The UCSF EaRTH Center Environmental Scholars Program

Program description for the summer/ 1-year version (2024-25 cohort)

Environmental Scholars Program Goal 

The Environmental Scholars Program (ESP) aims to build the next generation of environmental health leaders by providing a high-quality, funded, summer internship and research experience that is grounded within and supported by the UCSF EaRTH Center infrastructure.

Timeline

This year, the ESP program is available to any medical, nursing or dental student with at least 2 years remaining of enrollment at UCSF, and includes a summer internship and report out. Applications will be accepted via this Google form from now until 11:59 pm PT on Thursday, May 23rd and scholars are notified of acceptance no later than May 31st. The program will commence with a virtual orientation session including introductions with current Environmental Scholars as feasible. Summer internships – and the ESP program – commence in June or as late as July, to be negotiated between the student and the preceptor. Summer internships are full-time and 8 weeks long (200 hour total commitment).

Summer Internship 

Goal: The goal of the summer internship experience is to learn about factors in the environment that determine health outcomes, with emphasis on justice and equity. Students are placed in a community clinic or community health organization to work on projects that investigate environmental exposures such as community or job-related health and safety concerns, often for new immigrant groups or underserved communities living in areas of multiple potential environmental chemical exposures, and/or those employed in high-hazard jobs.

Project Description: The ESP is explicitly designed within the participatory research model, wherein students and their host organizations jointly define their Summer Internship Project Description, Learning Objectives, Timeline/Implementation process and final “Give-back” Project. Once determined and agreed upon, ESP students will complete a Project Summary form that will guide regular mentoring and support by EaRTH Center faculty as well as their onsite supervisor.

Learning Objectives: Students learning objectives should reflect their specific interests in environmental health and how the site placement they chose will facilitate that learning. Learning objectives might include: gaining an understanding of the complexity of environmental exposures from healthcare provider and patient perspectives; an understanding of the chemical, physical, and organizational (e.g., community, workplace) factors that play a role in environmental health; the importance of designing environmental interventions to meet the needs of specific and diverse groups of people; and the role of environmental health and safety professionals in improving patient and community health.

“Give-back” Project:  At the end of the summer project, students will have completed a “Give-back” project/product for their host organization, such as data analyses, environmental health education and outreach materials, a survey tool, policy reports, and publications related to the students’ research at their host organizations. The specific “Give-back” Project will be discussed at the beginning of the summer internship and revisited and modified, if necessary, through meetings with EaRTH and on-site mentors. Any publications that the student works on related to their ESP project must cite the P30 (P30-ES030284).

Presentation: Students will give a presentation about their summer internship experience at either the EaRTH Center Annual Research & Translation Forum or at an EaRTH webinar, attended by EaRTH Center members, the Stakeholder Advisory Board, representatives of host organizations, and the larger community.