We are very excited to welcome our four new Summer Policy Interns. Now in its second year, our internship program is designed to provide interns with an engaging and educational experience while connecting them with various partners during their stay in DC. This year’s cohort comes from two of our closest partners, Wesleyan University and University of California, Berkeley’s Cal in the Capital Program. Our interns will work alongside our experienced staff across all arms of Weitzman (Policy, Research, and Education) and immerse themselves in various projects and opportunities. We look forward to collaborating with them, learning from their insights and experiences, and gaining new ideas and perspectives for our work, long after this summer ends. We eagerly anticipate seeing what this summer’s interns accomplish and working with them to share their contributions with the Moses/Weitzman Health System and beyond!
Meet Our Interns
Puji Masireddy
Puji Masireddy is a rising junior at Wesleyan University majoring in Economics and minoring in Data Analysis and Environmental Studies. This past year, Puji worked with the Weitzman Institute to produce a policy brief examining the impacts of extreme temperatures on adolescent health. Since 2021, she has been a Youth Advisory Board member for a national organization, Action for the Climate Emergency, where she develops campaign strategies. Grassroots organizing against a toxic waste incinerator in Chester, PA, catalyzed Puji’s interest in public health; she is committed to understanding how climate change intersects with public health and developing equitable solutions. She possesses strong qualitative and quantitative research skills and aspires to utilize these tools to advance health equity.
Phoebe Teoh
A senior at the University of California, Berkeley, Phoebe Teoh is a Legal Studies and Molecular & Cell Biology major. Having worked in Texas and the San Francisco Bay Area on unhoused health and Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy (SVSH) awareness as well as legal access and equitability on a local and state level, she looks forward to furthering this work and working on different regions and within the federal scale. With interests in health equity and policy and international law and foreign service, she hopes to pursue further research as well as learn through and alongside the Institute. Phoebe has worked with multiple organizations on writing and researching SVSH prevention policy for various campus based organizations, working as a confidential advocate and healthcare advocate, as well as working to increase court access and visibility in the San Francisco Superior Court. She looks forward to utilizing her teachability, policy analytics, research skills, and digital and presentation abilities to highlight and advocate for accessible healthcare and resultant policy within marginalized communities and the larger society. As she continues to learn, progress, and hone her skill and passions, Phoebe is excited to do so with the support and alongside the Weitzman Institute.
Mia Shenkman
At Wesleyan University, Mia Shenkman is a rising junior double majoring in Science and Technology Studies (STS) and Religion with a Psychology concentration. She is interested in the intersecting histories of medicine, public health, and institutionalized religion. Mia is a research associate for her school’s social science lab (“Black Box Labs”) where she is currently researching the social and political orientations of Connecticut’s overdose tracking system and the role that data visualizations play in shaping medical knowledge. Outside the classroom, Mia distributes naloxone and safer use kits, and conducts syringe exchange services for community members as a harm reduction volunteer with the Middletown Harm Reduction Initiative. She also interns for her school’s Office of Spiritual and Religious Life where she assists the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish chaplains with interfaith programming. Mia is beyond excited to spend the summer at Weitzman, learning alongside an incredible team of professionals who have dedicated their careers to health equity! She hopes to pursue an MPH or MSW, and go on to practice in community based public health in the future.
Thin Rati Oo
As a recipient of the Generation Change Scholarship, Thin Rati Oo (she/her) is an incoming first-generation senior at the University of California-Berkeley, majoring in Public Health with a minor in Public Policy and an Asian American Community Health Certificate. Next semester, Thin will be conducting research on water sanitation, the impact of war/political instability on urban health and resource distribution in Myanmar under the mentorship of Dr. Lindhiem from the Goldman School of Public Policy. She has previously worked with Asian Health Services on addressing monkeypox stigma in the Bay Area. As a second-term Associated Students of the University of California Senator, Thin had been a steadfast advocate for the student body, representing and addressing the concerns of over 32,000 undergraduates to ensure their voices are heard and their needs met. Her leadership has been recognized through receiving the Leadership Award from the Cal Alumni Association and being a three-time recipient of Gamma Phi Beta’s Ellener Dickson Endowment award. Thin is also actively involved in philanthropy, dedicating her time to giving back and supporting causes both on and off campus. One day, she aspires to create a foundation similar to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with a focus on supporting asylees/refugees, herself an asylee, in rebuilding their lives and pursuing higher education. Thin intends to further her education through a JD/MPH program, with a focus on economic justice, health equity and international law. During her summer with the Weitzman Institute, Thin is excited to deepen her understanding of health policy and grow alongside her intern cohort!