Summer Work Experience Program

The Summer Immersion Program is coordinated by the UC Global Health Institute Center for Planetary Health in partnership with the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperative Extension (UC ANR) and California Department of Conservation (DOC), and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The program has supported 68 students since 2017.

The program will start in June 2025. Selected students are expected to attend the 2025 Summer Immersion Kick-off Orientation in May 2025. The orientation is designed to introduce students to effective strategies for science outreach and stakeholder engagement. Stipends ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 are available on a limited and equitable basis.

To apply for the Summer Immersion Program and be considered for funding priority, please submit the applicant information and supporting materials requested in the application to planetaryhealth@ucdavis.edu by 9:00am PST on February 24, 2025. Following submission of their applications, applicants will be asked to review and rank (based on preference) specific program opportunities. Interviews will be conducted, and successful applicants will be matched to the program opportunities based on interest and best fit.

Applications submitted after February 24, 2025 will be accepted for consideration on a first come, first serve basis. Further information about the program as well as the desired skills, experience, and qualities of the students can be found below. Please direct any questions about the program or application to planetaryhealth@ucdavis.edu.

Download the application and email planetaryhealth@ucdavis.edu.

Mentor Summer Immersion Program Application

High Level Program Timeline

2024 Summer Work Experience Students

The UCGHI Center for Planetary Health Summer Work Experience Program helps UC students gain valuable work experience by pairing them with host mentors from the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the California Department of Conservation, and the California Department of Public Health. Students gain hands-on experience by working in programs involved in conservation, natural resources, agriculture, policy, nutrition, and health. Check out the 2024 SWEP Report and our students below!

Hailey Atwood

 Major: Veterinary Medicine
Department: School of Veterinary Medicine
Level of Study: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Campus: UC Davis
Host Site and Mentor: Dr. Roselle Busch, Sheep and Goal Vet Med Extension
Hailey will be finishing up her second year as veterinary student at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Dairy Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2021 before moving to Davis, CA to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. She grew up in the Central Valley of California, where she showed cattle for over ten years. She is passionate about improving livestock husbandry and making connections with people in the food animal industry. This summer, Hailey worked with livestock practices across the state, as well as conducting applied field research with small ruminants and delivering extension workshops with Dr. Busche.

Jocelyn Canty

Major: Public Health
Department: Department of Public Health Sciences
Level of Study: Masters
Campus: UC Davis
Host Site and Mentor: Dr. Alda Pires, SVM-PHR and UCANR

Jocelyn's introduction to public health occurred after learning about One Health concepts during her undergraduate studies at University of California, Davis. With a diverse background, her interests surround the intersections between food systems, land stewardship and animal-human health. She is particularly focused on how these factors contribute to accessibility to healthy and culturally appropriate foods, in addition to their impacts on community wellness. This summer, Jocelyn assisted the Pires Lab team with a literature review on pathogen contamination pathways in organic produce for the OREI and CPS projects, focusing on wildlife contamination. This involved extracting and visualizing data in a scenario tree format, conducting focus groups with stakeholders for qualitative insights, and reflecting on research methods to improve engagement. Additionally, she collected and processed compost samples from various California sites to assess pathogen contamination, engaging with stakeholders and shadowing wet lab procedures.

Baljot Chahal

Major: Public Health
Department: Department of Public Health
Level of Study: Masters
Campus: UC Irvine
Host Site and Mentor: Dr. Susana Matias, Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, UCANR

Baljot Chahal is a first year Master of Public Health student at UC Irvine. Her research interests include understanding the different health outcomes various environmental exposures have on maternal and child health. She is also interested in the effects of environmental exposures on reproductive health. In the past she has worked on research studies that focus on pesticide exposure effects and how to offer protections to migrant farmworkers from these exposure events. This summer, Baljot worked alongside Dr. Susan Matias in projects that bridge nutrition to maternal and child health. These projects aimed to create resources to educate physicians as well as community members on breastfeeding and the importance of breastmilk. By encouraging breastfeeding, children will have increased positive health outcomes as well as lower incidence of childhood obesity.

