A student at the food bank points at a box of food that needs to be sorted. She is standing behind several boxes of packaged food. A student at the food bank points at a box of food that needs to be sorted. She is standing behind several boxes of packaged food.

Internships and Career Services

at the School of Public Health

The School of Public Health's Internships and Career Services Office helps guide and prepare you for successful careers in public health. You can gain practical and applicable hands-on experience through internships with local community partners, local government agencies, not-for-profits, and the New York State Department of Health, to name a few - and even international internships through our Center for Global Health. Our MPH students complete 720 hours of hands-on learning (more hours than any other MPH program in the nation), and our MS, PhD, and DrPH students receive rigorous experiential learning opportunities to help advance their careers. 

Make important connections through a public health internship. You can gain critical experience in real-world public health situations that enable you to combine the theory and information you learn in the classroom with practical application. Our internship partners love working with our students! 30% of our students received job offers from their internship according to our latest survey of graduating students.

 

Internships and Research at the School of Public Health

Student internship highlights

Noelle Horth is holding a jug up to a shower to sample it for Legionella.
Noelle samples a shower for Legionella.

"Sampling at nursing homes and healthcare facilities was part of my summer internship for the MPH internship requirement! I was able to learn about field sampling for Legionella by traveling to different healthcare facilities around New York State.

Some of the Legionella sampling performed was done so as part of Project LegEnd, developed last year by the Bureau of Water Supply Protection (BWSP) of the NYSDOH, with the goal of ending Legionella in Article 28 and non-Article 28 healthcare facilities. Volunteer facilities received free Legionella sampling and guidance from NYSDOH staff. For volunteer Article 28 facilities, the data can be used to meet New York State's annual compliance sampling requirement required by 10NYCRR Part 4, Protection Against Legionella.

In addition to sampling for Legionella, NYSDOH BWSP staff evaluated the potable water systems for water quality parameters including but not limited to ATP, chlorine/disinfection residuals, temperature, pH, and conductivity. Based on our findings, we could make recommendations to facilities that would allow them to improve their potable water system management practices and decrease the risk of any future Legionella exposures. Sampling locations include showers, sinks, hot water tanks, and hot water returns. Showers are of particular interest as recent history has shown a higher rate of positivity in shower samples and showers are also the most likely point of exposure to healthcare facility residents.

I learned so much from this experience, I gained a deeper understanding about environmental health and collecting environmental samples using aseptic techniques. I was able to expand my horizons and learn about different fields of public health. I would have never expected to like fieldwork and environmental health as much as I did and how environmental sampling can tie into epidemiology."

- Noelle Horth, second year MPH student
Chris stands facing the camera, smiling. He is wearing a grey shirt and a black jacket.
Chris J.
Mia smiles at the camera
Mia S.
Gabby smiles at the camera, wearing a black top with pink flowers. She is standing in front of her academic poster displaying information from her internship experience.
Gabby G.
Emily smiles at the camera, wearing a red shirt. She has brown, shoulder-length hair.
Emily D.
Gabrielle, a student with long brown hair who is wearing a yellow sweater, smiles at the camera.
Gabrielle F.
Emma Geyer smiles at the camera. She stands against a brick wall and is wearing a blue shirt.
Emma G.
Stephanie smiles at the camera. Behind her is a red brick wall.
Stephanie S.
Richard and his three children, all dressed in winter coats, stand in front of a snowy mountain.
Richard A.
Leanna K. holds a box of planted vegetables. She is wearing an orange face mask and stands outside a childcare center.
Leanna K.

Past internships

Biomedical Sciences
  • Albany Medical Center
  • College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering
  • Gen*NY*Sis Center for Excellence in Cancer Genomics
  • New York State Department of Health: Division of Genetics, Newborn Screening
  • University of Rochester Medical Center
  • Wadsworth Center
Environmental Health Sciences
  • New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets: Food Laboratory Division
  • New York State Department of Health: Bureau of Water Supply Protection
  • New York State Office for the Aging
  • New York State Office of the Attorney General: Environmental Protection Bureau
  • Wadsworth Center: Laboratory of Environmental Biology
Epidemiology
  • Healthcare Association of New York State
  • New York State Department of Health: Bureau of STD Prevention and Epidemiology
  • New York State Department of Health: Bureau of Tuberculosis Contro
  • Rensselaer County Health Department
  • University at Albany Counseling Center
Health Policy & Management
  • MVP Health Care
  • New York State Association of County Health Officials
  • New York State Department of Health: Nutrition Policy and Health Promotion
  • New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities
  • Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy
Social Behavior & Community Health
  • American Cancer Society
  • Capital District Physician’s Health Plan
  • New York State WIC Program  
  • Pride Center of the Capital Region
  • Schenectady County Legislature
  • US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
  • Whitney M. Young Jr. Health Center
An intern and a professional stand on either side of a child wearing a bright red shirt as he completes a medical survey.
Students can also intern with faculty on their research projects. Pictured: An intern working for the Upstate KIDS study led by Dr. Erin Bell, which looked at over 6,000 babies in New York State and their development.

Additional Career-Related Services

The Internships and Career Services Office at the School of Public Health provides:

  • Weekly emails related to internships and career development, including deadlines for internships and details about job opportunities.
  • Drop-in hours for quick questions related to internships, careers, or professional development.
  • Confidential career appointments to discuss various career-related items, ranging from securing an internship to receiving a cover letter or resume critique.
  • Events and programs to prepare students for personal and professional success.
Meg V. stands against a purple wall with the School of Public Health logo on it. She is wearing a red sweater and blue jeans and is smiling at the camera.
Meg V., DrPH candidate at the UAlbany School of Public Health

"I was able to use my practicum experiences as an opportunity to 'try out' different potential career areas. I was able to work as a research assistant at the Department of Health and at a non-profit organization. My last practicum with ACOG District II has evolved into a long-term role."

- Meg V., DrPH student

School of Public Health Internships & Career Services Office
Katrina Chamberlain
Director of Internships and Career Services
George Education Center 117

1 University Place
Rensselaer, NY 12144
United States

Email
[email protected]
Phone
518-402-0404