NUS Public Health CLUB
Public Health Internships
Curious on how a minor in public health can lead to a professional career? We interviewed a few public health students on their experience in SPH3001 Public Health Practice, an industry attachment module for all public health minors.
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If you would like to read more about our internship experiences in SPH3001, visit our PH Internship Review Repository which contains more student testimonies on their public health internship. The repository is updated annually based on a student feedback survey.
View What Our Students Would Like to Share about their Internship - SPH3001
Interested to know what it is like to be an Intern at...
~ Click on the respective videos to learn more!
National Healthcare Group Polyclinic (NHGP)
SingHealth SportSG
TriGen
National Healthcare Group Polyclinic (NHGP) - Part 1
National Healthcare Group Polyclinic (NHGP) - Part 2
SingHealth
SportsSG
TriGen
Darren Leong
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Year of study in NUS: Year 3
Faculty: Faculty of Science, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health
Major(s): Life Sciences with a Second Major in Public Health
Internship position: Research Intern at SingHealth Community Hospitals
Could you bring us through what a day of your internship was like?
My role varied as the project I was involved in progressed. My main assigned project revolved around the health of senior citizens in the population. The other involved understanding the challenges faced by healthcare staff in community hospitals, which was one of few of such studies done.
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I went through the literature review phase, data analysis phase which had both qualitative and quantitative components. Although these may sound mundane and trivial but going through these phases made me more appreciative of the work done. These tasks also helped me embrace the project in more depth. Lastly, I was also given the opportunity to assist in writing a manuscript for one of the projects. It was indeed a challenge, but the results of our teamwork paid off. I was informed by the Principal Investigator that the abstract would be presented at an upcoming Regional Conference!
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What was the most memorable highlight of your internship? Did you face any challenges during the internship?
It was definitely memorable being part of the team that collected qualitative data. It was my first exposure to in-person interviews with participants of the research. While I accompanied the team for most interview sessions, I was provided the opportunity to conduct a session with a Mandarin-speaking participant. Overall, it was a fruitful experience as we could really understand the opinions of the participant with regards to our research question.
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The main challenge I faced was the unfamiliarity I had with quantitative data analysis. My role at that point was to mainly cross-check existing analyses and to discuss possible amendments. Prior to the internship, I did not take a module on biostatistics, and I was rather lost trying to understand why certain types of hypothesis tests were done. While the learning curve was steep given the short time I had, I was able to overcome it with materials provided by a supervisor. Moreover, the guidance and encouragement provided by the team greatly helped me build more confidence.
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Do you have any advice for your juniors who are interested in Public Health internships?
Go in with an open mind and be ready for a challenge, do not be afraid to make mistakes as you will be surrounded by a team that is willing to help you.
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What are some skills acquired from the Public Health curriculum that you found useful for your internship?
Being aware that in the real-world, things that are unexpected will appear. Being adaptable and open-minded was essential. These were some of the soft skills I felt are overlooked in SPH modules.
Cho Hui Wen
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Year of study in NUS: Year 4
Faculty: NUS Business School, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health
Major(s): Business administration and Second major in Public health
Internship position: Management Intern in Value Management Unit at Tan Tock Seng Hospital
Could you bring us through what a day of your internship was like?
As an intern in the Value Management Unit, my role involved assisting in the development and scaling of Value-based healthcare initiatives within TTSH to continue delivering quality healthcare to patients at a sustainable cost. In my daily work, I collaborate with various internal and external stakeholders such as clinicians and vendors to facilitate, implement and monitor hospital-wide value initiatives such as Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs). Other than that, I also co-led in the planning and execution of a book launch event for senior management members.
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What was the most memorable highlight of your internship? Did you face any challenges during the internship?
The highlight of my internship was the opportunity I had to present my project to the Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Medical Board of TTSH during the monthly department meeting despite being an intern that have only joined for less than 2 months at that time.
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Do you have any advice for your juniors who are interested in Public Health internships?
Gather more experience and don't be shy to take on opportunities!
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What are some skills acquired from the Public Health curriculum that you found useful for your internship?
