The Office of Academic Clinical Affairs’ Interprofessional Internship Program, in collaboration with the Center for Interprofessional Health, welcomes 21 students from across the health sciences who have been accepted and matched with core projects co-created with our clinical and community partners in Minnesota.
Take a look at this year’s cohort and the projects they will be working on:
Initiative for Nurse Wellbeing at Allina Health
Megan Axberg, DPT, Medical School
Fartun Kesey, School of Nursing
Allina Health is a nonprofit health system serving Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Interns will evaluate outcomes like burnout, job satisfaction, turnover, and identify barriers to implementation. The goal is to secure funding to expand the program across multiple health care systems.
Piloting a Comprehensive Medication Repository at Al-Shifa Clinic
Nesara Dandiganahalli Lakshmiprasad, MPH, School of Public Health
Callie Wersal, MD, Medical School
Al-Shifa Clinic provides free health care services for those in need, regardless of insurance status. Interns will develop a protocol to increase medication accessibility and design a plan for implementing a free on-site medication dispensary. They’ll connect with pharmacies, evaluate costs, assist with grant funding, and recruit volunteers.
Developing a Universal Doula Toolkit Through Aspirus St. Luke’s Clinic
Laura Guck, DPT, Medical School
Clare Lechner, MPH, School of Public Health
Aspirus St. Luke’s is a regional hospital located in Duluth, Minnesota. Interns will develop an adaptable toolkit for implementing Aspirus St. Luke’s Plus One Doula Program, designed to support birthing hospitals and organizations across Minnesota and beyond. The project includes creating a patient-centered introduction featuring personal stories, Minnesota trends, and national data.
Community Needs Assessment for Bigfork Valley
Sadie Collins, MN, School of Nursing
Olumide Olurotimi, DDS, School of Dentistry
Bigfork Valley provides quality health care and community services to a critical access area in northern Itasca County. Interns will conduct a community needs assessment to identify strengths, challenges, and opportunities for improvement in both health care and community services for a healthier future for the community.
Advancing Age and Dementia-Friendly Practice With ECHO and DHS Partnerships
Sagal Jama, MPH, School of Public Health
Sey Lee, MD, Medical School
Project ECHO is a telementoring program that connects local health care providers with specialist teams to provide education and case-based learning. Interns will evaluate and adapt Project ECHO materials for case managers and care coordinators, and support planning educational outreach based on a statewide needs assessment.
A Mobile Health Initiative with Hennepin Healthcare
Nabiha Chaudhry, MD, Medical School
Developed in collaboration with a student who is unlisted by choice.
Interns will implement social determinants of health screening workflow, gather provider feedback, and collaborate with informatics teams to collect data on screening outcomes and referrals.
Dementia Friends Community Expansion with Trellis
Mikalyn Frye, BSN, School of Nursing
Developed in collaboration with a student who is unlisted by choice.
Trellis is a nonprofit that provides information, services, and connections to help people age well. Interns will collaborate with organizational partners in the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities community to revise training materials, support outreach efforts, and assist with recruiting and training volunteers.
Integrated Community Feedback at Wayside Recovery Addiction Center
Kate Dembny, MD/PhD, Medical School
Ivey Tanski, BSN, School of Nursing
Wayside Recovery Addiction Center provides mental health and addiction treatment for women, children, and families in the Twin Cities metro area. Interns will gather client feedback through focus groups to identify community needs and strengthen services.
System Needs Assessment with White Earth Indian Health Board
Zoe Avestruz, MD, Medical School
Sarah Bediako, DNP, School of Nursing
The White Earth Indian Health Board focuses on improving health outcomes by providing culturally relevant health programs, advocacy, education, and support services tailored to the needs of Indigenous populations. Interns will conduct a needs assessment to identify workflow inefficiencies, develop and implement a corrective action plan to optimize performance, quality, and revenue, and evaluate its effectiveness.
Bridging the Gap: Rural Hospitals, External Partnerships, and Value-Based Care at Wilderness Health
Eseosa Enabulele, DDS, School of Dentistry
Kale Offstein, DPT, Medical School
Gurjot Singh, MPH/MHA, School of Public Health
Wilderness Health is a collaborative of independent providers working together to improve health care in northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin, aiming to lead the transformation for rural health care systems. Interns will conduct a landscape analysis, literature review, and stakeholder interviews to develop recommendations on how rural hospitals without affiliated clinics can succeed in value-based care.
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