Internships

Each year master’s and doctoral students practice applying classroom learning to a real-world public health setting. Varying by field and department, this on-the-job experiential learning can range from 200 to 1000 hours and may be called a practicum, internship, field placement, or MHA residency.With guidance from a faculty member and an on-site preceptor, students work at a wide range of sites including non-profit organizations, hospitals, and local for-profit firms. A well-planned internship exposes students to professional settings and contacts, enhances valuable skills, and leads to informed career decision making—and sometimes a job offer!

Get to know a few current students below and learn about their recent experiences in the field.

Kia Kai (MHA/MBA '21), St. Elizabeth Physicians Administrative Fellow

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I am the current Administrative Fellow for St. Elizabeth Physicians, a multi-specialty physician organization that serves the residents of Northern Kentucky, Southwestern Ohio, and Southeastern Indiana. This fellowship appealed to me because I was looking for a fellowship position that had opportunities beyond the typical hospital operations focus that many other fellowships offer. I feel strongly that as healthcare trends towards ambulatory car... 

Peter Adams (MHA/MBA '21), UPMC Administrative Fellow

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After graduating, I accepted a position as an Administrative Fellow at UPMC, a leading healthcare organization with national and international reach. I am in the Health Services Division Pittsburgh track which focuses in UPMC’s Pittsburgh region facilities but provides exposure across the organization. My prior experiences with UPMC, including my MHA practicum with STAT MedEvac and mentorship from a senior UPMC leader facilitated by the MHA prog... 

Christian Trent (MHA '21), Hartford HealthCare Bone and Joint Institute Fellow

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Since its inception in 2017, Hartford HealthCare’s Bone & Joint Institute (BJI) offers an unparalleled network of coordinated clinical services as the first new stand-alone orthopedic hospital in the state of Connecticut. This one-year, project-based, administrative fellowship has provided an outstanding opportunity to “look under the hood” of a developing integrated health system. I was drawn to the fellowship role with BJI because I wanted an ... 

Hartman Selected as Fellow for New Scialog: Mitigating Zoonotic Threats

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RESCORP - Research Corporation for Science Advancement will bring together a multidisciplinary group of early-career researchers to address the global threat to human health from animal-borne infectious diseases as part of its new Scialog initiative, Mitigating Zoonotic Threats. IDM's Amy Hartman with the Center for Vaccine Research has been selecteed as one of the 2021 fellows. Congratulations!   

Sundermann named APIC Fellow

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Alexander Sundermann (IDM '14, EPI '22), was named a 2021 fellow of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. The status is "a distinction of honor for infection preventionists who are not only advanced practitioners of infection prevention practice, but also leaders within the field." Fellows are selected by their years of experience and contributions to the field of infection prevention. Congratulations!   

IDM's Kyle-Lion and McCreavy selected as Pittsburgh Schweitzer Fellows

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Congratulations to Gabrielle Kyle-Lion (IDM '21) and Claire McCreavy (IDM '21), two MPH students in the infectious disease management, intervention, and community practice track who selected as 2020-21 Pittsburgh Schweitzer Fellows. Working with the Catholic Charities of Pittsburgh, their project will address the lack of preventative breast cancer screenings for immigrant women. Our four graduating fellows will be recognized at the 2020 Pittsbu... 

Students share practical advice on practica

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A panel of six current students highlighted last week’s sixth annual Practicum and Internship Symposium, sharing their own experiences and tips on how to secure an internship. Perspectives were provided by faculty, staff, and administrators engaged in internship/practicum sites and advised students on how to apply at the county health department, community-based organizations, and to opportunities throughout the region.  

Christopher talks to ASHG TV about Genetics Education and Engagement Fellowship

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ASHG TV - Dyanna Christopher (HUGEN) talks about helping health care workers respond to patients that have had or want genetic testing as well as working in low income areas and with low-literacy populations on education and reducing the stigma around genetics and genomics. "They are really supportive in helping you find your niche and figure out the things you're passionate about."  

