How It Works

Our Mission

Support public health agencies and to advance health equity in Massachusetts by engaging with public health students,

alumni, and expert participants through interdisciplinary collaboration.

Our Vision

The APHC aims to be a pipeline to local public health careers in Massachusetts.

Program Overview

The Academic Public Health Corps: Supporting local public health & building our future local public health workforce.

The APHC connects local health departments in Massachusetts with diverse public health students looking for “real world” experience. Created in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, its members have assisted more than 130 local health departments in the Commonwealth.  

How It Works

Local health departments request free assistance with discrete public health-related projects, most commonly in the areas of health communications, data analysis and visualization, research, and administrative work.

Our Corps members (a diverse variety of public health students hired based on their interest, skills, and availability) complete these projects under the supervision and guidance of our staff.

Everyone wins: students are paid for work that builds in-demand skills and experience, and local health departments get free assistance to help keep their communities healthy.

The APHC is a program of the Massachusetts Academic Health Department (AHD) Consortium. It is managed by the Massachusetts Health Officers Association (MHOA) and funded by the MA Department of Public Health (MDPH).