Research assistant at Yale School of Medicine (Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases) CHIPSTER project.
Internship Spotlight: Cecilia (Jiye) Lee, MPH ’25 (Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Modeling Concentration & Implementation Science Track)
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What organization did you intern with? What was your role?
Where was your internship located?
New Haven
What is your career goal?
In the short term, I aim to pursue a PhD in Epidemiology, building on the knowledge and skills I've developed during my MPH program and summer internship. My experience with mixed-methods research has fueled my interest in exploring how epidemiological research methods can be used to address public health challenges. I am particularly interested in advancing my expertise in data analysis, modeling, and implementation science as these tools are crucial for developing effective interventions in public health. Through my PhD, I hope to deepen my understanding of epidemiology and further develop my research skills.
What was your internship funding source?
Paid (CDC-funded project).
What were your duties/responsibilities during your internship?
My summer internship at Yale School of Medicine (Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases), as part of a CDC-funded project, involved identifying the barriers and facilitators to accessing COVID-19 and other vaccinations through the Yale New Haven Health system. During my internship, my primary responsibilities included conducting interviews on focus groups to obtain qualitative insights and analyzing both qualitative and quantitative approaches to provide a comprehensive understanding of the key factors influencing vaccine access.
My summer internship at Yale School of Medicine (Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases) as part of a CDC-funded project, involved identifying the barriers and facilitators to accessing COVID-19 and other vaccinations through the Yale New Haven Health system. This project utilized mixed methods, including surveys, expert interviews, and focus groups, to identify these barriers and facilitators. A significant component of the project and my role as a research assistant involved developing a predictive model to determine the key factors influencing vaccination access and to finding the gap between survey analysis and quantitative data analysis.
What did you take away from your experience as an intern? What was the value of the internship to you?
I gained hands-on experience in mixed-methods research, from the design phase to data collection and analysis. This strengthened my ability to handle complex datasets and draw meaningful conclusions from both quantitative and qualitative data. Moreover, the internship deepened my understanding of the real-world challenges in public health, particularly in vaccine accessibility.
What was the most rewarding aspect of your internship? What was the most challenging aspect? The most surprising aspect?
The most rewarding aspect of my internship was the opportunity to contribute to a project with real-world impact. Also, being part of this amazing team with Dr. Lauren Pischel, Dr. Richard Martinello, Jamie Trumpler at New Haven Health and others that is directly influencing public health interventions, particularly in improving vaccine accessibility, was incredibly fulfilling.
The most challenging aspect was conducting interviews with health care leaders, which demanded strong communication skills and the ability to adapt quickly to different perspectives. However, I was able to develop those skills as I led more interviews.
The most surprising aspect was the extent to which the findings from qualitative research could reveal unexpected insights that quantitative data alone might miss. I was surprised by how personal experiences from healthcare professionals provided a deeper understanding of the barriers to vaccine access, highlighting insights that were not immediately apparent in the quantitative data.
How has YSPH prepared you for this internship?
The Chronic Disease Epidemiology program equipped me with advanced data analysis skills and proficiency in programming languages such as R, SAS, and Python, which were instrumental in conducting data analysis for my own project. Additionally, the program provided me with a strong foundation in public health and a solid background in research methods.
What would you say to a student who’s considering a similar internship?
Don't hesitate to reach out to different faculty members about their research interests, both within and outside of YSPH. Also, start your internship search early!