Working as a research intern in the summer of 2022 with IPUR was a great learning experience. It helped me develop valuable skills and establish long-lasting connections.

My internship programme at IPUR was for 7 weeks and I was able to work on numerous projects throughout this period. The main project I worked on was delving deeper into research surrounding the rise in atopic allergic diseases that have been recorded over the past 40 years. I conducted literature reviews of articles detailing this increase as a major public health issue and gathered sufficient information to write up a case study on the topic. Specifically, my case study focused on the rise in hospital admissions due to food-induced anaphylaxis seen over the past 20 to 30 years in the United Kingdom.

In addition to writing up the case study, I researched topics surrounding climate change and contributed to a proposal that was presented to a major Singaporean company for funding to support IPUR’s work on eco-anxiety and eco-solidarity. Another project I played a role in progressing was the research project on “Environmental Champions” – people who collaborate with others in their community to take positive environmental action. I analysed motivations and reasons behind engagement in pro-environmental behaviors and then worked with a fellow intern to develop an interview protocol before proceeding to conducting and transcribing these interviews.

Through these projects, I have been able to contribute meaningful work to topics that I am passionate about. They have allowed me to gain more knowledge about the fields of public health, psychology, and research. Though I have conducted literature reviews of academic journals before, before this internship, I had no prior experience with writing a case study or researching public health issues from the lens of risk perception and communication. I have been able to learn a great deal about the major public health issues that plague our world and what gaps are present between experts’ knowledge and the general public’s knowledge.

I learned that an essential aspect of risk is communication and, in many cases, public health officials, government officials, and experts have failed to effectively communicate about risks which has exacerbated detrimental effects of cases such as the Flint Water Crisis and HPV vaccine hesitancy in Japan. Overall, being an intern at IPUR has shown me that the work the institute engages in provides valuable information on pressing health issues and has the potential to greatly minimise damaging effects of public health risks around the world.