About the Weapon Related Injury Surveillance System (WRISS)
The Weapon Related Injury Surveillance System (WRISS) is an emergency department-based system that collects health information on persons treated for gunshot wounds or assault-related sharp instrument wounds. The system has been collecting data statewide from all Acute Care Hospital Emergency Departments since 1994. WRISS is located in the Division of Violence and Injury Prevention within the Bureau of Community Health and Prevention.
Intern Role
The student will gain experience in violence prevention epidemiology with focus on weapon-related injuries (guns and sharp instruments) by supporting the work of the Weapon-Related Injury Surveillance System (WRISS) Epidemiologist and tasks to maintain the WRISS Database. Student will support the work of the WRISS Program via data entry tasks, quality assurance tasks, data cleaning, data stewardship, and analyzing WRISS data from past years. The student will gain experience in maintaining public health surveillance infrastructure, stewarding data, and conducting data analysis. WRISS analyses can both support the WRISS Program and potentially be conducted for additional thesis or capstone-related projects. Student will have the opportunity to attend meetings with the Child and Youth Violence Prevention Unit to learn how epidemiologic data is operationalized and informs direct action. A strong justice-oriented lens is mandatory, and instruction will be provided on skills new to the intern. Students with rich cultural experiences are encouraged to apply.
- Starting Date: Early June (flexible).
- Preferred Time Commitment: 10-20 hours per week for at least 10 weeks. All hours are to be completed in-person at 250 Washington Street, Boston MA.
- Due Date: We would like the application to be due by EOD April 20 but are open to accepting applications on a rolling basis after that date.
- Minimum Qualifications: enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's program, strong interest in public health and health equity.
- Preferred Work Experience/Background: Detail-oriented, openness to learning about public health and epidemiology
- Work Location: Fully in-person at 250 Washington Street with flexible hours between 8 AM - 7 PM.
- Application Requirements: Resume and cover letter explaining background, interests in public health, and ideal internship timeframe (minimum of 10 weeks) can be emailed to: baqar.husain@mass.gov.
To participate in an unpaid internship, students must be earning course credit or receive credit for meeting a course requirement. Otherwise, the opportunity would be considered a volunteer position.