Public Health Career Resources for Students​

​​American Public Health Association  - APHA serves as a convener, catalyst, and advocate to build capacity in the public health community

Washington State Public Health Association - WSPHA is a non-profit association of members who work in public health, health care, and other areas dedicated to improving health and safety in all communities across Washington

CDC Internships/ Fellowships - U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention national internship and fellowship page

CSTE Fellows – Applied Epidemiology Fellowship - Participating fellows will receive two years of on-the-job training at a state or local health department under the guidance of two experienced mentors

Public Health AmeriCorps - Public Health opportunities in AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps is the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. AmeriCorps provides opportunities for Americans of all backgrounds to serve their country, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, and improve lives and communities

Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Internships/ Fellowships - ASPPH works with practice partners locally and nationally to prepare the future public health workforce through mentored, practical training experiences

Washington HOSA: Future Health Professionals - Washington HOSA provides students with a unique training program of leadership and skill development to help them become better health science leaders

Career Pathways in the Association of Public Health Laboratory Science - ​APHL offers a variety of opportunities to explore career pathways in public health laboratory science. APHL supports professional development experiences for current students, early career scientists and established laboratorians

PH SPOT | Helping public health professionals build their dream careers - PH SPOT creates tools and resources to help individuals achieve their public health career goals

Explore behavioral health career opportunities (Start Your Path - state Health Care Authority) - Career overviews and career path information 

U.S. Department of Labor: Occupational Outlook Handbook for Health Careers  - Occupation information including job summaries, education level requirements, and median pay

Student Engagement at WA DOH site includes information about internships as well as selected staff profiles to learn more about what it's like to work at a state health department

Introduction to Public Health & Training Opportunities

Public Health in Washington State - Overview of public health within Washington state

Public Health 101 Series|CDC - Center for Disease Control and Prevention free self guided series covering multiple topics. The Public Health 101 Series offers introductory courses designed for people interested in public health and public health professionals seeking a refresher

Welcome to TCEO (cdc.gov) - Training and Continuing Education Online (TCEO) is a system that provides access to CDC educational activities for continuing education (CE). Use TCEO to search for CE opportunities, complete course evaluations and posttests, receive your CE certificates, and manage your CE transcript

Northwest Center for Public Health Practice (Northwest Public Health Training Center) - The Northwest Center for Public Health Practice provides training, research, and evaluation services to support public health organizations

UW / DOH Public Health Data Learning Center - The Public Health Data Learning Center offers free training, tools, and resources to support public health professionals through the process of data systems change

Public Health is Essential podcast: Washington State Public Health Association (WSPHA) podcast covering various public health topics focusing on Washington state

Funding a Public Health Degree

Scholarship funding: 

$3,500 grants that public health students in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon & Washington may apply for (UW Northwest Center for Public Health Practice) - Approximately 20 practice-based projects in public health organizations will be funded up to $3,500 each during the academic year. Stipends are distributed directly to students and are intended to help them defray living expenses during their hands-on learning experience.

Guidance about financial aid from the Washington State Student Achievement Council - How to apply for financial aid. Understanding FAFSA and WASFA

WA State Baccalaureate Opportunity Scholarship is an application-based scholarship program that provides up to $22,500 in scholarship dollars for eligible bachelor's degree students in eligible STEM or health care majors, including public health. Applicants must be Washington State residents and must meet family income limitations as outlined on the scholarship program's criteria requirements.

WA State College Grant - Washington College Grant (WA Grant) gives eligible people more money for more types of education like certificate programs, job training, apprenticeships, or college.

Student Loan Advocate (Washington State Student Achievement Council) - The Student Loan Advocate collaborates with other state agencies to support current and future student loan borrowers in Washington State by: addressing student' borrowers' questions and complaints; providing borrowers information and resources about student loans; educating the public about the rights and responsibilities of student loan borrowers

Washington Award for Vocational Excellence (WAVE) Scholarships for students pursuing a Bachelor's in Public Health at a state community or technical college.

