Internships and Career Services

Individuals from varying educational backgrounds are drawn to the dynamic and rewarding field of public health for a variety of reasons and find themselves working on a diverse range of issues. It is an exciting and growing field of study which challenges its professionals to confront complex health issues. The scope of work extends from the local level, to the national scene, to global communities. The field of public health promises excitement, stimulation and fulfillment. If you’re interested in improving access to health care, controlling infectious disease, protecting the health of the public or reducing environmental hazards, among many other options, public health is the field for you.

Internships

Why is an internship experience important?

The internship component of the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree is viewed as the culminating experience of the graduate academic program. It is designed to allow students to apply the knowledge gained during academic coursework to a professional public health setting.

The University at Albany School of Public Health is unique from other public health programs because we maintain a close relationship with the NYS Department of Health (DOH), giving students the privileged opportunity to embark on internship experiences there. While providing valuable, practice-based experience, these internships also give students a chance to network in the field. Each semester internship opportunities are made available exclusively to the School’s student body. However, students have the option to find other professionally fulfilling opportunities through the School’s long-standing relationships with other local organizations and by using the Career Development Center.

What are you expected to learn from your internship experience?

During their internship students will learn a variety of discipline-specific and interdisciplinary/cross cutting competencies as outlined by the Association of Schools of Public Health. The general categories of the competencies have been listed below. Students learn many of the interdisciplinary/cross-cutting competencies in the core courses offered here at the School of Public health. An understanding of the discipline- specific competencies is dependant on the student’s area of concentration and which discipline the internship can be classified as. When considering an internship position, students should consider the competencies in both the planning stages of the internship and at the end when reporting on the internship experience.

Discipline-specific Competencies:

Biostatistics
Environmental Health Sciences
Epidemiology
Health Policy and Management
Social and Behavioral Sciences

Interdisciplinary/Cross-cutting Competencies:

Communication and Informatics
Diversity and Culture
Leadership
Public Health Biology
Professionalism
Program Planning
Systems Thinking

For details, please see Discipline and Cross-cutting Competencies.doc

In addition, your public health experience should also include at least one of the following components:

Assessing, monitoring, or conducting surveillance of health problems/services in a population;
Establishing health objectives and priorities;
Conducting research on population-based health problems including biological, environmental, and behavioral issues;
Developing and/or implementing policies and intervention strategies to meet public health needs; or
Studying the natural history of disease or health-related effects in a population.

What are the internship degree requirements?

Students must complete a total of 9-credits or 720 hours of experience in at least two different occupational settings. Students typically take on their first internship during the summer following the first academic year for 40 hours/week for 12 weeks (a 6-credit internship). The remaining three credits can be completed during the second academic year at 20 hours/week for 12 weeks during the fall or spring semesters. It is also possible for students to complete three 3-credit internships; one each during the summer, fall and spring semesters. Internships allow for flexibility and individual student circumstances can be accommodated.

What classes are necessary to participate in an internship?

In order to be eligible to register for an internship, students must be in good academic standing and must have completed at least four core courses. The MPH core courses are as follows:

EPI501 Principles and Methods of Epidemiology I
STA552 Principles of Statistical Inference I
HPM500 Organization, Financing and Delivery of Health Care
HPM525 Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health
BMS505 Biological Basis of Public Health
EHT590 Introduction to Environmental Health

What are some examples of potential internships?

The March of Dimes, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Family Support Effort

The public health concerns related to this experience involve increasing self-efficacy and experiential confidence in NICU families. The student was able to engage with families through educational and creative groups aimed at empowering the parents. Other work activities included handing out Parent Care Kits, describing the program, taking pictures and offering emotional support. In addition, the student had the opportunity to assist in the direct development of the program.

