Notes from the Field: Lauren Gruffi '17

Lauren Gruffi interned at New America during the 2016 Summer Term. The following is an excerpt from her internship report.

New America is a think tank and civic enterprise devoted to renewing American politics, prosperity, and progress in the digital age. It seeks to distinguish itself from other think tanks in its bottom-up approach that engages local communities across the country.

While New America houses an array of different programs, including the Better Life Lab, Open Markets, and Open Technology Institute, the focus of my internship was with the Health Policy Program.

As a Health Policy Intern, my responsibilities included: coauthoring articles on timely public health issues for The Huffington Post; writing blog posts for the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps, website; managing social media for SNAP; attending congressional hearings and events hosted by other think tanks across the city; conducting research on emerging public and global health crises, such as Zika; and planning and coordinating events hosted at New America by the Health Policy program.

My experience at New America this summer has given me a comprehensive overview of the many stakeholders involved in both public and global health, and I have developed a greater understanding for how healthcare operates at the federal and global level.

As a pre-medical student with aspirations to become a physician, this knowledge and understanding will be imperative for my future and in my career. The skillset I gained this summer will easily transfer over to other jobs and responsibilities I may have at Dartmouth and after graduation, and the overall experience has prepared me to enter the workforce with a better understanding of public and global affairs.