Daily reflection:

On January 20th, I started my training period at the University Health Center as a public health intern. I received a list of deliverables and a weekly breakdown of what will be expected of me for my internship at the University Health Center. The training was short and will be continued on January 21st. I also received great news: I will have the opportunity to collaborate with the Department of Public Health to host an event to provide students with more information on sexual health, specifically HIV prevention.  I decided to start my research for my literature review today, compiling documents on PrEP to help me finalize my assessment plan and survey approach. These documents will contain information on how often students aged 18-25 take PrEP, which demographics take PrEP now, and whether these differ from expected demographics, and what stigma is associated with PrEP use. 

On January 21st, I received my UHC computer and started looking into some research about PrEP. I was able to get five peer-reviewed articles, and as I was doing my research, I was able to start writing down some questions to add to my anonymous survey. I will compose my survey tomorrow and finalize it after I meet with the Pride Center on Monday. As someone who doesn’t know much about PrEP, this research has been very intriguing, and I am excited to start my hands-on learning experience.

On January 22nd, I was able to get five peer-reviewed articles, and as I was doing my research, I was able to start writing down some questions to add to my anonymous survey. I will compose my survey tomorrow and finalize it after I meet with the Pride Center on Monday.

On January 26th, I worked from home on my literature review, compiling documents and creating a workable outline for my paper.

On January 27th, I worked from home again due to the snow days and was able to fully structure my paper. I plan to develop my anonymous survey tomorrow using survey questions curated from the research I conducted for my literature review.

On January 28th, I worked from home due to the winter storm. The anonymous survey is being developed. I have worked on choosing the best color ways for the survey and finding the platform to distribute the information.

On January 29th, TRIAL DAY DID NOT WORK IN THE OFFICE, but I still worked on my survey and revised more of my literature review

On January 30th, I joined a Zoom meeting with the Department of Public Health, the Fontaine Center, and Amelia to discuss a potential collaboration event on campus to engage the student population on PrEP resources and to distribute knowledge on what services the DPH offers in Athens- Clarke County. This Zoom meeting was very informative, as I learned more about the services offered by the DPH and the work that they do to ensure the safety of individuals who see them for care. After this meeting, I worked with the sexual health coordinator at the Fontaine Center to schedule dates for a collaboration event. this semester.

Summary of week 1 matched with competencies:

Weekly Report:

From January 20th to 30th, I began my training at the University Health Center and reviewed my internship deliverables and expectations. I initiated my literature review on PrEP, gathering peer-reviewed articles to guide my assessment plan and develop an anonymous survey focused on PrEP awareness, usage, demographics, and stigma among students ages 18–25. I structured and outlined my research paper while drafting survey questions informed by the literature. Additionally, I participated in a collaborative Zoom meeting with the Department of Public Health, the Fontaine Center, and my preceptor to discuss a campus event focused on PrEP education and available services in Athens-Clarke County, and I worked with the sexual health coordinator to begin scheduling the event for the semester.

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Today is Monday, February 2nd, and I went to the Pride Center, and I met with the director to discuss what this specific community needs from me. We discussed upcoming events they will host for the semester and the barriers they have observed. Unfortunately, I left early because they had a scheduled staff meeting, but I left with the knowledge of how to proceed. I will now start my Qualtrics survey with new questions to ask and a better understanding of some of the general population’s needs.

On February 3rd, I worked on creating my questions for the PrEP survey and received training on the UHC Point and Click platform. The Point and Click platform will help me better access the population of students who have utilized PrEP counseling resources at the UHC and address any barriers to receiving care.

February 4th: I worked from home, working on my survey.

On February 5th, I added some helpful links to my survey. These links include information on the various clinics at the health center, the department of public health, and the Fontaine Center.

Summary matched with competencies:

Weekly update

February 2nd-February 5th: I worked on creating my questions for the PrEP survey and received training on the UHC Point and Click platform. The point-and-click platform will help me better access the population utilizing PrEP resources at the health center and address any barriers to receiving care.

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On February 9th, I finished my survey and transferred it from Qualtrics to the other platform that UGA uses to send surveys to the general population. This platform was easier to use, and I hope it will be easier to navigate for the population assessed.

On February 10th, I continued to refine my survey questions, taking the survey different times to make sure all of the logic pathways worked and led to the questions that I wanted them to. The survey was then sent to Amelia to send out and test. She took the survey multiple times as well and then sent it for review.