NYS DOH Bureau of Women’s Health Rape Crisis Program Primary Prevention Project
The Rape Crisis Program is situated within the BWH, Division of Family Health (DFH). The New York State Department of Health Rape Crisis Program mission is to reduce the incidence of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse, and emphasizing primary prevention strategies. The challenge the Bureau faces is to identify primary prevention activities and to work with those providers to promote primary prevention of sexual violence. The student conducted an environmental scan to examine community and societal level risk and protective factors associated with sexual violence that are present in New York State. A media and advertising assessment was a main component of the environmental scan. The assessment examined messages portrayed by the media which promoted or protected against sexual violence. The intern then compiled this information with recommendations to be presented to the Sexual Violence Primary Prevention Committee.

Evaluation of HIV Status among TB Cases in Women 18 years of age and older
The goal of this project was to evaluate local TB programs to identify factors affecting HIV testing among adult females and to propose/develop interventions aimed at increasing the percentage of known HIV status. The student was responsible for performing an evaluation of HIV testing among women, 18 years of age and older, who were reported as TB cases and suspects. The student reviewed all relevant literature, developed a tool for use in performing the evaluation, and traveled to high morbidity counties with a high degree of unknown HIV status to perform data abstraction. The student summarized data from NYS DOH databases related to HIV testing of TB cases and compared findings with TB registry data.

Are internship experiences paid?

Many internship experiences offer financial compensation to students but there are some internship opportunities that do not have the funding available to provide students with monetary compensation. Despite this, students will still benefit greatly from participating in such internships and will complete these internships with a better understanding of the public health. In some cases, the Public Health Leaders of Tomorrow (PHLOT) program may provide internship stipends for numerous practice-based internships at the State and local health departments throughout New York State.

For more information about PHLOT, please visit: PHLOT

Where do I go for more information on internship opportunities?

If you are a student and would like more information on possible internship opportunities you may visit the Internship and Career Services Center in the Deans Office and arrange to meet with Katrina Chamberlain, the Internship Coordinator. If you are mentor or would like to become a potential mentor also contact Katrina Chamberlain for more information.

Katrina Chamberlain
Internship Coordinator
KChamberlain@uamail.albany.edu
518.408.2341

Intern Testimonials


Katie Scheu MPH, Environmental Health Sciences 2010	Cathleen Kerman MPH, Social Behavior/Community Health 2010
Read Katie's testimonial	Read Cathleen's testimonial

What is a Fellowship?

Institutions and organizations award fellowships for a variety of reasons. Fellowships typically are created to facilitate the advancement of knowledge in a particular subject area or specialization. They can be focused on research, training, or teaching. Fellowships primarily consist of a broad curriculum of skills development such as leadership, community organization, public speaking, grant writing, and media relations. Fellowship programs can be designed to support a range of activities to meet the fellow’s needs and interests. Such activities may include research, development of a new community-based organization or initiative, training and reflection directed toward career and growth, an apprenticeship with a senior level professional, preparation for and participation in academic seminars and/or professional conferences, among many others. Most often fellows, usually recent graduates, are expected to take on a great deal of responsibility rather quickly. Often based on merit, fellowships can be a nice addition to a resume or curriculum vitae. Fellowships provide the opportunity for recent graduates to apply much of what is learned in the classroom to the field of public health, provide credible work experience, and allow for networking. A number of Fellowship opportunities are posted on ERes and categorized by monthly DEADLINES!

In addition to the fellowship opportunities posted on ERes, second-year students at the School of Public Health can apply for a Public Health Leaders of Tomorrow (PHLOT) Fellowship. The PHLOT Post-Graduate Fellowship aims to support highly trained public health practitioners adept in the development, implementation and assessment of public health initiatives at the local level. The year-long program provides a full-time competitive salary to fellows selected among recent masters level graduates from the University at Albany School of Public Health. For additional details, please see: PHLOT Fellowship Information.

Compensation varies from fellowship to fellowship. Most fellowships will provide some sort of stipend and potentially other benefits including healthcare coverage and other employment benefits, student loan repayment programs, housing stipends, paid travel or relocation expenses, and possible alumni networks for developing and maintaining contacts in the field.

