Students interested in the Farm Medicine program will typically work with a mentor in the National Farm Medicine Center (NFMC) on a project that focuses on outreach and rural or occupational health problems within the farm communities. This includes preventing youth injuries and fatalities, injury surveillance, community outreach and education, farm microbiome and human immunology, and evaluation research. In addition to the independent research project, students may have the opportunity to be involved with projects related to the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, which is one of 11 agricultural centers funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the editorial offices of the Journal of Agromedicine, which is the world’s number one source of peer-reviewed agricultural safety and health information. Read the National Farm Medicine Center's Year in Review for a snapshot of yearly activities.
NFMC Summer Program Projects
NFMC researchers will offer two projects for the 2025 summer session.
1) Rural Veterans Healthcare: Assessment of Fragmentation and Care Coordination Between the VA, MCHS, and Veteran Service Organizations or other Community Resources
Project Overview:
Veterans have unique healthcare needs and benefits available to them, with varied utilization and awareness within subgroups owing to complex and changing set of relationships. Wisconsin is home to more than 315,000 Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, representing approximately 7.2% of the state’s population. We estimate 90,000 Veterans, representing service members from all conflict eras, reside within our Marshfield Clinic Health System (MCHS) service area, with roughly 50-60% of those Veterans being enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). A subset of those are enrolled in Community Care, a program allowing eligible Veterans to receive VA-funded healthcare from a provider of choice, such as the MCHS. As of November 2024, MCHS reported to be caring for approximately 14,000 Veterans through the VA Community Care program.
Recently, we have witnessed the passing of the COMPACT Act and the PACT Act, a new law that expands VA healthcare and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances which has significantly impacted health systems and Veterans alike. It is expected that the PACT Act legislation will continue to increase the number of Veterans seeking healthcare for service-connected conditions. We should fully expect a continued spillover into Community Care programs (such as at MCHS) as Veterans seek new care, or update their insurance provider information with their newly acquired VA coverage.
Primary research questions: 1) To what extent is Veterans’ health care fragmented or coordinated? 2) How does this compare with other rural health systems? How much variability is present between Veterans, based on demographics, social determinants of health, or complex health conditions? and 3) What are the opportunities for improvement, or changes needed in organizational or public policy?
Requirements:
Student should have the following technical experience or skills: data analysis and statistical skills, and ability to analyze quantitative and qualitative data (including identifying themes, trends and patterns); technical writing skills will be needed to document findings, create reports, and discuss suggested system/workflow sustains and improvements; and an ability to perform comprehensive literature reviews will be helpful. Graduate students who are enrolled in an active graduate program at the time of applying and who are engaged in the following areas are strongly encouraged to apply for this project: public health, epidemiology, clinical or health informatics, health administration, or related field. Students will be performing literature reviews, collecting data, analyzing data, attending seminars, and writing. This project is an in-person internship.
Friendly reminder, the internship is a competitive process with an application, copy of transcripts, resume or CV, personal statement, and two academic or research references. See Frequently Asked Questions for additional details.
2) Analysis of injuries caused by machines in agriculture and assessment of new autonomous agriculture machines’ impact on health and safety
Project Overview:
Agriculture continues to be one of the most dangerous industries in the U.S. Agricultural machinery, including tractors, is a leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries. As technology evolves, the industry has increasingly adopted automation and robotics to improve efficiency, precision, and safety. However, as with any technology, the use of autonomous machines introduces new risks. This study aims to identify existing machinery risks and injuries from AgInjuryNews data, and will describe the potential impact autonomous machines may have on workers and bystanders.
Primary research questions: 1) To Identify and describe injuries caused by agricultural machines utilizing data from AgInjuryNews; 2) To evaluate and describe the risks posed by such agricultural machines; and 3) To identify the tasks performed and identify potential autonomous agricultural machines (if any) capable to perform such tasks.
Requirements:
Student should have the following technical experience or skills: data analysis and statistical skills, and ability to analyze injury data, including trends and identify patterns in fatal and non-fatal injuries; technical writing skills, to document findings, create technical reports, and discuss both the benefits and potential hazards of autonomous machinery. Graduate students who are enrolled in an active graduate program at the time of applying and who are engaged in the following areas are strongly encouraged to apply for this project: agricultural safety and health, epidemiology, public health, informatics, mechanical engineering, or related field. Students will be performing literature reviews, collecting data, analyzing data, attending seminars, and writing. This project is an in-person internship.
Friendly reminder, the internship is a competitive process with an application, copy of transcripts, resume or CV, personal statement, and two academic or research references. See Frequently Asked Questions for additional details.
The RedCap application window is now open and will close Feb. 7, 2025 at 11:59 pm. References will be sent an email link and these will be due Feb. 9, 2025 at 11:59 pm.