Graduate Research Internships & Fellowships

Currently the Institute offers two opportunities for graduate students to receive research training:

  • Graduate Research Internship: 3 credit hours, 1 day/week minimum

  • Graduate Research Fellowship: 9-12 credit hours, 30 hours/week minimum

Graduate Research Interns & Fellows work under the supervision of Chudley (Chad) Werch, Ph.D., Professor and Director. Dr. Werch has more than 20 years experience in conducting research focused on the prevention and etiology of substance abuse. Dr. Werch currently serves as the principal investigator of several National Institutes of Health funded research projects examining substance use and the efficacy of brief intervention strategies for adolescents and young adults.

Program Description

The Graduate Research Internship/Fellowship Program at the Institute will be tailored to the learning needs of interns/fellows, and aims to provide students with hands-on learning experiences by working along-side Institute research staff in on-going investigations involving:

  • Developing and implementing research methods and protocols, including subject recruitment and consent, randomization, data collection, and data analysis.
  • Developing, administering, and testing innovative, science-based interventions aimed at preventing harm and promoting health among high risk populations.
  • Creating, managing, and manipulating data and data sets.
  • Conducting statistical analyses using SPSS operations and applications.
  • Preparing research abstracts for presentation at national or international professional meetings.
  • Conducting systematic in-depth reviews of published research.
  • Conducting investigator-initiated research, or secondary data analyses as a Principal Investigator.
  • Developing PowerPoint Slides for oral or poster presentations of research findings.
  • Writing and submitting research manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals.
  • Assisting Institute Collaborating Scientists and Faculty Research Associates on research projects under their supervision.

Credit Options for the AHB Research Institute Internship/Fellowship include:

  • HSC 7905 Advanced Independent Study (Masters & Doctoral students)
  • HLP 7979 Advanced Research (Doctoral students in year 2+ of their program, but not yet admitted to candidacy for the degree)

AHB Research Institute interns and fellows receive appointments for one academic semester. Appointments begin on the first day of classes, and end on the last day of classes, as specified for the term by the Registrar, University of Florida. For students requesting course credit, they typically complete about 40 hours of work for each credit earned. Part-time interns typically complete about 120 hours of work (for 3 credits) during the term, including spending at least one full workday each week at the Institute. Full-time fellows typically complete from about 360 to 480 hours of work (for 9-12 credits) during the term, including spending 30-40 hours per week at the Institute and field research sites.

Interns and fellows who perform at an outstanding level maybe invited to re-apply for subsequent internship/fellowship awards. Fellowships may be requested without course credit if desired.

Training

First, it is expected that graduate interns/fellows will be fully and actively involved with all essential on-going research activities within the Institute. Secondly, take the lead on at least one research project as a Principal Investigator which will culminate in a written manuscript for fellows and abstract or manuscript for interns. All graduate research fellows are required to attend weekly Institute staff meetings and other research-related trainings conducted by the Institute. During the last week of the internship/fellowship, all interns/fellows are required to present their pre-approved research methods and findings to Institute staff in a research seminar.

Research-related seminars and workshops that interns/fellows may be asked to attend while at the Institute include the following:

  • Data management and manipulation
  • Statistical analysis using SPSS
  • Developing PowerPoint and poster research presentations
  • Intervention theory & research
  • Intervention development & implementation
  • Data collection methods & measurement
  • Data interpretation
  • Manuscript and grant application writing
  • Human subjects protections & the IRB

Benefits & Stipends

Graduate Research Internship:

  • $350 (Masters level) to $500 (Doctoral level) stipend per semester
  • 3 course-related credit hours (subject to the approval of student's program advisor)

Graduate Research Fellowship:

  • $5,000 (Masters level) to $8,000 (Doctoral level) stipend per semester (based on 40 hours/week)
  • Optional 9-12 course-related credit hours (subject to the approval of student's program advisor)

Application Procedures

Doctoral and Master-level students from the Department of Health Education and Behavior will be given preference, but graduate students from allied health and medicine programs, as well as international students may also apply. Students applying for the internship/fellowship should have: Basic knowledge of experimental research methods, health behavior theories, and descriptive and inferential statistical methods Strong writing skills A keen interest in addiction or health behavior research and evaluation

If interested, applicants must submit the following:

  • Letter of Application indicating the program to which you are applying, the term/year for which you are applying, research interests, and any prior research coursework and experience
  • Résumé
  • Letter of Support from a program advisor or major professor indicating student's qualifications for the experience and proposed credit options (if desired) that will fit within the student's program of study
Applications due on pre-registration deadline for the requested semester

Applications should be made to:
Melissa Wezniak
Addictive & Health Behaviors Research Institute
Department of Health Education and Behavior
University of Florida
7800 Belfort Parkway, Suite 270
Jacksonville, FL 32256
Phone: (904) 281-0726
Fax: (904) 296-1153
Email: mwezniak@hhp.ufl.edu