Epidemiology students share internships and practica during “Epi-in-Action” symposium

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Reporting on recent internships and practica, epidemiology students reported on summer research and practice experiences in our region and around the world. The O’Hara Student Center ballroom buzzed as faculty and staff learned about field initiatives, practical applications, and lessons learned.  

Caroline Hamilton, Workforce Development Intern at Allegheny County Health Department

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"I am extremely grateful for my MPH Practicum experience and the relationships that I built during those months! The opportunity to work with programs across the entire health department...allowed me to gain insight and understanding into the process of public health program planning, implementation, and evaluation at a local public health agency. I have continued my work with the health department in various positions since the practicum and no... 

Practica and Internships

Click to learn more about the practica and internships programs at Pitt Public Health.

New internship openings are posted weekly on Pitt Bridges, so login to see the latest opportunities.

Share a story

Share your accomplishments, personal stories, or news about classmates or colleagues at publichealth.pitt.edu/sharenews or by emailing phcomm@pitt.edu.
We'd love to hear from you!

As featured in print

Does this ring a bell?  You may have noticed this story in the Pitt Public Health alumni magazine (PDF, 2016 no.2) .

Find back issues of many school publications online or email to request a printed copy.

Intern Profiles

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Students share practical advice on practica 

Students share practical advice on practica

A panel of six current students highlighted last week’s sixth annual Practicum and Internship Symposium, sharing their own experiences and tips on how to secure an internship. Perspectives were provided by faculty, staff, and administrators engaged in internship/practicum sites and advised students... (01/14/2020)
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Scarpinato’s MHA Residency with Allegheny General Extended 

Scarpinato’s MHA Residency with Allegheny General Extended

Mario "Mark" Scarpinato's (HPM '17) residency with Allegheny Health Network (AHN) was only supposed to last the summer, fulfilling the MHA program’s residency requirement; however, he has been asked to continue working at Allegheny General Hospital through the coming school year.  (09/08/2016)
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Andrews studies diabetes in Rwanda during global health field internship 

Andrews studies diabetes in Rwanda during global health field internship

Epidemiology master's student Haylee Andrews traveled to Kigali, Rwanda, over the summer to intern with Life for a Child (LFAC) under Professor Trevor Orchard.  (09/08/2016)
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Rodriguez serves on raccoon oral rabies vaccination team 

Rodriguez serves on raccoon oral rabies vaccination team

As a participant in the Allegheny County Health Department’s Pittsburgh Summer Institute (ACHD PSI), Samantha Rodriguez (IDM) helped to plan, execute, and review the county’s Raccoon Oral Rabies Vaccination (ORV) Program, as well as assisted with ORV distribution. (09/08/2016)
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Hemant Mahajan assesses Hepatitis C burden  

Hemant Mahajan assesses Hepatitis C burden

As a participant in the Allegheny County Health Department’s Pittsburgh Summer Institute (ACHD PSI), epidemiology student Hemant Mahajan assessed the burden of Hepatitis C in Allegheny County and the increased detection of acute hepatitis C cases and associated major risk factors. (09/08/2016)
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BCHS's Neumann studies aging and community support in Brazil 

BCHS's Neumann studies aging and community support in Brazil

BCHS doctoral student Lycia Tramujas Vasconcellos Neumann spent the summer running a study in her home country of Brazil thanks to a grant she received from the 2015–16 CLAS Graduate Student Field Research Grants for her project “The Role of Community Support for Healthy Aging: A Study with Low-Inc... (09/08/2016)
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Lowery conducts West Nile Virus surveillance with ACHD 

Lowery conducts West Nile Virus surveillance with ACHD

Joel Lowery (IDM ’17) assisted the ACHD in conducting its annual surveillance of West Nile Virus (WNV) in order to make informed decisions on vector control related to mosquitoes. In addition to WNV, the team monitored Aedes albopictus , a possible mosquito vector for the Zika virus. Lowery was ... (09/07/2016)