Students Put Their Skills to the Test Before Graduating
03/03/2025
By Karen Angelo
Jack Callahan’s curiosity about essentials like safe drinking water and waste management drew him to intern with the Public Works Department in North Andover, Massachusetts. The capstone experience, which earns Callahan six credits as a public health major, provides an opportunity to apply what he’s learned in the classroom to real-world challenges.
“One of the most valuable aspects of this internship is the opportunity to shadow professionals across different public works roles,” says Callahan ’25, who plans to apply his public health perspective in his future career to improving water quality and other municipal services. “I’ve learned from sewer mechanics who maintain wastewater infrastructure and from the director of public works, who oversees multiple town departments.”
Callahan is among the hundreds of Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences students each semester who gain professional experiences, most of which are part of the curriculum. For majors such as pharmaceutical sciences, students can opt to work a paid co-op for six months.
Pharmaceutical sciences student Erin Soulia ’25 applied everything she learned in her courses during her six-month paid co-op experience at Morphic Therapeutic last year.
“I was able to network and learn about the latest advancements in clinical research, including risk-based approaches and quality by design,” says Soulia.
For someone who wants to work as a physical therapist and athletic trainer, Doctor of Physical Therapy student Ian Ferris landed the ultimate clinical experience: He is completing his final clinical rotation with the NBA’s Indiana Pacers team, assisting players and learning from sports medicine staff members.
“I have learned a lot during my time with the Pacers, such as applying different manual therapy skills, therapeutic modalities, exercise interventions and more,” says Ferris.
Exercise science major Daniel Roth secured a strength and conditioning internship with Harvard University last fall. He was paid for the internship through the Moloney Student Scholar fund, one of the many ways that the university fulfills its promise that every undergraduate student is guaranteed a career-connected experience, earning pay, credits or both before they graduate.
“I worked with all 42 Division I varsity athletic teams, which included hands-on coaching during strength training, speed and agility training and conditioning,” he says. “I also led team warmups and assisted with sports performance testing protocols.”
Learn by Doing
“Learning by doing is at the heart of the programs in our college and university,” says Dean Mary Gallant of the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences. “When students apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to real-life situations, they are also building critical thinking, teamwork and communication skills, which are all important for their future career success.”
“These experiences are helping me bridge the gap between theory and practice,” says Robinson. “I value the opportunity to earn my MPH while completing my dietetics requirements at UML, which is unique in the dietetics world.”
When Your Mentor is a UMass Lowell Alum
The night before her first clinical rotation, Marissa Borkum ’22 couldn’t sleep. Fast-forward to today, and the alumna of the applied biomedical sciences (ABS) program is mentoring UMass Lowell students.
“I understand that starting a clinical can be a nerve-racking experience, because I was once in students’ shoes,” says Borkum, a clinical instructor and medical technologist at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center. “I’m grateful to have the opportunity to mentor students and share my love of medical technology with aspiring technologists and scientists.”
Jennica Hamm, a junior in the ABS medical lab science option, is taking her first practicum in the hematology lab at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, mentored by Borkum. By the time Hamm graduates, she’ll have tallied over 400 hours of experience in clinical and medical diagnostic laboratories.
“Marissa is always open to questions and concerns and makes sure that I am constantly learning and being exposed to useful information in the hematology lab,” says Hamm.
Experiences Guide Career Decisions
Nursing students complete six clinical rotations in different areas, helping them develop critical thinking skills, gain confidence and find the specialty area that’s right for them. In her final clinical rotation, nursing student Khuyen Tran treated patients in the emergency department at UMass Memorial Health Campus. The experience was formative.
“I’ve decided to start my nursing career in the emergency department and then move on from there, because I’m eager to expand my knowledge and grow as a new nurse,” Tran says.
For Robinson, the MPH Dietetics internships introduced her to so many possibilities that she’s having a hard time deciding where to begin her career.
“When I started the program, I wanted to pursue sports nutrition, but I’ve since discovered an interest in working with pediatric populations, in college dining and food service and on the clinical side of dietetics,” she says. “That’s what makes this profession so exciting — there are endless possibilities to create a career that aligns with my interests.”