Project management, understanding of public healthcare landscape in Singapore
Join our first-ever Internship Review Contest!
AY2223 Semester 1
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My public health internship experience
Teo Hui Ying
Faculty/Major: Faculty of Science, Life Science
Internship Position: Cycling Without Age Singapore, Operations and Development Team
My internship experience involved…
During my 3-month internship at Cycling Without Age (CWA), I helped to support the Operations and Development Team and worked alongside my Project Manager and Project Coordinator. CWA’s mission is to give seniors the chance to feel a part of society, where they aim to bring seniors and others with limited mobility on trishaw rides.
What was the highlight of your internship?
Having the opportunity to give trishaw rides to seniors, especially during the Temasek Shophouse opening event is my most memorable highlight throughout my internship. I was super proud to be part of this event, being the pilot and representative of CWA. I have definitely felt the wind in my hair and it was all smiles throughout the ride. It was crazy to even imagine the scene of 10 trishaws out in Orchard Road, and everyone made it come true! This really proved the power of team spirit as driving forces of any movement. The event ended with a dinner at the National Museum of Singapore.
How has the internship shaped your perception of the public health sector?
It made me understand the non-profit sector, how things are run and the potential challenges they may face. Attending conferences gave me insights from Key Opinion Leaders, and observed how many actors come into play and impact the public health sector. What I've learnt through Public Health modules are relevant too, and I'm able to see the different types of preventive work on the ground. It made me realize the importance of having passion in the work you do, which keeps one motivated and wants to contribute even more each day.
Shannon Leong
Faculty/Major: Faculty of Science, Life Science
Internship Position: ACCESS Health International
My internship experience involved…
I was an intern at ACCESS Health International, a non-profit think tank and advisory partner to governments and private sector players. My main responsibilities were to conduct research and analysis on bone health programmes in Singapore to identify gaps and areas for improvement and provide secretariat support for a public-private stakeholder partnership. Primarily, I was involved in the planning and execution of a bone health symposium and other bone health related events.
What was the main challenge of your internship?
Being independent of my own project and in charge of the symposium was definitely a challenge for me, as I had to make sure that everything went as smoothly as possible and be able to manage multiple things at once - the stakeholders, speakers, public, action plans, logistics, manpower, etc. The experience has taught me how to be decisive and more detail-oriented. I overcame the challenge with the support and encouragement of my ACCESS Health colleagues, who were a great support before and during the event day.
Any advice for fellow students interested in public health internships?
Go looking for opportunities and don't wait for it to come to you. Taking up the SPH3201 module has been a great experience and it really comes down to what you make of your internship and how you want to grow as a person! Don't hesitate to try different roles and experiences in public health as this sector is very broad and it's good to explore and learn more about what it has to offer.
Wan Tin Hang
Faculty/Major: Faculty of Science, Life Science
Internship Position: Public Health Translational Team (PHTT) @ SSHSPH
My internship experience involved…
My internship was with the Public Health Translational Team (PHTT) @ SSHSPH. PHTT supports the Ministry of Health and its agencies by providing dedicated translational expertise and generating evidence for policy formulation. PHTT carries out research work (including academic review of topical issues, review of evaluation methodologies and cost-effectiveness analysis) as part of a long-term cooperative partnership to address specific policy issues. My overall job scope involved doing research and literature reviews concerning topics such as Dengvaxia vaccines.
How has the internship shaped your perception of the public health sector?
It helped me to understand that the public health sector involves so many different topics, and also requires people of different expertise to collaborate together. I also realised the importance of collaboration between individuals of different skill sets and disciplines in public health. Different opinions and views need to be accounted for in order to produce a balanced piece of writing. Members of PHTT also possess different skills that make them more suitable for different work – some are more well-versed with writing while others are better in analysing statistical data. They are all needed in the team in order to produce a complete piece of work.
There are also many different roles needed in public health - epidemiology, policy-making, and translational work in the case of PHTT.
Any advice for fellow students interested in public health internships?
Public health internships involve a wide range of expertise. People who work in public health come from very different academic backgrounds - biology, mathematics, geography, sociology...and the list goes on. Don't be afraid to try out public health internships!