Public Health Scholarships - Scholarships available listed on scholarships.com

Public Health Conferences and Convenings

American Public Health Association (APHA) National Conference - Each year APHA’s Annual Meeting and Expo convenes about 12,000 public health professionals and partners from around the world to engage, collaborate, and grow. The annual meeting brings together a broad spectrum of professionals across a variety of disciplines

WA State Public Health Association (WSPHA) Annual Conference - Annual conference with a variety of public health related workshops, exhibitions, and talks

WA State Public Health Association (WSPHA) Legislative Education Day  -  Join public health in Olympia to learn about the legislative process and meet with lawmakers to educate them about the importance of public health. Share stories about how public health makes a difference in the lives of our clients, friends, family, and neighbors in our local communities

WA State Environmental Health Association (WSEHA) Annual Education Conference - Conference providing a variety of educational opportunities such as identifying emerging environmental health issues, establishing connections among environmental health professionals in all agencies and arenas, and encouraging professional standards of practice

Northwest Rural Health Conference - This annual conference brings together a consortium of rural healthcare professionals from around the region to provide an experience that expands professional knowledge, promotes partnership, and explores the new and emerging opportunities to advance rural health

Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health (National - Arlington, VA) - Annual meeting which convenes graduate and undergraduate academic public health leaders, faculty, students, and members of the public health community from around the world to engage in discussions and share new strategies and tools to strengthen education, practice, and research in public health

One Health Conference - The Washington State One Health, Zoonotic and Vector-borne Disease conference is an opportunity for cross-sector sharing and collaboration on human, animal, and environmental health issues, including with many academic partners

Resources for Intern and Practicum Supervisors (In development)

Tips for creating internship positions - Framework and tips for potential intern supervisors

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This content is still in development. If you have resources that you would be interested in sharing, we welcome hearing from you. Please contact WA DOH Academic Affairs AcademicAffairs@doh.wa.gov

Anticipated content may include resources pertaining to:

• Supervision and mentorship (resources to support successful supervision and supportive mentorship)
• Project examples and templates for internships, capstones, practicums and other experiential learning for public health students
• MOU examples for student projects hosted by governmental agencies or community-based organizations
• Any other resources that we identify, or hear from partners, that may be of interest to support student engagement with public health practice

Templates (In development)

We are still developing this section. If you have templates to share that might be of interest to public health practitioners seeking to engage students for internships and other learning opportunities, we welcome your content or ideas. Please contact our team (AcademicAffairs@doh.wa.gov). 

Hosting Students/Interns (In development)

We are still developing this section. If you have resources to share that might be of interest to public health practitioners seeking to engage students for internships and other learning opportunities, we welcome your content or ideas. Please contact our team (AcademicAffairs@doh.wa.gov). 

Student Agreement

How to scope projects

Mentorship expectations

Sample onboarding plans, tips, and resources

Exit Interview examples

Job Boards

GovJobs - State government job board used by all state agencies. Open positions at DOH are posted on the DOH GovJobs site.

Washington State Public Health Association (WSPHA) Job Board

Handshake - One of the most popular job boards for students, used by many higher education institutions.

American Public Health Association (APHA) Careers Page 

Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Job Page

3RNET (Rural Recruitment & Retention Network) - A national database connecting healthcare workers with rural jobs.

Public Health Careers Organization

National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Career Center

WA State Environmental Health Association - Job Board

Emory Public Health Employment Connections

University of Washington School of Public Health Career Page

Additional Hiring & Career Search Resources

University of Washington School of Public Health Career and Job Search Resources - A list of resources to help one explore, prepare for, and expand their career in public health. We extend appreciation to the UW SPH Career Development team for sharing these resources.

Interested to share resources for inclusion as part of our Resource Hub?  If you have resources that you would like considered for addition to this site, or identify any updates or corrections that may be needed to the currently listed resources, please contact the DOH Academic Partnerships team: academicaffairs@doh.wa.gov