis '17
- Colgate '19
- Columbia MPH '22
Scarlett Bergam
- Atlantis '18
- Brown '20
- Brown MPH '21
Madeleine Burkholder
- Atlantis '17
- Taylor University '19
- SLU MPH '22
DeYante Prince
- Atlantis '18
- Morehouse '20
- Boston University MPH '22
Jordyn Britton
- Atlantis '19
- Howard U. '21
- Johns Hopkins MPH '23
Tiffany Hu
- Atlantis '16
- U. of Maryland '17
- U. of Michigan MD '22
Tiffany Hu
Tereul, Spain ’16 || U Michigan Medical School
Program:
Teruel, Spain – Summer 2016
Undergraduate:
University of Maryland class of 2017
Admitted medical student at:
University of Michigan Medical School
Major:
Neurobiology
Honors:
Honors Integrated Life Sciences Program, Banneker/Key Scholarship
Extracurricular Activities:
American Medical Student Association Co-President & Advocacy Day Liaison, Alternative Breaks Experience Leader, Health Professions Advising Office Student Advisory Board, Biology Teach Assistant, Health Leads, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, NIH Research Intern, Physicians for Social Responsibility Environment & Health Intern
Describe Atlantis in Three Words:
Educational. Eye-opening. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I wanted to expand my horizons and understand a culture of health different from the ones I am accustomed to. I had shadowed doctors in the United States and Taiwan prior to my Atlantis program experience, and being able to see first-hand the healthcare system in Spain allowed me to draw comparisons between the different complex healthcare systems.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
Bonding with the other participants and celebrating our time together along with the doctors we shadowed. We would discuss our interests, passions, and motivation for medicine, and it was an incredible experience to learn from and alongside them.
What was your experience with the doctors you were shadowing?
Because of the pre-established relationships with the hospitals in which we shadowed, all the doctors were very welcoming and accommodating. They were willing to translate for us and explain in detail all of their medical decisions. My doctors and I had wonderful conversations about the differences between life in Spain vs. the United States.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I was excited to scrub in on surgeries and watch as the doctor explained what he was doing throughout the operation. Before and after surgeries, as well as in my other rotations, I observed how the doctors reassured and communicated with their patients. I was able to glean insight into differences between the experience of health in Spain versus the United States through observation as well as conversations with the doctors.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
Besides the wealth of medical knowledge I gained from shadowing the doctors, I challenged myself to step outside of my cultural comfort zone and explore more than I thought I was capable of. Atlantis allowed me to make connections with people from all around the United States and abroad, and the friendships I gained helped me learn so much more than I would have on my own.
Azan Virji
- Atlantis '17
- Yale '17, Yale MPH '19
- Harvard Medical School MD '23
Azan Virji
Athens, Greece ’17 || Yale School of Public Health & Harvard Medical School
Program:
Athens, Greece – winter 2017
Undergraduate:
Yale College class of 2017
Major:
Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology/Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases
Honors:
Eben T. and Jokichi Takamine Memorial Scholarship; Science, Technology and Research Scholar, Yale Global Health Scholar
Extracurricular Activities:
Yale Office of International Students and Scholars, Yale Admissions Office, Partners in Health Engage, Yale College Council, Leadership Institute, Yale Ivy Council
Why did you choose Atlantis?
In an increasingly globalized world, skilled and trained doctors are needed everywhere especially in under resourced countries. My long-term goal is to work in the filed of healthcare and practice medicine on a global scale. With this path in mind, I decided to do the Atlantis program to gain exposure to another healthcare system, understand the nuances of how culture affects health, and to make comparisons in the healthcare I have witnessed in Tanzania and the United States of America.
How is Atlantis unique?
Atlantis is unique because it provides full immersion not only into the hospital environment, but into the country as well from the very first day. You’re in the hospital alongside doctors who are well-versed in English, who are experts in your field, and who are willing to help teach you and explain different medical concepts. The program is also committed to helping you explore the country and make the most of your experience.
Describe Atlantis in three words:
Educational. Breath-taking. Immersive.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
While working at the hospital, we were invited to the weekly Greek dance practice that some of the doctors and hospital staff have every Thursday. Being able to partake in the Greek cultural dance followed by sitting in a large circle and talking about our experiences was when I felt the vibrant warmth of the Greeks – like I was part of a family. Additionally, visiting the numerous temples in Greece made me appreciate all the history that Greece had to offer and made the experience even more memorable.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I really enjoyed being able to sit down with the doctors and ask them questions not just about the medical field but also about the different aspects of the healthcare system. Learning about how the hospital finances its activities, how the economy has affected healthcare in Greece, and the differences between public and private hospitals made the shadowing experience a more enriching and well-rounded one.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
The Atlantis program has provided me with a different outlook on global health. I am now able to draw on examples from the different healthcare systems I have seen to know what works well and what doesn’t. In the future, I can implement some of what I have learned to better a health system in a resource-limited environment. I now also have a deeper sense of appreciation for the role culture plays in the health of the population.
How has your thinking of active leadership in the medical field been shaped?
To be an active leader in the medical field, one must have a strong drive to succeed and to take charge. By working in a public hospital and seeing the great need that exists, the Atlantis program has instilled in me the motivation to help others and contribute to the scientific improvement of people’s health. Additionally, watching doctors in Greece, who are renowned in their field, work at public hospitals for less pay has inspired me to follow in their footsteps and commit to a life of service in the medical field.
Atlantis Public Health Programs Compared With
Typical Alternatives
Our programs are a large step above typical out-of-classroom experiences available to students, taking experience to a new level, above which is nearly impossible.
