APHC Overview
What is the APHC?
In 2021, MHOA applied for Massachusetts Department of Public Health funding to sustain the APHC and was awarded a three-year grant. This funding has allowed the APHC to hire full-time staff, pay its student Corps members, and will grow and sustain the program into the future.
The APHC connects local health departments in MA with public health students. We request public health-related projects from local health departments, then hire students to complete these projects based on their interest, skills, and availability. Students are paid for work that builds their resumes and real-life public health experience, and local health departments’ capacity to keep their communities healthy is increased.
Who are the Corps members?
Corps members are current public health students who attend an institute of higher education in Massachusetts. The APHC serves as an internship program for these students; they complete 160 hours of work on assigned public health projects, learn about local public health in Massachusetts, build their resumes and real-world experience, and are paid up to $2,720 per semester.
Applicant FAQ
Who is eligible to apply to be an APHC Corps member?
- Must be a CURRENT student any any level at an institution of higher education in Massachusetts
- Must currently live in Massachusetts
- International students may apply
- Must use the internship for practicum credit and confirm any requirements with your International Office
- Able to commit 10–15 hours per week over the course of a semester, for a total of 160 hours
- Some availability during office hours (9am–5pm, Mon–Fri)
- Excited to support local public health in Massachusetts and committed to advancing health equity and social justice
- Please see the full job description here
Are Corps members paid?
Yes. The APHC pays Corps members $17 per hour for completing up to 160 hours of assigned work for the APHC. These 160 hours are typically spent working on 2-5 projects over the course of the semester.
How do I apply to be in the Academic Public Health Corps?
Please fill out our online application at https://bit.ly/aphc8.
When is the application deadline?
These dates are approximate. Please check the Job Description for exact dates.
| Fall cohort | Spring cohort | Summer cohort | |
| Application opens | April 25 | August 15 | January 15 |
| Application deadline | May 28 | September 15 | February 15 |
| Send offer letters | June 30 | Oct 15 | March 15 |
| Start date | 1st week of Sep | 1st week of Jan | 3rd week of May |
| Internship end date | Late December | mid-May | Late August |
What is the application/selection process like?
Applicants fill out a written application, which includes questions and a resume. APHC staff carefully review applications to determine a good fit with the program. APHC staff then interview selected applicants to further assess interests, motivations, and talents.
We use a combination of factors to select interns using a holistic review process. Some of the key factors are:
- Demonstrated interest in local public health
- Applicable work and/or lived experience
- Potential for growth
- Diversity of the cohort
What is the timing of the internship?
We have three cohorts per year, tied to academic semester (fall, spring, and summer).
Fall cohort: September-December
Spring cohort: January-May
Summer cohort: May-August
What kind of work do Corps members do?
Please see our Past Projects page to see some of the work that Corps members have done in the past. Corps members work on a wide variety of projects, and usually complete 3-5 different projects over the course of the semester. Some of the services that Corps members could be asked to provide are listed below.
Health Communication (Print, Signage, Social Media, Websites)
- Social media messaging development (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter)
- Topic- and population-specific messaging and infographics
- Graphic design and web development support
Data Analysis & Presentation
- Data Analysis and visualization to highlight disparities and offer insight into public health problems in communities
- Geographic Information System (GIS) Mapping
- Dataset manipulation
- Visualized data analysis reports
- Data analysis consultation
Health Equity Support
- Highlighting and supporting public health initiatives that promote health equity and service minority or underrepresented communities
- Community and stakeholder analysis and engagement
- Supporting health equity projects and research
Research and Administrative Support
- Meeting minutes
- Digital file organization
- Policy guidance
- Planning and research
What is “Local Public Health”? What do local public health departments do?
Public health departments have a history of being underfunded and short staffed. That is why APHC plays an important role in supporting their work while giving students hands-on work experience.
Some examples of the work that local public health departments do:
- Environmental Health: Enforce safety regulations, like wastewater treatment, food safety, housing, air and water quality
- Disease surveillance: Monitor specific diseases or conditions, report them to the state, implement control measures
- Health promotion: Adopt local regulations to promote health (i.e., youth access to tobacco), provide health education, support school and community health initiatives
- Immunization: Vaccinate individuals, offer clinics, maintain records
I applied for a position with the APHC but have not heard back. Is my application still live?
What are the benefits of being a Corps member with the APHC?
- Practicum credit
- Exposure to local public health
- Professional development
- An hourly salary
- Connections to the APHC network
- Connections to a career in local public health, a growing field
Is being an APHC Corps member eligible for a practicum/ALE/my experiential learning requirement?
Maybe, depending on your institution’s credit hour policy. Ensuring that the position fits your academic requirements is your responsibility. Please note that at this time we have limited capacity to serve as practicum preceptors and qualifying your Corps member placement as a practicum is on a first come, first serve basis.
Can I work more than 160 hours for the APHC? My practicum requires more hours than that.
No. We hire all Corps members for the same amount of time, and working unpaid for the APHC is a labor law violation. However, we have had students before that needed to work more than 160 hours to complete their practicum requirement. You can either (1) ask your practicum office or coordinator to help you find additional hours with another project or site, or (2) work directly with a health department that you meet through APHC to expand or continue a project you started with the APHC. If you go with option 2, that unpaid work will be overseen by the health department, not APHC.
Am I able, or required, to work in person?
The APHC internship is currently 95% remote. We do have some required in-person events over the course of the semester, mostly to network with local public health professionals.
Is this full-time work?
Have a question you don’t see answered here? Email APHC.internal.ops@mhoa.com!
“The APHC allowed me to explore my interest in health communications. Through this experience, I further developed my leadership and project management skills which I continue to use in my public health work.”
“My time with the APHC enabled me to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration with various stakeholders across different public health sectors in Massachusetts. My experiences serving multiple positions with the Operations Team has equipped me to take on challenges in my more recent endeavors.”
“My time at APHC was absolutely incredible. The mentorship and experiences gained through my time with the APHC allowed me to further develop on both a personal and professional level. This experience not only showed me there are many different career paths available in public health, but has also helped me develop skills that I have been able to apply to my future work.”
“My time as a LBOH Unit Coordinator for the APHC was incredibly valuable to the development of my project management skills. It was so fulfilling to get hands-on experience working on a wide range of pertinent health issues for several local health departments in Massachusetts. My experience solidified my passion for population health management!”
The Massachusetts Health Officers Association has utilized members of APHC on many projects over the past several years with outstanding results. Corps members are dedicated and committed to doing a great job on public health projects.
Get Involved
Would you like to join the APHC?