FEBRUARY 1, 2024
We are thrilled to welcome our 2024 interns Miguel Mercado, Navreet Purewal, and Kelly Lin! And we say thank you, farewell, and best wishes to our 2023 intern Sienna Marley.
Emerging health professionals often feel not only pressure to achieve their career goals, but also a great responsibility to protect community health and our planet from the harms of pollution, climate change, nuclear annihilation, and social injustices. SF Bay PSR provides interns with project mentorship, and experiences in policy advocacy, communications, and nonprofit administration—giving them the support and encouragement needed to become our next health-activist leaders.
Please take a moment to read about SF Bay PSR’s inspiring interns and consider giving here to support the Dr. Tom Hall Student and Young Professionals Fund!
Thank you and farewell to our 2023 Environmental Health Intern, Sienna Marley! Sienna is a current MPH student in Environmental Health Sciences at the Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles. During her SF Bay PSR internship, she focused on exploring wildfire smoke exposure and health education. At UCLA, she is continuing to explore the interdisciplinary field of public health as a TA, doing research on the Aliso Canyon Disaster Health Research Study, and completing a Leaders in Sustainability certificate. She is excited at the prospect of actively engaging in innovative air quality solutions that address climate equity issues. As for her educational goals, she plans on continuing her education through a PhD program with an emphasis in sustainability, air quality, and planetary health.
Three things Sienna learned and appreciates most about her internship:
1. How to professionally engage and foster mentorships within the public health field.
2. Policy timelines, specifically California legislation and how environmental justice groups can influence a bill.
3. How to develop a curriculum for high school climate justice curriculum.
Welcome to our 2024 Environmental Health Intern Miguel Mercado! Miguel is currently a fourth-year student at the University of California, Berkeley, pursuing a major in Public Health along with minors in Public Policy and Global Poverty & Practice. His dedication to social causes is demonstrated through experiences as an Anti-Trafficking Caseworker Intern and Voter Engagement Representative, where he passionately advocated for the well-being of survivors and civic engagement. The drive to combat commercial air pollution is deeply rooted in his environmental advocacy and personal connection to the issue, as it hits close to home. Throughout this internship, he aims to deepen his understanding of policy development related to environmental issues and actively contribute to ongoing research. He is most excited about the opportunity to contribute to the team and make a positive impact.
We are thrilled to announce that this year, we have TWO Nuclear Weapons Abolition Interns working with us!
Welcome to 2024 Nuclear Weapons Abolition Intern Navreet Purewal! Navreet is a senior at UC Berkeley majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology, with a focus on Immunology and Molecular Medicine, and a minor in Human Rights. Her interests include health education, social policy, international health, community service, and human rights. As a student researcher at the UC Berkeley Human Rights Center, Navreet has experience conducting and educating on how to conduct open-source investigations to seek legal accountability for environmental crimes. In her internship, she looks forward to learning about how nuclear weapons policy is shaped and raising awareness about the risks of nuclear energy. Navreet is also interested in exploring how health professionals can advocate for social justice and bring about change in legislative landscapes.
Welcome to 2024 Nuclear Weapons Abolition Intern Kelly Lin! Kelly is a senior at UC Berkeley studying Public Health. She is very excited to join the PSR team as a Nuclear Weapons Abolition intern. She is eager to learn more about how public health practitioners and physicians are using their voices in activism for nuclear disarmament. Kelly’s interests include global health policy, maternal health, peacekeeping, and war/conflict. In this internship, she aims to understand US nuclear abolition policies, explore international cooperation, and grasp the intersectionality with global security, human rights, and public health.
PLEASE GIVE to the Dr. Tom Hall Student and Young Professionals Fund!
Every gift helps! We are still about $9,000 away from our goal of $15,000.
SF Bay PSR’s internships, our Emerging Health-Activist Awards, and Emerging Health Professional Project Micro-Grants are supported by the Dr. Tom Hall Student and Young Professionals Fund that was started with a generous bequest by Dr. Tom Hall, professor of epidemiology and global health leader. Dr. Hall was a member of the SF Bay PSR Board of Directors for decades and a strong advocate for ensuring medical and public health students receive support and mentorship to engage in creating a healthier planet.
