Intern, Food & Nutrition Program

Background:

The Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) supports civil society organizations and advocacy movements around the world to pass lifesaving policies on a range of critical issues to save lives, reduce death and disease, increase investments in public health and create healthier, more equitable futures for all. GHAI is an initiative of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Through our Food and Nutrition programs, we advocate for the approval and implementation of evidence informed policies —currently in more than 30 countries across Africa, the Americas and Asia—that support healthy, sustainable food systems and ensure everyone’s right to access nutritious food. Our focus is on low and middle-income countries, where we build movements to reduce the demand for unhealthy, ultra processed products and to increase access to nutritious food.

Position Overview:

The Food and Nutrition Intern will support the GHAI team’s advocacy initiatives through research support. More specifically, the selected candidate will assist GHAI with translating research for advocacy, including summarizing key research for dissemination to grantees/partners; track the latest research and materials; assist with strategy development, and help prepare materials for use in advocacy campaigns. This position is based in Washington, D.C. and reports to the Food and Nutrition Associate Director of Research.

Responsibilities:

• Review newly published research for use in advocacy campaigns and work with the Associate Director of Research to develop easily understood advocacy materials that communicate the latest evidence and best practices informing Food and Nutrition campaigns, including fact sheets, reports, and other materials.
• Maintain electronic records of research articles, reports, and other relevant information for the Food and Nutrition team, with a focus on topics such as trans fatty acids (TFA), non-sugar sweeteners (NSS), and ultra-processed products (UPPs).
• Support the document production needs for the group, including formatting, proof reading, and preparing presentation materials.

Deliverables:

• A fact sheet on the latest evidence regarding the consumption and health effects of NSS.
• A comprehensive report summarizing how different countries include NSS in their FOPL regulations.
• Highlighting gaps in the existing evidence or inconsistencies in implementation across regions.
• Analyzing the outcomes of NSS-related FOPL policies in countries where they have been implemented, focusing on their impact on consumer behavior, product reformulation, and overall public health outcomes.
• A comprehensive report summarizing the key additives to look for when identifying UPPs, explaining the challenges, and considering the global context.
• A comprehensive list of synonyms for partially hydrogenated oils and TFA to assit in identifying these components in the ingredient lists of packaged products.
• An updated database with the latest evidence on TFA and NSS.
• Slide decks presenting results and recommendations.

Qualifications:

• Familiarity and experience with reviewing research publications and reports and synthesizing scientific information for a lay audience.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment while juggling multiple projects and deadlines.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, including editing and proofing.
• Excellent organizational skills and strong attention to detail.
• Ability to take initiative, solve problems creatively and work independently.
• Interest in and/or commitment to public health policy advocacy and nutrition.
• Experience working at the international level and in cross-cultural settings is a plus.
• Fluency in English required and the ability to speak additional languages, especially Spanish or Portuguese, is highly desirable.
• Currently pursuing a post graduate degree.
• Work experience in advocacy, global health or an international development organization preferred