On February 11th, I officially finished my survey, and I am waiting for it to be reviewed. The survey consists of 15 questions. The survey starts with asking individuals if they consent to taking the survey and allows them to opt out. It then collects information on sexual identity and gender orientation, and then it goes into asking about sexual preferences. These questions then lead to asking about PrEP knowledge and uptake.

On February 12th, I had the opportunity to join Amelia in a meeting with several staff members about the quality of care that the health center provides and how the health center could better train employees to provide adequate care to students. This meeting was not only enlightening but also informative. I was able to speak on behalf of the students and give a student’s point of view on various subject matters.

Weekly summary and competencies:

Weekly update

During the week of February 9th–12th, I finalized and refined my PrEP awareness survey by transferring it to UGA’s official survey platform, testing all logic pathways multiple times to ensure proper functionality, and collaborating with Amelia for additional review and testing. The 15-question survey includes informed consent, demographic questions on sexual identity and gender orientation, and items assessing sexual behaviors, PrEP knowledge, and uptake. In addition to completing the survey, I participated in a health center staff meeting focused on improving quality of care and employee training, where I contributed a student perspective to discussions about enhancing services for the campus community. This meeting was not only enlightening but also informative. I was able to speak on behalf of the students and give a student’s point of view on various subject matters.

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On February 16th, I went to the Pride Center again but received the same information: there wasn’t a direct assignment for me, and they are waiting for the survey questions from my internship preceptor.

On February 17th, I revisited my literature review and cleaned up any grammatical errors and expanded on topics that I believed needed to be explained in depth.

On February 18th, I sent my internship preceptor my survey as a PDF for her to send the finalized version to colleagues for review and any comments or critiques they may have. We also discussed placing the survey in the gynecology clinic to diversify our population of those who will be taking the survey once it is officially sent out.

After the survey was sent to a few colleagues, I received some helpful change suggestions, such as adding a gender orientation, making questions more concise, and making them easier to follow. Now that I have received the critiques needed, I am waiting for final approval to send out the survey.

On February 19th, I made all of the changes that were suggested and resent the survey to my internship preceptor.

Weekly summary and competencies:

During the week of February 16th–19th, I continued coordinating with the Pride Center while awaiting finalized survey approval from my preceptor. I refined and expanded my literature review, then submitted my survey for professional review and feedback. After receiving critiques from colleagues, I revised the survey to improve clarity, inclusivity, and flow, such as adding gender orientation options and simplifying question wording. We also discussed expanding distribution to the gynecology clinic to diversify the survey population. I made all recommended revisions and resubmitted the survey for final approval before dissemination.

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On February 23rd, I worked on my myth-busting campaign. I created a list of facts vs. myths for PrEP uptake. I want the theme of this campaign to be relevant and relatable, so I am leaning towards a tea-time concept where we clock that tea (myths). With facts. I sent the list of names and the Canva mockup to the communications team, and I am awaiting approval.

On February 24th, as I am awaiting approval for my myth-busting campaign and the survey, I redid my daily reflections and added my competencies. I also added the Gaypril kickoff event to my schedule as I will be in attendance.

On February 25th, I was informed that my myth-busting campaign would be redesigned to use CDC-premade materials from their Let’s Stop HIV Together campaign. I reached out to the CDC for collaboration materials and access to their toolkit to choose what materials will be distributed throughout the health center. I also added the finishing touches to my survey, again refining anything that was missed before, so when it is time to distribute it, it is ready to go. I talked with my internship preceptor about when it would be distributed, and she is still awaiting approval, but assured me that the survey will still be published.

I emailed the Department of Public Health to follow up on a collaboration event for April. I suggested that we hold the collaboration event after the Gaypril kickoff to ride the momentum of the kickoff before the end-of-semester “crunch” begins and students start heading off-campus.

On February 26th, I received a response to my follow-up email from the DPH with dates to discuss our collaboration event. I also still await an email from the CDC regarding the collaboration for their HIV materials, but I was able to learn how to reach out to partners and ask for information, something I never thought I would be doing.

Weekly summary/competencies:

During the week of February 23rd–26th, I focused on developing and refining my PrEP myth-busting campaign to increase awareness and reduce stigma among students. I created a facts-versus-myths concept and drafted campaign materials before collaborating with the communications team for review. After learning the campaign would shift to using CDC-developed materials, I proactively reached out to request toolkit resources and explored evidence-based messaging options for distribution throughout the health center. In addition, I finalized edits to my survey while awaiting approval for dissemination. I followed up with the Department of Public Health to finalize coordination for a collaborative event, strategically proposing timing to align with Gaypril programming and maximize student engagement.

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On March 2nd, I went to the Pride Center to discuss the questions for my survey with the head coordinator, but unfortunately, he was out of the office and staff were unsure if he would be coming in for the day. Because of this, I had to pivot and work on finding CDC resources for my campaign. I also set a meeting with the DPH for our discussion about when to conduct our collaboration event. We settled on meeting on Thursday, from 9:00 am to 10:00 am, to talk about programming.

On March 3rd, I went to the Bear meet-up event, which was not directly tied to my internship, but the event focused on building connections and fostering healthy bonds, and I believe mentioning this event is important because it was an event that I helped plan with the Fontaine Center. After the event, I went into the office to find premade PrEP resources on the CDC website as I wait to hear back from them. Since I have not received an email regarding their toolkit, I was only able to take 2 resources off of their main page that I believed were inclusive. I was also able to collaborate with other interns while in the office. My internship preceptor offered me other government websites to look through for different programming.

On March 4th, I was also able to collaborate with other interns while in the office. I learned about their internship projects as well as some new things happening in the public health world. I was also able to use this day to catch up on my day-to-day reports and clean up my journal entries.

On March 5th, I met with the DPH on Microsoft Teams, and we discussed tabling efforts to engage with the population at UGA during the Gaypril kickoff event. I brought up using the wheel that the Fontaine Center has, to incorporate a myth vs facts game surrounding PrEP uptake. This idea went over well, and I shall start working on gathering facts during spring break. I also reached out to another partner at DPH regarding some materials that can be sent out to the UGA population in hopes that they may have more inclusive messaging. Inclusive messaging will help get the point across that PrEP is not just for men who have sex with men, but it is for anyone who participates in seemingly risky sexual behaviors.

Weekly summary/competencies

During the week of March 2nd–5th, I focused on collaboration, program planning, and gathering educational resources for upcoming HIV prevention outreach efforts. I attempted to meet with the Pride Center to discuss survey questions, but pivoted to identifying CDC materials for my PrEP myth-busting campaign when the coordinator was unavailable. I also attended a community-building event I helped plan with the Fontaine Center, and then I continued researching inclusive PrEP resources while collaborating with other interns. Later in the week, I met with the Department of Public Health to discuss tabling at the Gaypril kickoff event, where I proposed an interactive myth-versus-fact wheel activity to engage students and promote accurate information about PrEP. I also began coordinating with additional partners to obtain inclusive educational materials to distribute to the UGA student population.

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On March 9th, I worked from home at the start of spring break, cleaning up the questions and finding more questions for my trivia game, which will launch after spring break.

On March 10th, I went into the office and worked on my trivia questions for the Gaypril tabling and the collaboration event. I am creating this in Canva using CDC resources on PrEP uptake and HIV awareness.

Weekly summary/competencies

March 9th to the 13th was spring break, but I went into the office on the 10th to work on the reimagined myth-busting campaign. I was able to start the questions and pull from the CDC website and my literature review; these resources helped me compile a list of true or false questions and open-ended questions. These questions will be used at the Gaypril and DPH tabling events.

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Monday, March 16th, I took the full day to perfect my myth-busting campaign. The trivia game consists of 12 questions, all about PrEP. These questions consist of True or False questions and open-ended questions. The plan is to collaborate with the university’s Fontaine Center and use its wheel to let participants spin it for a randomly selected trivia question. They can answer the trivia question for some sort of swag.

I submitted my questions to the Sexual Health coordinator at Fontaine and my internship preceptor. I am awaiting final approval for my questions, but I am hopeful they will pass the required checks.

Tuesday, March 17th, I went into the office to answer some emails and finalize my myth-busting campaign. Upon checking my emails, I received an update regarding my survey: a removal of all mention of gender, sexual orientation, and descriptive questions needed to occur for my survey to be distributed. This was very disappointing at first and really took me aback, but I was able to pivot and create other questions that would provide similar data to the original questions.

Wednesday, March 18th, I received critiques on my survey, and I am now working on making it less invasive. Even when I removed the descriptive questions, such as gender, race, and sexual orientation, and replaced them with questions about their current living location, where they grew up, and other non-descriptive questions, I received additional feedback to remove these questions as well.

This has been a rigorous process, but I have learned so much from it, and I believe it has taught me how to pivot, especially in today’s day and age.

Thursday, March 19th, I met with my internship preceptor to discuss the survey and the changes that have been made. We worked on the survey and the trivia questions to better fit the suggestions that were made. After our meeting, she emailed the person who was reviewing the survey the changes that were made and the scope of the survey for clarification purposes.

