Placement at Public Health England
About me
Name: Kerry Fox
Subject: Psychology
Year: Third year
Web profile:
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/profiles/214323
I had always toyed with doing an internship. I had spoken to people who had already done
one. I had looked at the list of possible internships on the ESRC website (as was the system
in 2014). Luckily for me, the advertisement for my perfect internship dropped into my inbox
half way through my third year. I applied straight away, was successful in my application and
started in May 2015.
About the placement
When? May – September 2015
Where? Behavioural Science Team, Emergency Response
Department (Science and Technology), Health Protection Directorate,
Public Health England
The placement was in the Behavioural Science Team in the Emergency Response
Department (Science and Technology) in Porton Down, which is part of the Health
Protection Directorate of Public Health England. Established in 2013, Public Health England
is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department of Health, working to protect and
improve the nation's health and wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities (for more
information see: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england/about).
During my placement, I provided support to an EU-funded project, exploring the
preparedness of EU Member States for serious cross-border threats to health. As part of this
project, I conducted an EU-wide survey of Member State representatives and wrote a report
for the European Commission. I also supported the INfluENCE Project – “Improving National
Influenza Engagement and Communication Effectiveness” – funded by Department of
Health, which looked at how to improve communication with the public about antivirals and
vaccination during the next pandemic (for more information see:
http://www.influenceproject.org). I helped with dissemination of this project, including drafting
project summaries, organising of and planning both a public engagement event and
stakeholder workshop, and helping with the final report. Some of these activities were similar
to those that I do as part of my PhD and some were completely new to me: either way, I
found all of them really enjoyable, fascinating, and challenging.
The working environment at Public Health England was interesting and motivating. My
colleagues – see below photo - were extremely welcoming, dynamic and engaging, and
were always offering me opportunities when they arose, for example, presenting my PhD
research to the wider department which included many specialists from other disciplines,
which was a valuable opportunity for feedback. I was expected to play an active role in the
team from the start, suggesting ideas, being involved with group decision-making, and
helping out with other projects.
I really enjoyed my time at Public Health England. I originally applied for the placement
because I was interested in their area of expertise: what can be done at a national level to
make people healthier and safer has always interested me. More specifically, I have always
wanted to try working in a non-academic research environment and I only had experience
researching one topic. It was also a great opportunity to appreciate the impact of research in
a non-academic organisation and then see how such research is translated into practice.
Finally, I wanted to see what research opportunities were available outside of academia. A
placement looks great on your CV too.
But what are the benefits of doing an internship? Here’s what I took from my placement:

I saw the impact of research in an applied public health setting;

I worked in a different research area, often across departments;

I worked within a team, towards a common goal;

I experienced a fast-paced and changing working environment;

I received useful and interesting feedback on the applicability of my PhD research;

I learnt about topics beyond my PhD research area;

I gained experience of speaking to experts from other disciplines and the public;

It looks good on my CV;

It was a real confidence boost as I was able to successfully work in a new area;

I made connections which still continue and have helped me identify new
opportunities for when my PhD is complete.
Such internship placements can be sourced in a variety of ways. One route is through the
Research Councils UK (RCUK) Policy Internship scheme, which has opportunities across a
variety of organisations and calls for applications are held at regular intervals. Alternatively, if
there is an organisation you’d like to do a placement at, it might be worth thinking about
approaching them and organising it yourself. For that reason, it is a good idea to think about
when and where you’d like to do an internship as soon as possible. It is important to note
that if you do an internship you can get an extension on your PhD deadline. My placement
was 4 months, meaning that instead of being due to finish in September 2015, I’m now
aiming for January 2016. And my stipend has been continued until then too. The ESRC DTC
were instrumental in the organisation of my placement and will always answer any questions
that you may have: I know I had a lot!
My advice: those of you who want to do an internship, do it! To those of you who are
thinking about it, keep thinking and keep looking around. I couldn’t recommend it enough. If
you think that it’s not for you, keep an open mind: something may come up that you might
find really interesting.