Christian Bernal Córdoba

Major: Animal Biology
Department: College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
Level of Study: PhD
Campus: UC Davis
Host Site and Mentor: Dr. Noelia Silva-del-Rio, VMTRC

Christian Bernal-Córdoba is a veterinarian and a third-year Ph.D. candidate in Animal Biology at UC Davis. His research focuses on developing strategies to bridge the gap between regulatory policies on antimicrobial use (AMU) and actual on-farm practices. Using research synthesis methods, he assesses the efficacy of antimicrobial drugs in controlling and treating infectious diseases in cattle. Christian's work also includes applying machine learning techniques for disease diagnosis and developing user-friendly treatment algorithms to improve AMU practices, reduce treatment costs, and mitigate antimicrobial resistance on farms. This summer Christian worked with Dr. Silva-del-Rio, visiting dairy farms, documenting management practices, identifying critical points for improvement, and developing bilingual extension materials (in both Spanish and English) for dairy farm workers and producers. These materials aimed to address challenges in judicious AMU in livestock, including language barriers, a lack of worker training, difficulties in identifying sick animals, and gaps in communication between veterinarians, farm owners, and workers.

Andrew Frank

Major: Global Health and Comparative Politics
Department: Global Health
Level of Study: Bachelor's
Campus: UC San Diego
Host Site and Mentor: Liliana Vega, UCCE San Diego

Andrew is a third-year student at UC San Diego, majoring in Global Health and Comparative Politics. He has previously been involved with research on a variety of topics, including food insecurity awareness and the relationship between work and political control in prisons. He is passionate about community outreach and bridging accessibility barriers to promote intersectionality and facilitate equitable access and inclusion. This summer, he worked under Liliana Vega to better develop, assess, and implement 4-H educational enrichment programs for youth across the state.

Reena Grewal

 Major: Animal Science
Department: College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Level of Study: Bachelor's of Science
Campus: UC Davis
Host Site and Mentor: Dr. Alda Pires, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine

Reena Grewal is a first-year student at UC Davis pursuing a major in Animal Science with a minor in Global Disease Biology. Her passion for agricultural and animal science industries started in her hometown of Livingston, CA where she was exposed to a predominantly agricultural community. Her interests include applied research, epidemiology, livestock, wildlife, and applying the One Health concept in order to support farmers and ranchers as well as their animals. This summer Reena explored the One Health approach by working with Dr. Alda Pires as well as postdoctoral scholar Dr. Joanna Rothwell to optimize current experimental techniques to analyze soil contamination. She conducted a literature review, developed lab methodology, and learned important concepts in microbiology research, especially related to foodborne pathogens.

Nicole Kingsley

Major: Veterinary Medicine
Department: School of Veterinary Medicine
Level of Study: Doctoral
Campus: UC Davis
Host Site and Mentor: Dr. Lais Costa, UC ANR Veterinary Medicine Cooperative Extension

Nicole is a DVM student with a special interest in global health and animal welfare. Her research prior to entering veterinary school focused on characterizing the genetic underpinning of equine recurrent uveitis, an inflammatory disease that is the leading cause of complete blindness for horses. This summer, she worked with Dr. Lais Costa to develop protocols for an equine welfare project in Costa Rica, focusing on the feasibility of using various blood sample preparations on filter paper to identify acute and chronic infections of three tick-borne pathogens: Theileria equi, Babesia caballi, and Anaplasma spp.

Toni Long

 Major: Veterinary Medicine
Department: School of Veterinary Medicine
Level of Study: Doctoral
Campus: UC Davis
Host Site and Mentor: Dr. Roselle Busch, Sheep and Goat Vet Med Extension Lab

Toni is a current 2nd year veterinary student at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine tracking large animal medicine. This summer, she worked under Dr. Rosie Busch and Dr. Fauna Smith in their lab focused on small ruminant population health, collecting samples from various goat herds and sheep flocks for an ongoing Johne’s disease diagnostics project. She also learned about the use of goat herds for wildfire prevention and assisted in gathering data for a project on the efficacy of a vaccine against Pasteurellosis in sheep, making valuable connections and deepening her understanding of small ruminant health.

Yael Sarai Alonso-López

Major: Animal Biology
Department: College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
Level of Study: PhD
Campus: UC Davis
Host Site and Mentor: Dr. Rubia Branco Lopes, UCANR CE Tulare

Yael Alonso-López is a first-year Ph.D. student in Animal Biology at UC Davis. She obtained her DVM from the National University of Colombia (UNAL) and
developed a keen interest in bridging the gap between academic research and common spaces. This summer she collaborated with Dr. Rubia Branco Lopes to develop Spanish and English educational materials for dairy and beef ranches. These materials aimed to facilitate communication and education for farm workers from different backgrounds, focusing on the importance of newborn care and strategies for reducing antimicrobial use.

