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Welcome! My name is Kieran Collins, and I'm excited to share my internship experience at ECU Active Moms. This webpage will give you a glimpse into my journey and the amazing work being done at my internship site.
ECU Active Moms is a research study funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and ECU internal funds located at FITT Building 189, Greenville NC, 27858-4353. Their mission is to determine the influence of different types of exercise during pregnancy on maternal and child health. By promoting an active and healthy lifestyle during pregnancy, we can significantly impact the long-term health of both mothers and their children.
This is the Ward building, where all of the infant visits, metabolic testing, blood draws, and treadmill testing occur. Throughout my internship, I spent a significant amount of time here.
This is a picture of me calibrating the RMR cart for an infant visit. RMR calibration consists of a gas calibration and a flowmeter calibration. In this picture I was doing the flowmeter.
In the Human Performance Lab, this is one of the treadmills used for the cardiorespiratory test. This assessment is done during the enrollment visit and measures VO2 max.
I was in the gym, training one of the graduate students. We were reviewing the leg day resistance protocol, and she was demonstrating proper form and what to look for when training a participant on the leg press machine.
Another intern and I were in APL downloading data from an accelrometer. We use the computer to initialize and download data from the accelerometer watches.
This was my first Saturday shift working at my internship. We took this photo after an RMR test and blood draw.
Active Moms Showcase
This is the Bod Pod room, in APL located in Minges, where we measure body composition. The Bod Pod aka ‘the spaceship’ calculates things like BMI, fat mass, and fat free mass.
This is a participant’s placenta we were processing. We were removing the membrane before separating into its 3 layers. These layers are called basal, villous, and chorionic.
Before each workout session, we check participant vitals to ensure it is safe for them to exercise. Here is a picture of me practicing on one of the interns.
I was practicing skinfold measurements on one of the interns. In this picture, I was measuring her tricep skinfold.
After a blood draw, we pipet blood and separatie it into two vials. We then place the tubes in the centrifuge to separate the red blood cells from the plasma.
I attended the phlebotomy training with the other interns. In this photo, I am doing phlebotomy (blood draw) for the first time.
Here is the RMR (resting metabolic rate) room which is located in the Ward building. This is a picture of the metabolic cart; this test calculates the number of calories a person burns at rest.
After seprating the layers of the placenta and collecting 5 samples from each, we placed each sample in its labeled tube. Then, we placed it in liquid nitrogen to perserve it.
One of our main tasks were leading yoga sessions. This is a photo of another intern and I doing a pose.
These are the Buff City Soap incentives that we packaged for participants. We found CD covers to place them in and taped the logo on the front.
After centrifuging, I was processing the plasma and red blood cells into separate vials for storage. This is one of the final steps in blood processing.
Here is a nice photo of me and my supervisors. We took this outside of the Human Performance Lab in Ward Sports Medicine building.
Internship
Work Overview
RedCap
Yoga
During my internship, we used REDCap, a data entry software, to enter data from enrollment visits, body compositions, resting metabolic rate (RMR) testing, blood draws, infant visits, exercise sessions, and more. While utilizing REDCap, I uploaded documents and ensured that all data from the participants binders matched the data in REDCap. Once everything was entered correctly, we marked the entries as complete, ensuring the bubble turned green. I also assisted one of the PhD students with her REDCap project, where we calculated the total weekly exercise training MET minutes (weekly exercise volume). We reviewed each exercise training day for the week and entered the Net MET minutes for each training day into the 'Weekly Training METs' tab on REDCap.
When participants join the Active Moms study, they are randomized to an exercise training group: aerobic, resistance, combination, or yoga. FITT trainers primarily lead the first three sessions, while the Active Moms staff leads yoga sessions. During my internship, I led many yoga sessions. After shadowing other staff, I created my own pregnancy-friendly yoga flow and, once approved, led sessions independently. For each session, we measured heart rate and blood pressure before and after the workout and monitored heart rate and RPE during the workout to ensure participants stayed within their target heart rate range.
