MPH Internship Profiles – Miranda Heath

Concentration: Epidemiology

Internship Site: NC Agromedicine Institute

During my time at the NC Agromedicine Institute, I was able to develop a resource directory to address farmer stress. Before my internship began, the Institute conducted four “Coming Together for Rural Resiliency” workshops with farmers and agencies that work with farmers. From these workshops, I assessed their issues/concerns and recommendations for fixing these issues to develop a greater understanding of the needs of the farming community. To address these needs, I found 67 resources and 14 publications to compile into the resource directory. The categories of resources were crisis and help lines, private counselors with experience in agriculture, local management entities, mobile behavioral healthcare and telemedicine, publications, financial assistance, legal assistance, and disaster relief. This directory was able to be disseminated across the state to NC Cooperative Extension, farm and agricultural agencies, farmers, and at Mental Health First Aid trainings.

Some advice for future MPH students would be to pick a field placement that interests you, even if it may be out of your comfort zone – you may enjoy something that you never imagined for yourself. Always be respectful, punctual, and professional. Take advantage of networking opportunities and enjoy yourself!