Practice Opportunities
Practicum opportunities are available in the field of nutrition. Visit MySPH for more information on current available opportunities. Check out the table below for examples of previous practicum sites and a more comprehensive list here.
| Organization | Organization Type | Mission | Keywords (hidden column) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance for a Healthier Generation | Non-profit | We work with schools, youth-serving organizations, and businesses to build healthier communities that support healthy kids | tag 1, tag2 |
| Bon Secours St. Francis Health System | Hospital | To extend the compassionate ministry of Jesus by improving the health and well-being of our communities and bring good help to those in need, especially people who are poor, dying and underserved. | |
| Columbia Free Medical Clinic | Non-profit | To provide quality health care, at no cost, to residents of the community who cannot pay for such services and who have no health insurance. | |
| Community Medical Clinic of Kershaw County | Non-profit | To provide medical care and connect resources to achieve a healthier Kershaw County. | |
| Prisma Health Diabetes Prevention Program |
Hospital |
Our program is available to help adults with a high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes is twice as common among African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and
Asian-Americans. Our program encourages individuals to achieve a healthy lifestyles by eating healthier,
increasing physical activity, and losing a modest amount of weight in order to reduce
the chances of developing Type 2 diabetes.
|
|
| Eat Smart, Move More SC Coalition | Non-profit | Eat Smart Move More South Carolina works to reduce obesity by helping communities create healthy eating and active living options where we live, learn, work, pray, and play. | |
| Epworth Children’s Home | Non-profit | The mission of Epworth Children’s Home is to serve children, youth and families through a caring, accepting and safe Christian community, where hurts are healed; hope is nurtured; and faith in God self and others is developed | |
| Feed the City | Non-profit | Feed The City is more than an annual weekend of culinary events we host. It's a mantra for our business. We're in the business of feeding people and right now there are a lot of people in our city who need to be fed. | |
| Faculty and Staff Wellness and Prevention | University Entity | We offer programs and education to help students, faculty and staff live healthy lifestyles, specializing in disease prevention, exercise, nutrition, sexual health and stress management. | |
| Fetter Health Care Network | Federally Qualified Health Center | We provide comprehensive services for insured, uninsured and underserved residents in Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton and Dorchester Counties. | |
| Healthy Carolina | University Entity | We support and encourage healthy choices in the Carolina Community as a way of life, encompassing all dimensions of wellness. | |
| Food Policy Committee City of Columbia | Government | This committee shall gather and address problems found within food production, consumption, processing, distribution, and waste disposal with the primary focus on finding solutions to problems that promote sustainability, economic development, and social justice in the food system of the Columbia and surrounding areas by educating government officials about issues of the food system, making policy recommendations, research, fostering of cooperation among private, public, and non-profit interests. | |
| HopeHealth Inc. | Federally-Qualified Health Center | HopeHealth provides integrated health services for more than 41,000 patients in areas surrounding Aiken, Clarendon, Florence, Orangeburg, and Williamsburg counties | |
| LiveWell Greenville | Non-profit | Greenville County has one of the highest obesity rates in the nation with 66% of adults and 41% of youth being overweight or obese. It is difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle when the surrounding environment does not promote healthy habits. Without providing adequate access to healthy eating and active living, the overall health of our community will continue to decline. | |
| March of Dimes South Carolina Chapter | Non-profit | March of Dimes fights for the health of all moms and babies. We're advocating for policies to protect them. We're working to radically improve the health care they receive. We're pioneering research to find solutions. We're empowering families with the knowledge and tools to have healthier pregnancies. By uniting communities, we're building a brighter future for us all. | |
| OneWorld Health | Non-profit | OneWorld Health is a 501(c)(3) organization that fills the gaps left by governmental, temporary, and narrowly focused healthcare efforts. We’ve created a smarter, sustainable, permanent approach that puts the power to heal back into the community’s hands. We build healthcare facilities that provide a full scope of medical services and are designed to be affordable and accessible. | |
