Hi everyone! My name is Mackenzie, and I’m a Master of Public Health student at the University of Queensland. As part of my final semester, I’ve had the pleasure of completing an internship with the team at QENDO, learning about how their work supports communities across the country. Having worked in the IVF industry and with a passion for women’s health, I was excited to contribute to an organisation that does so much in this area in Australia.
My internship centred on evaluating QENDO’s Gather Workshops, a new service launched in May 2026. Two workshops were held, one in Brisbane and one in Toowoomba, and QENDO collected data from participants before and after each event to understand how they experienced the service and what they found valuable. My role was to analyse that data to identify the strengths of each session and areas for improvement, assess whether Gather should continue as a regular event, and recommend ways to strengthen future workshops so QENDO can keep supporting its patient community. I also explored what motivates people to take part in QENDO’s peer mentorship program and other existing supports. My final deliverables were a detailed data analysis report, a shorter summary report, and an infographic highlighting key statistics.
This internship has been invaluable for developing the skills I’ll need for future work in public health. I strengthened my ability to analyse data critically, develop creative solutions to meet organisational needs, and communicate findings in a range of formats for different audiences. I also feel much more confident as a public health practitioner, and I’ve gained insight into the sector that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Beyond the skills I’ve developed, I’ve also learned so much about endometriosis and pelvic pain. Endometriosis can affect people from all walks of life, and it can touch so many parts of daily functioning in ways people often don’t realise. I’ve also come to understand how chronic these conditions can be - over 60% of the participants in my analysis had been experiencing symptoms for more than 10 years! QENDO offers a wide range of resources and services to support people in different ways, depending on their individual needs and circumstances. I’ve even picked up a tip or two for managing my own pelvic pain from QENDO’s booklets, which I used to supplement my analysis (check them out here – they don’t disappoint!).
My internship supervisor was Ash, Head of QENDO Operations, who has been amazing to work with. She has provided me with thoughtful guidance when coming up against hurdles, helped me understand what types of information best support organisations when evaluating programs, and taught me a lot about QENDO and the sector it works in. I’m grateful for the trust she placed in me to take on a project that will help shape QENDO’s future services.
I’d like to thank Ash and the team at QENDO for their support throughout my internship experience. I’m moving forward as a much more confident public health professional, and will use the skills I have developed to contribute to public health projects and programs that make a meaningful difference in our communities.
Thanks for reading, and make sure to visit QENDO’s website to learn more about the supports and services available to you.
Mackenzie
