University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) senior Nic Amison recently spent two semesters serving as the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center’s (UCDC) first communications intern.
Amison played an instrumental role on the communications team by writing articles for the center’s website and newsletter, managing social media, and creating digital signage.
A communications studies major with a focus on public relations, Amison said he learned about the UCDC internship through his involvement as an officer on the board of UAB’s award-winning Public Relations Council of Alabama/Public Relations Student Society of America (PRCA/PRSSA at UAB).
“I applied to the UCDC as a communications intern to gain more experience in social media management, research and writing; however, I never would have guessed I’d be exposed to such a purposeful role as part of the UCDC’s mission,” Amison said.
He said his favorite project to work on at UCDC was the first article he wrote for the center, “Bril and researchers shine light on relationship between insulin resistance and MASLD.”
Writing about scientific research for the first time wasn’t an easy task, he said, but definitely a worthwhile learning experience.
“Looking back, I laugh to myself because I was at the UCDC for a couple weeks at the time, and it took me a minimum 15 times of reading Dr. Fernando Bril’s article to understand what the study was about,” Amison said. “I learned how much effort truly goes into diabetes research and it was a great professional experience that gave me a great impression of the UCDC’s mission and purpose.”
In addition to writing about new research, Amison developed and launched a series of interactive polls on the UCDC’s social media channels (X and LinkedIn) that have focused on diabetes awareness in Alabama. These informative “knowledge-check” questions have increased interactions with the UCDC audience and garnered impressive engagement and click-through rates compared to standard posts.
Above all, Amison said his favorite memory at UCDC was being a part of Congressman Gary Palmer’s (AL-06) tour of the center in September 2024. He helped prepare promotional materials and greeted Palmer’s team as they arrived.
Amison, who was recently elected as president of the PRCA/PRSSA at UAB, will now transition to a summer public relations internship with The Dance Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Homewood, Alabama.
“We’ve enjoyed having Nic at the UCDC. He brought a positive attitude to every project and always looked for ways to implement new ideas,” said UCDC Communications Manager Amy Richardson. “We wish him success as he completes his senior year at UAB and look forward to watching him make his mark on our community as a professional communicator.”