Daily Tasks
Each day, I checked the Active Moms Outlook calendar at FITT to plan my daily tasks. My typical day included exercise training sessions, maternal visits, enrollment visits, infant visits, team meetings, project work, and completing tasks from our weekly to-do list assigned by my supervisor. During participant visits, we measured height, weight, heart rate, and blood pressure, and conducted body composition tests (Bod Pod, 3D scan, skin folds), RMR testing, and blood draws. For postpartum infant visits, I observed DEXA scans and other tests. After all visits, we input data into RedCap and completed the participant checklists in their binders to communicate to other staff members that all measures for that visit were completed. We also provided participants with accelerometer watches. These watches are used to track movement and activity throughout the day. We initialized the accelerometer watches before giving it to the participant, then downloaded the data when it was returned.
Incentives and Major Project
In the Active Moms program, we provide participants with incentives to encourage their participation, show appreciation, and reassure them of their progress. As an intern, one of my tasks was to find local business partners to provide incentives. My fellow interns and I compiled a list of potential local business partners and reached out to those who had previously collaborated with Active Moms. During my internship, we secured incentives from Buff City Soap, Sweet Frog, and Uptown Nutrition, as well as additional incentives from returning partners like Jack and Jill. For our major project, we planned a maternity closet for the participants. Many pregnant women struggle to find suitable clothing, so we wanted to create a small, intimate space where they could feel comfortable asking for items. To promote the closet, we sent emails to participants, made and distributed flyers around FITT, handed out flyers, and posted on our social media platforms. Our plan included a virtual lookbook on Instagram, where participants can see available clothing items and request what they want. They would then pick up items from our ‘Maternity Closet’ storage space in our supervisors office.
Reflective Analysis
My internship at ECU Active Moms has been a transformative experience, providing me with valuable insights and skills that have greatly influenced my career goals and aspirations. As a clinical research intern, I gained a deep understanding of conducting research, especially in maternal and child health. I learned how to collect and analyze data through RedCap and follow ethical guidelines such as HIPPA and informed consent.
One of the most valuable skills I developed was effective communication. Whether coordinating with the research team, interacting with participants, or presenting findings and ideas, I learned to convey information clearly and concisely. This skill is crucial in any professional setting to ensure everyone is informed and engaged. Active Moms also highlighted the importance of teamwork and collaboration. Working with experienced researchers, fellow interns, and healthcare professionals, I saw how multidisciplinary teams achieve common goals, which reinforced my appreciation for diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving.
Another significant takeaway was the importance of time management and organizational skills. Being able to balance multiple tasks and meeting deadlines by carefully planning and prioritizing things are essential for success in any career. This internship has profoundly influenced my career goals. I am now more committed to pursuing a career in public health, particularly in clinical research, and contributing to improving health outcomes for others.
Challenges
Solutions
To overcome this, I would manage and constantly check the Active Moms schedule and intern to-do list to prioritize tasks based on their urgency and importance. This helped me stay organized and ensured that I met all my deadlines.
First, I would take small steps and set goals for different milestones. Also, I sought support from other research staff members to practice and help me feel more comfortable in completing certain tasks.
To solve this, I would simply “fake it until I made it” by putting myself in certain situations and increasing involvement to build confidence overtime. Also, I observed as much as I could to familiarize myself with the environment before I was needed to do these more independently.
One significant challenge was managing time effectively. With multiple tasks and tight deadlines, balancing my responsibilities was difficult.
Another challenge was stepping out of my comfort zone. Although I enjoy learning new things and meeting new people, I had to push myself to learn certain skills quickly, which was uncomfortable at first.
Communicating with the participants and other research staff was challenging because it was a new environment. I wasn't always sure what to expect, which sometimes made me feel less confident about speaking up.
Conclusion
I'm thankful to ECU Active Moms for letting me intern with them. It's been an amazing experience. Your support and encouragement have helped me grow as a clinical research intern and as I transition into the professional world as a public health educator. Working alongside passionate health professionals who care about improving people's health has taught me a lot and inspired me to pursue a career in clinical research. Thank you so much for this opportunity, I appreciate all of you!
Active Moms ECU
