Field Placement: Perinatal Advisory Council for Leadership, Advocacy, and Collaboration (PAC/LAC)
Location: Sherman Oaks, CA
Preceptor: Dena Chwan, Program and Public Policy Coordinator
Student Name: Haneefa Wawda
Year: 2002

I conducted my internship at PAC/LAC (the Perinatal Advisory Council for Leadership, Advocacy, and Collaboration), which is located in Sherman Oaks, CA. PAC/LAC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve perinatal health outcomes by providing leadership, education, and support to professionals and systems that serve women and their families.

My primary objective during the internship was to implement the Proposition 10-funded Home Visitation Research and Evaluation Project. The Project's purpose was to analyze home visitation as a service delivery model in Los Angeles County. I developed an implementation plan for the project and conducted the fieldwork activities. This involved conducting site visits to community based organizations, focus groups, and key informant interviews. I was also involved in implementing a county-wide survey of home visitation services.

My internship lasted from July 2002 to November 2002. At the office, I mainly worked with my preceptor, Dena Chwan (the Program and Public Policy Coordinator at PAC/LAC) and my fellow intern and CHS student Jami Jackson. The most enjoyable aspect of this internship, however, was the fact that I spent most of my time out in the community. I visited thirty home visitation agencies and learned a great deal about how non-profit community based organizations operate. In addition, I had an opportunity to network with numerous public health professionals by attending community meetings in the field of Maternal and Child Health.

The staff at PAC/LAC is absolutely delightful. They are all very approachable and make every effort to serve as mentors and educate their interns. Overall, my time at PAC/LAC was very rewarding.

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