Clare McKeon

 Major: Community Development
Department: Community Deelopment Graduate Group
Level of Study: Masters
Campus: UC Davis
Host Site and Mentor: Nikolai Schweitzer, Sierra Foothill REC

Clare McKeon grew up on a cattle ranch in Oakdale, California, where she developed a deep connection to agriculture and land stewardship at an early age, which she has carried through her academic and career endeavors. During her undergraduate studies at UC Davis, she earned a degree in International Agricultural Development, focusing on rural communities with an emphasis on women and disadvantaged groups in agriculture. Her academic pursuits also led her to delve into crop production and plant breeding, engaging in research projects targeting pollinators, sunflowers, and corn. Clare has since advanced to pursuing a Master's degree in Community Development, where her research has concentrated on agricultural social networks within California. This work involves analyzing how these networks facilitate the dissemination of knowledge and resources, especially in light of the escalating challenges posed by climate change. Claire was matched with the Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center under mentor Nikolia Schweitzer this summer. She played a key role in oak restoration research, collected data on saplings, assisted with invasive plant studies, and contributed to field preparations for a compost application project, all while enjoying the beautiful landscape.

Tessa Pulido

Major: Public Health
Department: Public Health
Level of Study: PhD
Campus: UC Itvine
Host Site and Mentor: Dr. Dania Orta-Aleman, UCANR, Nutritional Policy Institute

Tessa Pulido is a PhD student in Public Health at UC Irvine where she also completed her B.A. in Public Health Policy and Education Sciences, and her Master’s in Public Health (MPH). Her research examines the impact of gentrification on food insecurity using a structural determinants of health perspective and community-based participatory research approach. As a Center for Liberation, Anti-Racism, and Belonging graduate student fellow, she receives funding to use participatory mapping to explore food access and the built environment for low-income Latiné residents in Orange County. For SWEP, Tessa matched with Dr. Lorrene Ritchie at the Nutrition Policy Institute. She conducted qualitative analysis on the impact of the universal free school meals program implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, interviewing students from Texas and California to explore perceptions of school meals and stigma. Her findings showed overwhelming support for the program in both states, despite students reporting stigmatizing experiences, leading her to research how to accurately measure stigma and continue collaborating with Dr. Ritchie.

Sofia Schnur

Major: Veterinary Medicine
Department: School of Veterinary Medicine
Level of Study: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Campus: UC Davis
Host Site and Mentor: Dr. Roselle Busch, Sheep and Goat Vet Med Extension Lab

Sofia is a first-year veterinary student with an interest in rural veterinary medicine. She is especially interested in food animal medicine, theriogenology, and the interface between production animals and human health– more specifically with food safety and epidemiology. This summer, she worked with Dr. Roselle Busch, a livestock veterinarian, to improve the health and wellbeing of production animals in California and Washington. Through this opportunity she strengthened her professional network, gained clinical skills such as rectal palpation and blood draws, and deepened her understanding of what it means to be a large animal veterinarian.

Mahzabin Tabassum

Major: Epidemiology
Department: Public Health
Level of Study: Master's Degree
Campus: UC San Diego
Host Site and Mentor: Liliana Vega, UCCE San Diego

Mahzabin graduated in 2020 with a medical degree (Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery, MBBS) and is now finishing her Master of Public Health degree, concentrating in Epidemiology, at UC San Diego. Mahzabin is currently working on her thesis on Maternal Health Lifestyle Medicine Education- A Community Needs Assessment for San Diego Family Care. She also works as a Project Coordinator for SLIM (Supervised Lifestyle and Integrative Medicine) Weight Loss Program for UC San Diego Health. This summer, she worked with her mentor, Liliana Vega, on the 4-H Youth Development program for the University of California Cooperative Extension in San Diego and Orange County. She conducted a comprehensive needs assessment for the 4-H STEAM program, focusing on BIPOC youth and researching existing initiatives in California, such as the EmpowHer Institute’s E-STEAM program and the San Diego Coastkeeper's BIPOC Youth Science Program. She developed assessment tools to better understand the needs and barriers faced by these communities, improved the Workforce Development Adult/Life Readiness Needs Assessment survey for enhanced usability, and contributed to the National LGBTQ+ Study by conducting a literature review on youth-serving professionals’ support for LGBTQ+ youth in Puerto Rico and Latine/Latinx communities.

