Student Voices: Practicum leads to full-time position

Photo caption: Natalie Amstutz at Ankor Wat, one of the “Seven Wonders of the World” and only a six-hour drive from Phnom Penh.

I started a practicum at the Asia Pacific Regional Office of Helen Keller International, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, last summer. I was a monitoring and evaluation intern and helped edit reports, prepare informational materials for conferences, and create a monitoring and evaluation handbook for all seven offices in the organization’s Asia region. After graduating from Tulane SPHTM in December 2017, my practicum led to my current full-time position as a program officer, where I’ve expanded on my previous work to take a larger role in writing reports for donors, coordinating M&E efforts between our country offices, and conducting internal assessments. I’ve participated in a number of workshops and conferences, and just completed my first article to be published: a study of lactation rooms and breastfeeding practices of new mothers in Phnom Penh workplaces.

Helen Keller has a number of great internships available in various offices across the world, and I can’t recommend them more as a place to get first-hand experience working at an international nutrition NGO. My colleagues were more than welcoming (as well as qualified, well-connected and honestly inspiring!), they give interns really interesting work, and it’s a wonderful way to dip your toes into global public health work. Interestingly enough, two of my supervisors were Tulane grads too! You can find more information on current internship positions here: http://www.hki.org/internships-and-volunteering#.WyXRSxIzbOQ.

Besides a great work experience, living in Phnom Penh has given me the chance to travel all around Cambodia and Southeast Asia.

Natalie Amstutz is a graduate of the combined degree program, with a BSPH as well as an MPH in Nutrition from the Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences.