Virtual Internship Stories: Ilana Mittleman

Introduce yourself! What’s your name, what college are you in at Columbia, and what are you doing this summer?
My name is Ilana Mittleman, and I’m going into 2nd year of MPH at Mailman School of Public Health, studying epidemiology with a certificate in health of an aging society. This summer I’m doing research with Professor Esteban Calvo at Universidad Mayor’s Society and Health Research Center, partnered with the Santiago Global Center.

What were your day-to-day duties? Walk me through what you did as an intern this summer.
It changed throughout the summer, and was kind of in three parts: first it was a literature review of measures of loneliness and social isolation, so finding other studies that have been done on this; then I worked on documenting the reliability and validity of those measures in senior citizens; then I focused on compiling and studying the surveys individual countries took of their own elderly citizens, trying to find which, if any were regarding loneliness and social isolation and/or if several countries asked the same or similar questions that could be used in a study.

What was a typical day in your life as an intern? When did you work? How much did you work? What did you do on your breaks?
I tried to work from 9-4 each day. Sometimes I took my laptop outside and worked there to get some fresh air and for a change of scenery. I went on walks during breaks. 

Why did you pick this internship?
I knew I wanted to do something to do with my specialty, and when we had a presentation about what research we would do over the summer they talked about the global centers, and how we could work with partner orgs. It sounded like a great opportunity to travel and learn. I found that Professor Esteban Calvo in Chile is affiliated with Columbia and does research on aging. When I looked through the list of available internships, they were interesting to me, but nothing perfectly aligned. I reached out to my advisor and he mentioned that Esteban is interested in researching measures of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. I have experience working directly with older adults on programs to prevent these, and was interested in exploring the research side of it. I created my own internship on a topic that was more in line with my interests and reflected the research that was being done in Chile. 

How is virtual research different from in-person research? Better, worse? Pros and Cons?
I missed the sense of camaraderie that you have in a group setting. While I did meet with my advisor and other researchers almost weekly, it wasn’t the same as being together in person. However, they were still available to answer questions. A pro of virtual research is that I could do it from anywhere. I frequently changed rooms and even went outside, which I don’t think I would have done in a typical working environment. 

What would you want to see on this page?
I would want to see some background of everyone, and then for you to go into what they are doing on their internships 

What is one tip for other interns?
Create a routine and a schedule and stick to it - there would be times when I would find a study or something interesting right about 4:00, and I would want to keep working past the time that I should be finishing for the day. I had to make myself stop, or else I would work for extra hours. You have to set times and routines to keep to otherwise you will end up working too much.

What did you do to combat Zoom/computer fatigue?
I liked taking walks outside - especially the last part that was a lot of data, and the first part that was a lot of reading, it did get too much at times. When I found myself getting extra tired or feeling burnt out, I would take a walk outside to clear my head.

Where would you go, if you could choose anywhere in the world? (and pretend covid doesn’t exist, and that there are no other concerts)
I was really excited to go to South America this summer to do this work, and I still would really like to go sometime, so I guess there. 

What three items would you bring to a desert island?
Hm… do Knitting supplies count as one item? Then knitting supplies, that would keep me entertained, and… a Harry Potter book?? and my last one I guess should be something practical, so a flashlight.

If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing this summer?
I’d be doing some sort of research relating to my specialty, but I guess maybe something more local.

Do you have any book, movie, TV, podcast, or music recs?
Well, I have been watching lots of Netflix, but something I would recommend? Hmm… Ive been watching Community with my parents sometimes, and it’s a feel-good show, and it is based on a community college so it’s funny to see a typical undergrad experience compared to the covid impacted ones now.

Where are you from and where is your internship?
From Westchester NY, internship is in Santiago.