Allison Tilzey

Major: Environmental Engineering
Department: Environmental Engineering
Level of Study: Bachelor's
Campus: UC Irvine
Host Site and Mentor: Dr. Lais Costa, UC ANR Vet Med Extension

Allison is a fourth-year undergraduate student in the UC Irvine Environmental Engineering department, entering the graduate program at UCI in the fall of 2024. Her research focuses on water contamination related to extreme events exacerbated by climate change, such as wildfires. She is passionate about implementing community-based techniques and an environmental justice focus in her research. This summer, Allison worked with Dr. Lais Costa of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Veterinary Medical Extension in collaboration with CSU Sacramento’s Dr. Wayne Linklater and Wild Horse Fire Brigade Ranch. There, she assisted in the development and execution of research projects regarding the potential of wild horses to aid in wildfire fuel mitigation and reseeding of the landscape.

Bailey Cohen

Major: Animal Science and Asian American Studies
Department: College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Level of Study: Bachelor’s degree
Campus: UC Davis
Host Site and Mentor: Sierra Foothill REC, Nikolas Schweitzer
Bailey Cohen is a fourth year at UC Davis majoring in Animal Science with a minor in Asian American Studies. She will be starting her Master’s of Public Health the summer of 2023. She is passionate about the One Health approach and fighting health disparities within healthcare. She has worked with Knights Landing One Health Clinic, a clinic that provides free veterinary, medical, and dental care for lower-income communities. Bailey looks forward to developing Phase 2 of The Sierra Foothill Yuba Watershed Restoration Project, participating in data collection for the Red Oak Tree Project, and shadowing the veterinarian leading the cattle conjunctivitis intranasal vaccine trial at Sierra Foothill REC.

Nuri Flores

Major: Preventative Veterinary Medicine
Department: School of Veterinary Medicine
Level of Study: Master’s degree
Campus: UC Davis
Host Site and Mentor: UC ANR & UCCE, Devii Rao
Nuri obtained her DVM from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She is pursuing her Master’s in Preventive Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis. Her research interests include studying interactions at the human, domestic animal, and wildlife interface, along with ecosystem conservation. This summer, Nuri will work with Devii Rao on a prairie restoration experiment to enhance the habitat for special status species at Pinnacles National Park.

Michelle Guerra

Major: Health Behavior
Department: Public Health
Level of Study: Master’s degree
Campus: UC San Diego
Host Site and Mentor: UC ANR, Kristin Dobbin and Georgia Kayser
Michelle is a second year Master of Public Health student at UC San Diego, with a Bachelor of Science in Neurology, Physiology, and Behavior from UC Davis. Michelle has practicum experience promoting public awareness of endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure from personal care products and cosmetics to high school students in the Pasadena Unified School District. She is currently working on her thesis about the association between perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) and serum lipid levels in Ecuadorian adolescents. This summer, Michelle will compile a comprehensive literature review on the adverse effects of glyphosate and potential interventions to reduce exposure near residential areas, campgrounds, and water sources. She also plans to formulate a commentary and issue brief on the forestation process in US National Forests and Parks.

Shibani Gupta

Major: Health and Behavior
Department: Public Health
Level of Study: Master’s degree
Campus: UC San Diego
Host Site and Mentor: UC ANR & DREC, Jairo Diaz and Georgia Kayser
Shibani Gupta is a Master of Public Health student at the University of California San Diego. She previously worked with neonicotinoid pesticides and their effect on non-target populations. This summer she is working with Dr. Jairo Diaz of UCANR and Dr. Georgia Kayser of UCSD on a literature review outlining the effectiveness of buffer sites around residential areas and schools in reducing pesticide exposure.

Moncerrat Hernandez

Major: Environmental Sciences
Department: Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
Level of Study: Bachelor’s degree
Campus: UC Berkeley
Host Site and Mentor: UC ANR, Susana Matias and Federico Castillo
Moncerrat (she/her) is a second-year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley from Oxnard, California. Growing up in an agricultural city, she engaged with matters impacting farmworkers’ health. Her interests include the intersection between environmental justice, technology, and medicine. This summer she will be a part of a collective effort that analyzes the socio economic and health impacts of heat waves on agricultural outdoor labor.

Natalie Pinzon

Major: Geography
Department: Geography
Level of Study: Doctoral
Campus: UC Davis
Host Site and Mentor: UC ANR, Vikram Koundinya
Natalia is a doctoral student in Geography and specializes in the agroecology as a means to reduce on-farm and global climate risk. Her doctoral research focuses on how California farmers are preparing for, responding to and recovering from wildfires. Her action-research project is a multi-sector collaboration. This summer she will be working with Dr. Koundinya on the Climate Actions through Statewide Climate-Smart Agriculture Tools and Resources Development and Delivery Project.

