Internship Blog: Topher Hoffman, Post #3

Lots of data: plus a bit of party planning

The distinct culture at DOHMH deserves to be mentioned, which I haven’t really done yet. In my building alone, there are thousands of people, spanning 22 stories. Walking through the halls, elevators, and lunchroom, you can hear all kinds of languages spoken by people from different cultures. It’s a great place to work because of this, and because, in my experience, everyone’s attitude comes from a place of dedication, hard work, and passion for the work being done.

My work has picked up and expanded even more since my last update. In the last few weeks, my biggest points of focus have been logging all of the missing HIV testing data for the New York Knows project, and implementing a plan to collect it; updating HIV testing site information for NYC’s 311 list; helping with an evaluation of DOHMH social media outreach efforts; and planning a 200-person event to thank our HIV testing partners in Brooklyn.

The New York Knows project collects five data points pertaining to HIV testing for each quarter since the beginning of the project (see my first post for specifics). For the Bronx, this was 2008; for Brooklyn, it was 2010; and for the other three boroughs, it was this January. What this translates to me is database maintenance. I’m pinpointing holes in these data and collecting data to fill the holes.

Second on my list has been updating the 311 list. Anybody in NYC can dial 311 from their cell phone and be connected to a directory of city services. The NYC.gov webpage also has a services locator for residents to get connected with services they need. The New York Knows team provides HIV testing location information to 311 and the NYC.gov services locator so that when a member of the public wants to know where they can get an HIV test, these services can be resources for them. But remember: this is NYC. Things are constantly changing, and people are constantly moving. My team is currently calling each HIV testing location in our database to verify/update their information so that we are providing accurate information to the public.

To continue, this brings me to another major task that’s picked up recently. Last year, DOHMH promoted free HIV testing events that were occurring in NYC on five CDC-recognized HIV/AIDS awareness days. The promotion occurred using a Tumblr post, which was linked from ads on social networking sites like Grindr, Scruff, and Facebook.

Now we want to know if this worked. We are using data from surveys that each testing site filled out on the days of the events that reported how many people were tested, their demographics, and how they heard about the testing event. This is my first time using SPSS on my own – and outside of a class setting – so hurrah!

Lastly, I am planning a 200-person event to celebrate our testing partners in Brooklyn. Between 2010 and 2014, our partners in Brooklyn conducted hundreds of thousands of HIV tests. That’s a big deal! We want to thank them and bring everybody together to meet each other.

Internship Blog: Topher Hoffmann Post #2

It’s been almost a month into my internship already, and I can’t believe time has passed so quickly. With weekly seminars and my project’s tasks – which range from data analysis, to database management, to community/government partnerships – the NYC DOHMH has kept me busy!

One of my first tasks was to analyze the technical assistance that DOHMH offers to community organizations which provide HIV post-exposure prophylaxis and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PEP and PrEP, respectively) in New York City. A part of this included analyzing survey responses from more than 50 agencies to assess strengths and weaknesses and what services are most needed. Hopefully this will help to focus the Bureau’s efforts in supporting PEP/PrEP services in NYC. 

If you’re unfamiliar with PEP and/or PrEP, in concept they are more tools in our arsenal to disrupt the spread of HIV. Used in conjunction with other protection like condoms, PEP is antiretroviral drug treatment that a person begins within 72 hours of a believed exposure to HIV. PrEP is a drug that a person takes once a day to prevent HIV infection should that person be exposed. People in HIV prevention are paying more and more attention to PrEP because it’s relatively new, and it’s been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection by up to 92% when its regimen is adhered to.

In addition to analyzing technical assistance data, I am coordinating the Brooklyn arm of New York Knows. New York Knows is the descendant of The Bronx Knows and of Brooklyn Knows, which were two borough-specific HIV testing initiatives that mobilized hundreds of community partners (see my first post for more).

This month, my team is preparing an end-of-initiative report about this recently completed first phase of Brooklyn Knows. We want to know exactly how many people were tested each quarter over its four years, how many people tested positive, how many positives were first-time diagnoses, and how many of each of the latter two groups were linked to treatment. Currently, I am pinpointing holes in the data and implementing a plan to collect that data. The report will be distributed at our Partner Appreciation Reception in August – a 200+ person event which I am also in charge of planning! J

Outside of my direct project, my internship program coordinates seminars to introduce us to various other public health projects each week. Run as lecture-style workshops, each one has honestly been as interesting as the last. We’ve heard from NYC’s plan to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries to zero, an innovative approach to mental health and emotional crisis treatment, NYC’s Center for Health Equity, and an obesity prevention approach which utilizes collaboration with designers, architects, and city planners to optimize the city’s built environment. Tomorrow we’re learning about DOHMH’s response to the Ebola outbreak.

On top of that, the Bureau of HIV Prevention and Control (BHIV) has been great hosts. While there are 120 interns this summer across all of the Department’s Bureaus, my Bureau has about eight to 10 interns. Each week, we meet as a small group with different leaders in BHIV to talk about their roles, career paths, HIV in general, and about public health in general.

There is more that I’m leaving out, but I’ll save that for my next post! I’ll let these photos do the rest of the talking for today… Until next time!

 

Group photo from the DOHMH float in NYC’s Pride Parade – June 28, 2015

  On the DOHMH float with fellow Pitt graduate student, Chantz Anderson – June 28, 2015

 

Pitt was representing at NYC Pride! On the DOHMH float with Rene Lloyd (class of 2012) – June 28, 2015

 

 

At Love + Politics, a National HIV Testing Day reception, with one of my co-interns, Aiyana Wells – June 30, 2015

Internship Blog: Topher Hoffman Post #1

#1: 6/9/15

Hello! My name is Topher Hoffmann, and I’ve moved to New York City for my summer internship! I arrived here having just finished my second year of a joint masters degree program at Pitt. Specifically, I’m studying for a Master of Public Administration at GSPIA and a Master of Public Health at the Graduate School of Public Health. My interests are in LGBT health; HIV/AIDS; and health policy, research, and advocacy.

It’s only been one week since I arrived, and I already understand why it’s called the “city that never sleeps.” At any given moment, there are a million things to do and see. In my first week, I rode the rides at Coney Island, explored Prospect Park in Brooklyn, hung out with the owners of a bar and a bakery in my neighborhood of Astoria, went jogging around Roosevelt Island, saw the sun rise over Manhattan, watched the Tony Awards with members of the NYC Gay Men’s Chorus, and even met a local celebrity. (Still haven’t met Neil Patrick Harris, though – luckily, there’s all summer for that!)

My internship, which will start this week, is at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. I will be working in the Bureau of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control on the New York Knows project. New York Knows aims to increase the amount of people tested for HIV in the city’s five boroughs (especially in communities vulnerable to HIV), connect HIV-negative people to prevention services like pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis, and connect HIV-positive people to treatment. The project is an expansion of two borough-specific projects, Bronx Knows and Brooklyn Knows. As a young gay man who has learned about the impact of this disease on my community historically, I’m excited to get started – and to share with you all that I learn!