Conery offered summer internship with US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

May 16, 2022

Karlyn Conery

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars (TWC), which partners with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), has announced that Karlyn Conery, a Master of Public Health student at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, is one of 22 undergraduate and graduate students selected for the summer 2022 SAMHSA Internship Program.

The SAMHSA Internship Program is specifically designed to equip graduate students and recent undergraduates from underrepresented populations to work in the public health field.  The program is fundamental to SAMHSA’s efforts to reduce disparities in mental health and/or substance use disorders by building a diverse behavioral health workforce.

“I am eagerly awaiting my internship with SAMHSA and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention this summer and am excited to work on developing a strengths-based approach to addressing substance misuse and mental health promotion,” Conery said. “My goals for my practicum experience are to understand how to operate effectively and efficiently in a public sector role, refine my research and communication skills, and learn how to develop mental health strategic recommendations and programming that maximize community impact across the United States.”

In this federally funded full-time internship, interns gain practical experience through projects, special assignments, or research that supports federal, state and community-based programs, policies and best practices in the prevention and treatment of substance abuse and mental illness. Each intern receives a stipend of $5,000-$7,590, depending on the length of the internship. They also receive round-trip airfare for in-person internships and housing (if needed) at a reduced rate.

“We are honored to partner with SAMHSA on this important internship program and we’re excited to have recruited highly talented students from diverse backgrounds who have a passion for public health and who want to make a difference,” says Kelly Eaton, TWC’s chief academic officer and senior vice president.

Internship opportunities in the SAMHSA program are in a variety of fields, including:

• Substance abuse and mental health prevention and treatment
• Federal, state and local government policies and regulations
• Health information technology
• Program administration, operations and management
• Research and data analysis
• Communications and social marketing
• Grant management

For eligibility information, benefits, application deadlines and program dates, please visit the TWC website.

About The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars

The Washington Center is the largest and most established student internship program in Washington, D.C. Since our founding, we’ve helped more than 60,000 young people translate their college majors into career paths. We use our scale and expertise to customize each student’s experience to be truly transformative.

About the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA’s mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities.

Read the full press release online.

Contact the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health communications team at sphcomm@unc.edu.