Isha Poudel

Major: International Agricultural Development
Department: Plant Sciences
Level of Study: Master’s degree
Campus: UC Davis
Host Site and Mentor: UC ANR NPI, Lorrene Ritchie and Monica Zuercher
Isha is finishing her Master’s in International Agricultural Development this summer and advancing to PhD in Geography beginning in Fall 2023 with an emphasis on community nutrition and feminist studies. She’s interested in agriculture development with the intersection of food security and disaster resilience among vulnerable populations. This summer Isha will be working with her mentors on a policy-level research project to assess the challenges and successes of California's school meals after pandemic-related federal funding for universal school meals ended in June 2022.

Martina Sexton

Major: Conservation and Resource Studies
Department: Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
Level of Study: Bachelor’s degree
Campus: UC Berkeley
Host Site and Mentor: UCCE Santa Clara, Lucy Diekmann and Aparna Gazula
Martina is a senior at UC Berkeley majoring in Conservation and Resource Studies with an interest in social justice and sustainable development. She is passionate about building community resilience and advocating for disadvantaged communities that have endured environmental injustices. She believes that urban farming is a key factor to building more sustainable cities. This summer she will be conducting small farmer interviews, creating educational materials in Spanish, and managing the Bay Area Urban Agriculture Map.

Jannie Xu

Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Department: Biological Sciences
Level of Study: Bachelor’s degree
Campus: UC Davis
Host Site and Mentor: SVM and UC ANR, Alda Pires
Jannie Xu is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of California, Davis majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Her research interest is in infectious disease. She plans to work in research before attending graduate school in the near future. This summer she will work with Dr. Pires in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Department of Population, Health, and Reproduction on the Integrated Crop-Livestock Farms Project. The project focuses on the dynamics of foodborne pathogens in integrated crop-livestock systems involving grazing in orchards.

Yueheng Zheng

Major: Preventative Veterinary Medicine
Department: School of Veterinary Medicine
Level of Study: Master’s degree
Campus: UC Davis
Host Site and Mentor: UCCE Santa Clara, Aparna Gazula
Yueheng is a first-year master’s student in Preventative Veterinary Medicine. She obtained her degree in veterinary medicine in China and found her interest in interdisciplinary approaches in public health. Apart from monitoring animal health, she is passionate about improving public health by tracking risk factors of diseases and identifying association. She expects to communicate with farmers from different backgrounds and explore valuable suggestions with her knowledge. Her goal is to prevent zoonoses and improve public health. This summer she will be working with her mentors to investigate food safety and soil health in the face climate change and pesticide use.

Peter Bowman

Major: International Agriculture Development
Department: One Health Institute & Graduate Group in International Agriculture Development
Level of Study: Master’s degree
Campus: UC Davis
Host Site and Mentor: UC ANR & UCCE, Sarah Light
Peter is a second-year master’s student studying International Agriculture Development at UC Davis. His research focuses on community perceptions of animal disease and preventive veterinary care in rural Sierra Leone. This summer, Peter worked with Sarah Light of UC Cooperative Extension Sutter-Yuba on various projects related to soil health and agronomy. He is especially excited to explore the connections between soil health and specific agronomic practices, like grazing, through lab and field work.

Ashley Contreras

Major: Ecology, Evolution & Biology
Department: College of Biological Sciences
Level of Study: Bachelor’s degree
Campus: UC Davis
Host Site and Mentor: UC ANR, Eric Middleton
Ashley Contreras is a senior at UC Davis pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Ecology, Evolution & Biology with a minor in Public Health. They have a research background in plant, fish, and mammal health. Ashley's current research at the UC Davis One Health Institute involves understanding infectious diseases, where she is exploring the interface of animals, people, plants, and the environment to solve complex problems that impact health and conservation around the world. She aspires to become an epidemiologist specializing in marine ecosystems to contribute to the understanding and management of infectious diseases in this critical and fragile environment. Ashley was matched with Eric Middleton of UC ANR to conduct trials and experiments on Agave mites, which are significant pests in commercial nursery production in San Diego County. The study aims to understand the spread of diseases caused by these mites and their impact on agave. She is excited to continue her academic and research pursuits and hopes to make a positive impact on global health and conservation efforts.

2022 Summer Work Experience Fellows

The UCGHI Planetary Health Center of Expertise Summer Work Experience Program helps UC students gain valuable work experience by pairing them with host mentors from the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the California Department of Conservation, and the California Department of Public Health. Students gain hands-on experience by working in programs involved in conservation, natural resources, agriculture, policy, nutrition, and health.

Please join the PHCOE in congratulating the 2022 Summer Work Experience Fellows!