After our meeting, I went to the Pride Center and attempted to meet with the interim director, but he was in a meeting. I was able to send him my survey via email, and he responded and approved it by Friday!

Weekly summary/competencies

During the week of March 16th–19th, I focused on finalizing my PrEP myth-busting campaign and refining my survey based on extensive feedback and approval requirements. I developed a 12-question trivia game for the Gaypril event in collaboration with the Fontaine Center and submitted it for review. Throughout the week, I made significant revisions to my survey, adapting to required changes such as removing demographic questions and restructuring items to remain effective while meeting institutional guidelines. I worked closely with my internship preceptor to revise both the survey and trivia materials, ensuring clarity and appropriateness. Additionally, I continued stakeholder engagement by communicating with the Pride Center, ultimately receiving approval for my survey by the end of the week.

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Monday the 23rd, I went into the office instead of the Pride Center and took a final look at the survey before sending it to my internship preceptor for distribution. The survey has been approved, and I can finally share it with the gynecology clinic and all clinics, and use it for our Gaypril event on April 2nd. I am extremely happy that it is finally seeing the light of day. I believe this data is very important for us to collect and be aware of.

I also have a meeting with the Pride Center tomorrow to discuss Gaypril and the survey! Things are starting to work out, and I’m extremely happy about the growth that has been made.

Tuesday, the 24th, I had an amazing meeting with the new director at the Pride Center. I told him about the scope of the survey and where it will be distributed. I also talked about the Gaypril kickoff event and expectations. This was the best meeting I have had all semester regarding the survey. It was very helpful and informative.

Wednesday, the 25th, I worked on my PrEP trivia questions for the Gaypril event and the collaboration event with DPH. I also received the draft for the survey! The draft was very aesthetically pleasing, and I am excited for distribution.

Thursday, the 26th, I was able to work from home, and I received an email that my survey has been distributed! I am super excited and cannot wait to see what data I can compile!

Weekly summary/competencies

During the week of March 23rd–26th, I finalized and prepared my PrEP awareness survey for distribution after receiving full approval from my internship preceptor. The survey was successfully disseminated across multiple settings, including the gynecology clinic, other health center clinics, and upcoming Gaypril events. I also met with the new director of the Pride Center to discuss the survey’s scope, distribution plan, and expectations for the Gaypril kickoff event, which strengthened collaboration efforts. In addition, I continued refining my PrEP trivia questions for event engagement and received the finalized survey draft. By the end of the week, the survey was officially distributed, marking a major milestone in my internship and the beginning of data collection.

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Monday, March 30th, I worked from home on the PrEP myth-busting campaign in preparation for the event on Thursday.

On Tuesday, March 31st, I met with my internship preceptor and discussed Gaypril. We gathered materials for Gaypril, including the trivia wheel, snacks, and other freebies. We also discussed the data that I have gathered from my survey. As of Tuesday, we had 39 responses.

Wednesday, April 1st, I joined a meeting with Fontaine and DPH to discuss our collaboration event on Monday, April 6th. During our discussion, we talked about the data I have compiled from the survey. The survey currently has 39 participants.

Thursday, April 2nd, I tabled for the Gaypril event and played the myth-busting game with students who came to our table. The game was a huge success, and we gave out all of our fidget toys. I got a lot of compliments on my survey, as well as on how short the survey was. After the event, I looked at the data, and we had 26 individuals take the survey.

Weekly summary/competencies

During the week of March 30th–April 2nd, I prepared for and implemented my PrEP myth-busting campaign as part of the Gaypril kickoff event. I collaborated with my internship preceptor to gather materials and reviewed preliminary survey data, which had reached 39 responses prior to the event. I also participated in a planning meeting with the Fontaine Center and the Department of Public Health to coordinate an upcoming collaboration event, where I shared survey updates. During the Gaypril tabling event, I engaged students using an interactive trivia game focused on PrEP awareness, which was well-received and resulted in increased survey participation. By the end of the week, I observed additional survey responses and began reviewing updated data, marking continued progress in both outreach and data collection efforts.

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Monday, April 6th, I tabled with the Fontaine Center and the Department of Public Health. We gave out safer sex supplies, snacks, and if individuals filled out the survey, they got a free cupcake! This event drew in tons of students and helped them engage not only with on-campus partners but also with off-campus partners. At this tabling event, I received 105 new responses, bringing my total to 185 people who started the survey and 155 who completed it! I am truly excited to review all of the results and conduct my final assessment!

