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NHRC Named Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program Affiliate First Intern completes Work Experience

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

08.13.2024

Story by John Marciano 

Naval Health Research Center

SAN DIEGO – Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) is officially a partner of the Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP). The naval internship program places college and university students pursuing STEM careers in U.S. Navy laboratories across the country, providing students mentorship and real-world research experience.

Eligible students are selected based on academic achievement, personal statements, and their research interests. Upon selection, students are placed at one of 52 Navy labs for a 10-week internship work experience that includes a monetary stipend.

“Telling the Navy story is an integral part of recruiting challenges, and when we can provide ready, relevant learning through the NREIP partnership, it’s a great way to connect young people to our Navy story,” said Capt. Eric R. Welsh, NHRC commanding officer.

NHRC’s first NREIP intern, Ms. Gabriella Alessio, recently earned her master’s degree in biomedical engineering from Arizona State University. Gabby worked with NHRC’s Warfighter Performance Department’s Applied Translational Exercise and Metabolic team (ATEAM). Dr. Karen R. Kelly, physiologist and ATEAM principal investigator, took Gabby under her wing and put her to work collecting data and monitoring musculoskeletal injuries in U.S. Marine recruits at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) San Diego.

“I had the incredible opportunity to firsthand collect and analyze data of Marine Corps recruits, including some of the first research we will have on female recruits going through training at MCRD,” Alessio said. “I have gotten a glimpse into what it truly takes to conduct military research that supports our warfighters. It takes a well-oiled machine to be as effective and successful as Dr. Kelly’s team, and I am so thankful to have been a part of it.”

Internship applications for summer 2025 are being accepted now through Nov. 1. For more information, visit the Office of Naval Research NREIP site: https://www.nre.navy.mil/education-outreach/undergraduate-graduate/nreip-naval-internship.

NHRC’s mission is to optimize military operational readiness through cutting-edge research on warfighter, veteran, and family health. NHRC supports military mission readiness with research and development that delivers high-value, high-impact solutions to the health and readiness challenges our military population faces on the battlefield, at sea, on foreign shores and at home. NHRC’s team of distinguished scientists and researchers consists of active-duty service members, federal civil service employees and contractors, whose expertise includes physiology, microbiology, psychology, epidemiology, and biomedical engineering.