Students who participate in Life–Health Sciences Internship (LHSI) Program often come away with new skills, increased professionalism, and their name on a research paper or poster.
Chelsea Moore, senior biology major in the IUPUI School of Science, found all of this plus a strong and lasting relationship with her mentor, Dr. Megan McHenry, in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Global Health at Riley Hospital for Children.
“She has been an amazing mentor,” Chelsea said. “I’ve learned so much from her, and she has been so helpful and incredibly nice.”
Chelsea has had the opportunity to work on two different projects during her LHSI internship and then continue that work into the summer. Chelsea reviewed, analyzed, verified, and recorded the data from surveys used in Dr. McHenry’s longitudinal study of Kenyan children born to HIV+ mothers. This data can then be used by the researchers in their work.
“I enjoyed this work because I learned a lot about databases and how to be efficient in my work,” Chelsea said.
Chelsea also worked with Dr. McHenry to develop a simulation for medical students at the IU School of Medicine. In the Burmese community, co-sleeping with an infant is culturally accepted and encouraged. Due to cultural differences, this can make safe sleep conversations difficult between new mothers and pediatricians. Creating this simulation gives providers a chance to practice these conversations and develop cultural humility before being faced with the situation.
Viewing the simulation, increasing her data skills, and working on a project that will be published has been impactful as Chelsea looks toward her goal of medical school.
“I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be published without LHSI, so I love that I was able to have this experience,” she said.
Read more about Chelsea's internship on her ePortfolio.