Tuesday, April 7th, I went into the office and really analyzed all the data I had gathered, and I was genuinely shocked. Some of the responses that shocked me were 75% of individuals reported that they did not avoid seeking sexual health services due to discomfort or stigma, but when asked if they would consider seeking PrEP care from the health center, 28% of individuals said no, and the second leading answer for why not was because of stigma! This was very interesting because a lot of individuals report that stigma was not a barrier to receiving care.

Wednesday, April 8th, I worked on compiling the data to send to the Pride Center so that they can review the results and better access their community as well. I am also sending my results to my internship preceptor, but due to the survey not closing until April 20th, I will be sending her an updated data sheet before the closing date.

Thursday, April 9th, I sent all of the survey data out, and I reviewed it. I have attached the survey results below:

Weekly summary/ competencies

During the week of April 6th–9th, I focused on analyzing and interpreting data collected from my PrEP awareness survey following a successful tabling event that resulted in 105 new responses, bringing the total to 185 participants and 155 completed surveys. I conducted an in-depth review of the data and identified key findings, including a notable discrepancy between individuals reporting low stigma as a barrier to care while still expressing reluctance to seek PrEP services due to stigma. I compiled and organized the survey results for dissemination to the Pride Center and my internship preceptor to support community assessment and future programming. By the end of the week, I finalized and shared the data while continuing to reflect on emerging trends and their implications for improving sexual health outreach and education.

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Monday, April 13th, I was in the office and reviewed my deliverables for the continuum of my internship. I met with my internship preceptor to discuss my executive summary and PowerPoint presentation.

Tuesday, April 14th, I started on my executive summary. I went through my literature review to gather information for my executive summary, and I analyzed my survey results to include in my executive summary as well. Working on my summary took the majority of my day.

Wednesday, April 15th, I scheduled my presentation for April 29th. I will be presenting my findings in a PowerPoint format to the head of the gynecology clinic and the head of my current department. I am excited to present because I need the experience of discussing data and analyzing it in a way that is easy for others to understand.

Thursday, April 16th, while finishing up my executive summary, I thought I would share some findings that I found interesting. In terms of utilization, nearly half of the respondents (47.76%) know nothing about PrEP, and only 10.45% have utilized it. Those who have heard of PrEP, social media (37.14%) is the leading source of information, and the University Health Center is the primary site for PrEP utilization (42.86%) and is a trusted future resource, with 71.64% saying they would consider going there for counseling.

Friday, April 17th, I continued to work on my executive summary and my PowerPoint. Another statistic I thought was important that I wanted to add is that Public health departments also serve as an important secondary access point for students after using social media to access PrEP information

Weekly summary/ competencies

During the week of April 13th–17th, I focused on finalizing key deliverables for my internship, including my executive summary and upcoming presentation. I met with my internship preceptor to review expectations and began drafting my executive summary by integrating findings from both my literature review and survey data. I also scheduled my final presentation for April 29th, where I will present my findings to departmental leadership. Throughout the week, I analyzed survey results and identified key insights, such as low awareness of PrEP among respondents, the significant role of social media as an information source, and the University Health Center being a trusted location for future PrEP services. This process strengthened my ability to interpret and communicate public health data effectively.

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April 20th, I worked on my PowerPoint for my presentation on the 29th.

April 21st, I went into the office and cleaned up my executive summary paper. I also tabled for denim day, and that was such an enriching experience. We observe denim day because of a court case in Italy where a judge ruled that, because she had tight denim jeans on, she had to assist her assailant with taking them off, and therefore she couldn’t possibly have been assaulted.

April 22nd, I am in the office now, creating note cards for my presentation and cleaning up everything to send over to my internship preceptor.

April 23rd, I sent over my PowerPoint presentation, and I am awaiting feedback.

April 24th, I received feedback on my PowerPoint with various corrections that need to be made and things to include so that the powerpoint an be referred back to at a later date.

weekly summary/competencies

During the week of April 20th–24th, I focused on preparing for my final internship presentation by developing and refining my PowerPoint and supporting materials. I edited my executive summary, created note cards, and incorporated feedback from my internship preceptor to ensure my presentation would be clear, informative, and useful for future reference. In addition to presentation preparation, I participated in Denim Day tabling, where I helped raise awareness about sexual violence and the importance of challenging victim-blaming myths. This week strengthened my ability to communicate public health findings effectively while also engaging in advocacy and community education.

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April 27th, I cleaned up all the issues with my PowerPoint and submitted my paper for review.