Some useful links to Fellowships include:

Profiles of recent fellows:

Photo of Steffany Cavallo
Steffany Cavallo, MPH
2008-2009 Post-Graduate Fellow, Albany County Department of Health
Following graduation, I began a PHLOT Fellowship at Albany County Department of Health (ACDH) where I work primarily in the Division of Public Health Planning and Education. A major project the ACDH has undertaken is the engagement of community partners to address sustainable approaches to chronic disease prevention and health promotion. Thus, some of my primary duties include researching evidenced based interventions and assisting with grant applications and the planning of new chronic disease programs at Albany County.

Other projects include the preparation of the Municipal Health Services Plan, research of priority health indicators identified by the County Community Health Assessment in order to identify root causes and potential mitigation strategies, and the development of a template for an annual county report card based on these analyses. Additional activities include Lyme Disease health education, reviewing and editing the Albany County COOP, and providing epidemiology support as necessary (i.e., outbreak investigations, STD control and data summary/analysis).

Photo of Nancy Blake
Nancy J. Blake, MPH
2008-2010 Post Graduate Fellow, NYS DOH Office of Public Health Practice
The Public Health Leaders of Tomorrow Post-Graduate Fellowship Program has provided me with a wonderful opportunity to put into practice the knowledge and skills learned from the UAlbany School of Public Health MPH program. As a recent undergrad, the fellowship has provided me invaluable practical experience and guidance from a knowledgeable mentor. I believe the program demonstrates the value recent graduates can add to State and local public health agencies.

Through my fellowship at the New York State Department of Health Office of Public Health Practice, I have participated in a variety of projects. I assisted in the development of a grant proposal to fund an internship program for undergraduate students interested in public health science and continue to manage the day-to-day aspects of the project. I have coordinated distance learning programs for local health department staff and contributed to other statewide workforce development initiatives. My work has helped me reach my goals of further cultivating my interpersonal, project management and writing skills, and to make a significant contribution to multiple public health agencies.

The PHLOT Fellowship has provided me the essential tools to launch a rewarding career in public health.

Career Preparation

The School of Public Health is committed to providing our students and alumni with a host of career counseling and placement services. Many current professional career opportunities are posted on the University’s Electronic Reserve (ERes) and updated regularly. In addition, the School has a Coordinator of Internship and Career Services, focused on matching individual student interests with a diverse array of paid and unpaid public health internships and assistantships that have been identified in the greater Capital District region. For many students, these internships and assistantships lead to career entry positions immediately upon commencement.

To facilitate the internship and employment search for students, the School of Public Health has developed a Career Services Center. Located in the Office of Student Affairs, (GEC 110H), the Center is equipped with two computers, a professional library and an area in which students can relax and explore career opportunities. Available tools and resources include information on federal, state and non-profit and private organizations, as well as materials for researching internships, job opportunities and current literature. Students also will find resources to assist them with resume development, professional networking and interview skills. Workshops around these topics are presented on a regular basis as well.

Communication with students and alumni is facilitated further through the Career and Internship listserv. Disseminated on a weekly basis, the listserv provides students with general information related to career planning as well as specific information regarding internships, upcoming fellowship application deadlines and job opportunities.

Each spring, the School of Public Health holds an Internship and Career Fair. Prospective internship mentors and employers from the region attend the fair to meet with students, conduct interviews and network in the field. The fair is scheduled to coincide with the season of job searches for graduating students and summer internships for continuing students. Approximately 40 organizations are represented at the fair including the NYS Department of Health, Local Health Departments, Non-profit organizations, Corporations/Industry and Health Policy Agencies.

For our current students and alumni, the University maintains a Career Development Center that offers a range of services including career assessment inventories, on-campus recruiting, career fairs, resume and cover letter assistance, summer job information, mock interviews, workshops and specialty programs. In addition, students have the ability to register with a database of employers who are seeking college graduates in various fields.

A link to the services of the Career Development Center is located above. We encourage our students to bookmark the page, research opportunities, and discuss your career plans with your advisor and/or mentor.