| Prevention Research Center (PRC) | University Entity | Committed to the health of South Carolinians, the Prevention Research Center (PRC) promotes physical activity and healthy eating by sponsoring projects that encourage and support people of all ages to become more physically active and to eat healthier, because healthy people make healthy communities. | |
| Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) | Non-profit | As the political advocacy arm of Save the Children, we are building bipartisan support to make sure every child has a strong start in life. We’re doing this by advocating for high-quality early learning, ending child hunger in the U.S. and educating and protecting kids around the world. | |
| SC Department of Agriculture | Government | The South Carolina Department of Agriculture is made up of three main Divisions: Agency Operations, Consumer Protection, and External Affairs & Economic Development. Within these three areas are additional departments such as Grading & Inspection, Food Safety Compliance, and Agribusiness Economic Development | |
| SC Thrive | Non-profit | SC Thrive’s mission is to lead South Carolinians from crisis to self-sustainability by providing innovative and efficient access to quality of life resources. These resources include food security, healthcare resources, and financial wellness through work supports. | |
| Government | The Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Prevention (DNPAO) aims to improve access to healthier foods and opportunities for daily physical activity through policy, systems, and environmental approaches reaching South Carolinians where they live, learn, work, and play. | ||
| Student Health Services | University Entity | We provide comprehensive physical and mental health care services right on campus. Our professional and compassionate providers are committed to evidence-based, patient-centered care to help contribute to your success and overall well-being | |
| Ezekial Ministries | Non-profit | Ezekiel’s two main programs are an after-school program and a mentoring program for under-resourced children in Downtown Columbia, SC. Our long-term goals are to strengthen the family structure and help families break the cycle of generational poverty. We focus on academics, character development, spiritual wellness, and teamwork. | |
| YMCA Columbia | Non-profit | To put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all. |
Capstone opportunities are also available in the field of nutrition. Some previous opportunities have included work with Harvest Hope Food Bank, Gamecock CommUnity Shop, and the South Carolina Farmers Market.
Research Opportunities
Interested in working with an Affiliated Scholar of the Nutrition Consortium? Fill out the following form and we will notify you of next steps to take.
Your thesis can also be devoted to nutrition research. You can contact an Affiliated Scholar to serve as your thesis director. For more information, you can check out the Thesis Guide.
Employment Opportunities
- Arnold Healthy Kids Initiative has an application for undergraduate students interested in doing research for credit hours. Apply here.
- Interested in coming to USC to pursue graduate work in nutrition and health behavior? Want to come join the Behavioral Research in Eating Lab(BRIE) lab? Or are you interested in learning more about the work at the BRIE lab? If so, please fill out the contact form.
- The Arnold Healthy Kids Initiative is seeking Ph.D. level applicants who are interested in pursuing a research‐focused doctoral degree on the topic of childhood obesity. Candidates with a focus on children, overweight or obesity, and one or more of the following obesogenic behaviors that include sleep, physical activity, diet, screen time or sedentary behavior are invited to apply. Ph.D. students will be integrally involved in the studies conducted by the Arnold Healthy Kids Initiative research group and the recently National Institutes of Health funded Research Center for Child Wellbeing. These include observational and intervention studies that are funded by the National Institutes of Health and are designed to understand the etiology, prevention, and treatment of childhood obesity and its associated behaviors. Candidates will have the opportunity to be part of a vibrant team of faculty, staff, and students located within the Arnold School of Public Health. See more information here.
- The Arnold Healthy Kids Initiative has opportunities for Master’s students as graduate assistants and hourly workers. Candidates should demonstrate excellent written and oral communication skills and demonstrate attention to detail. Students will gain valuable research experience working on a large-scale project funded by the National Institutes of Health. Preference is given to Exercise Science master's students and fully vaccinated individuals due to research-related requirements. Students must complete the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program) research certification upon hire.