A Brief History of the Organization

On March 20, 2020 at the request of Governor Baker’s administration, the AHD Consortium established the APHC through a novel and highly effective collaboration between the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), Massachusetts Health Officers Association (MHOA), Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA), and thirteen academic institutions.

Since its development and implementation in March 2020, the APHC has deployed over 900 Corps members in more than 130 communities across Massachusetts to assist local boards of health in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In August 2021, the Academic Public Health Corps dropped the word “volunteer” from the original name, Academic Public Health Volunteer Corps. The APHC and its Corps members currently provide services such as health communications, community outreach, translation services, data analysis and presentation, policies and protocols, and mobilizing and supporting partnerships. Members of the APHC leadership team, working groups, and operations team collectively contributed thousands of additional hours to implement, refine, and expand the APHC model.

The APHC program will sunset on June 30th, 2024.