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Pathways to Public Health

Search Public Health Job Opportunities Across The Nation

What are public health fellowships?

Designed for recent college graduates interested in a specific training curriculum, centered around garnering mentorship and hands-on work experience. Fellowships aim to jump-start a career, generally last one year or longer, and are paid.

What can I expect from an internship in public health?

A temporary position for a student or early career professional to learn about the field, gain entry-level work experience, and/or satisfy requirements for a qualification. May be paid or unpaid.

View Fellowship and Internship Jobs

How Equity Fellows Impact Health Agencies

With the recent decline in the public health workforce, health agencies are actively developing strategies to recruit and retain new talent. One crucial element of bolstering the public health workforce is creating pathways for emerging public health professionals to enter the field…

Read more at astho.org

Featured Experience: Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL)

APHL represents state and local governmental health laboratories in the United States; this includes public health, agricultural, environmental and other related laboratories. Its members, known collectively as “public health laboratories,” monitor, detect and respond to health threats.

APHL supports students and early-career scientists, offering professional development opportunities in laboratories across the United States.

Public Health Laboratory Fellowships

APHL is offering an opportunity for post-bachelor's, -master's and -doctoral scientists to engage in focused public health laboratory training and to join a network of dedicated public health laboratory professionals.

APHL's experiential fellowship programs offer a competency-based core curriculum, while allowing fellows to gain a depth of understanding about a particular focus area.

Fellowship terms are one year, with a possible extension for a second year, depending on the fellowship and funding availability. Pay differs based on the fellowship taken, but stipends are standard.

APHL is pleased to announce that the expanded Public Health Laboratory Fellowship Program is now open for applications!

Fellowships will be one- to two-year placements at U.S. local, state, and territorial laboratories serving the public’s health. Applications are now being accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. For complete information about the program, and to apply, visit APHL’s site.

Which Laboratory Fields Feature Fellowships?

Note that job titles and functions may vary by state and agency.

  • Combine laboratory work with computational analysis to capture and interpret biological data.
  • Gain experience with initiatives related to strengthening laboratory safety, biosafety and biosecurity. Including how to avoid potential hazards associated with the handling of biological materials, chemical agents, and other toxins.
  • Support public health initiatives related to environmental health such as: biomonitoring, biosurveillance, environmental monitoring, radiochemistry and or wastewater surveillance.
  • Apply skills in areas such as regulatory food testing, genomic characterization of pathogens, or food laboratory accreditation.
  • Assist with high priority infectious disease research, testing, surveillance and control measures.
  • Work to develop and expand the critical information technology infrastructure of public health laboratories.
  • Train with the quality assurance, quality control, and quality management systems of public health laboratories.
  • Work on a range of important and emerging newborn screening issues, gaining experience in the screening process and clinical genetics.

Public Health Laboratory Internships

APHL's internship program allows aspiring public health professionals to earn a stipend, while working alongside a mentor on projects that are only available in a laboratory setting. Interns will be introduced to basic laboratory science skills and will take competency-based core curriculum training modules.

We are excited to announce that the new Public Health Laboratory Internship Program is officially open for intern and mentor applications!

  • For those interested in becoming an intern, click here
  • For those interested in becoming an internship mentor, click here
  • For all information on the Public Health Laboratory Internship Program, click here

Hear From Some Of Our Alumni

“All the programs have far reaching impacts and they allow people to get the professional development that you wouldn’t normally get through any other means”

Logan Fink, Bioinformatics Lead Scientist, APHL Fellow - 2017

“This fellowship was great because it gave me the option to learn in a public health setting and apply what I learned in school”

Anumita Bajpai, Medical Laboratory Technologist, APHL Fellow - 2020

“Being able to get into a laboratory and experience Public Health on the front lines is incredibly valuable”

Kelsey Florek, Bioinformatics Scientist, APHL Fellow – 2017, Fellowship Mentor

“I got a huge sense of accomplishment from all the things I completed. I got to connect with a host of diverse individuals, building connections I hope will last my whole career. I learned so much about how to be an effective leader from working with my mentor, a division chief”

Scott Riley, Laboratory Scientist, APHL Fellow - 2020

Hear how Amanda, an alumni of the APHL Fellowship Program,
began and grew her career in Public Health

  • Amanda
    Biomonitoring Program Administrator, Former APHL Fellowship Participant
    New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

Connect With State And Territorial Health Departments

To find local governmental public health jurisdictions, see - www.naccho.org