Field Placement: California Department of Health Services -- Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section -- California Nutrition Network for Healthy, Active Families
Location: Sacramento, CA
Preceptor: Angie Keihner
Student Name: Roselle Lee
Year: 2002

I completed a 10-week internship program, offered by the California Nutrition Network for Healthy, Active Families, housed in the Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section of California Department of Health Services in Sacramento during the summer 2002.

The focus of my work was to assist in the Research and Evaluation Unit to compile reports for the California Children's Healthy Eating and Exercise Practices Survey conducted in 1999. This survey was the first state-specific survey that aims to monitor eating and physical activity habits among California children ages 9 to 11 years. This matched my interests about nutrition and children. I involved in interpreting statistical outputs and extrapolating data into tables and figures for the reports. I also compiled a summary report on the dietary quality of school meal program participation among California children based on the survey data.

My preceptor, Angie Keihner, is a research associate who has a master degree in health psychology. She is an energetic person and she is very knowledgeable about the survey. She gave me a high degree of control on my work and a lot of support throughout the internship. She also arranged sufficient time to meet regularly to evaluate my work progress and discussed questions about the survey data.

Besides gaining experience through my work in the Research and Evaluation Unit, I was able to attend a few public health training sessions and a social marketing conference organized by the agency. I attended training sessions related to tuberculosis screening in California, use of stage of change theory to assist programs to increase fruits and vegetables consumption, and breastfeeding promotion. Both training and conference sessions were insightful and enriched my knowledge of updated public health information, particularly for California.

I enjoyed very much my internship and the great summer in Sacramento. I encourage future students to consider the California Nutrition Network as their internship agency.

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