At Breathe California, we rely on interns as an integral part of our service to the community. This group of able, competent, and intelligent volunteers of all ages and backgrounds perform key tasks, such as assisting with research, giving presentations, educating community members and helping with our general day-to-day operations.
Bailee Davis, Shilpa Joshi, Sapandeep Kaur, and Andreo Khouri have recently completed their spring internships. We are grateful for all the work that they have done, and are excited that they will bring what they have learned through their Breathe California experience into their academic, personal and professional lives. Thank you all! Here is some information about the four of them and their work in our office and in the community.
Bailee Davis
Bailee Davis is studying Public Health with a minor in biology and sociology at Santa Clara University. She also studied abroad in Denmark at DIS Copenhagen for the Medical Practice and Policy Program. Her incredible interest in the interconnectedness of science, policy, and communication brought her to Breathe California. Bailee lives in Walnut Creek California with her family. She is aspiring to expand her knowledge and skills in implementing public health policy to promote community health. During her internship with Breathe California, she conducted outreach about the Senior Health and Wellness and Children’s Asthma Management services to community partners. Bailee gave presentations at many elementary and middle schools in Santa Clara County about asthma management.
Shilpa Joshi
Shilpa Joshi, a health educator from Dublin, California, is working at Valley Medical Center and is currently pursuing MPH at University of Nevada. She has practiced in India as a homeopathic practitioner in the past. During her internship with Breathe California, Shilpa conducted a series of vaping presentations at area middle schools and high schools, and provided tobacco, vaping and marijuana cessation training at one of the schools. Shilpa compiled data from these schools to evaluate the rate of vaping among their students and provided the Tobacco resource network training for stakeholders and volunteers as a part of Breathe California’s state grant.
Sapandeep Kaur
Sapandeep Kaur is a dentist from Punjab, India and is on her path to getting into dental school here in the U.S. She helped with the CVS grant doing anti-vaping presentations at high Schools and middle schools and did cessation trainings at one of the schools. She also performed outreach to local medical and dental professionals, and to the Indian community. Sapandeep helped with a translation of an anti-secondhand smoke ad into Punjabi so that the Gurudwara community can place it on their website, and made new contacts with the Sikh community in San Jose by offering to table at their health fair. She also helped with compiling data for the Peninsula Health Care District grant and did a variety of presentations for youth as well as parents about vaping.
Andreo Khouri
Andreo Khouri is a senior at Santa Clara University studying Public Health Science. He has a personal connection to the problem of lung disease as his relatives were smokers when he was growing up. Andy came to Breathe California because he was impressed by its mission and our direct work with communities to improve health outcomes. He lives in San Jose, California with his family. As a Community Health Intern, Andy delivered 30- to 45-minute presentations to different groups of seniors about COPD, the differences between a cold, flu, and pneumonia, and managing their asthma. A senior site awarded Andy a certificate of appreciation for his outstanding presentational and professional skills. He also helped prepare for health fair events and helped create flyers for various Breathe California programs.