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NEPHIP & State, Territorial, Local, Tribal Environmental Public Health Programs

This internship is designed to connect students to those working in the environmental health field, and consider careers working in state, tribal, local, or territorial environmental public health agencies following graduation.

Application

Applications for State, Territorial, Local, and Tribal Environmental Health Programs are Open

  • Complete the application online for summer and/or fall 2024.
  • Learn more about the program and application process for summer 2024 by watching our recorded info session on YouTube.
  • Environmental Public Health Program applications will be accepted on a rolling basis if positions are open and available.
  • We encourage programs to apply as soon as possible for consideration for summer 2024.
  • Acceptances and matching are anticipated to be completed by the end of March for the summer 2024 session.
  • Summer session internship experiences will begin in May or June and end by September 2024.

Benefits

Qualified and Compensated Interns

  • Interns are undergraduate and graduate students from environmental health programs accredited by the National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC). EHAC requires a firm educational foundation in the natural sciences of biology, chemistry, physics, and geology.
  • Each intern receives a base stipend of $6,000.00 for undergraduate students and $8,000.00 for graduate students to complete the 400-hour internship, allowing them to focus on your project.

Strengthen the Profession

  • Participation helps build qualified applicant pipelines to state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) environmental public health agencies.
  • This practical, hands-on internship results in graduates who are well-prepared to immediately enter the environmental health workforce or continue their academic journeys.

Support and Coordination

Participating host programs are provided:

  • A support package valued at up to $1,500.00 per student to compensate for intern-related costs.
  • Enhanced administrative support from NEHA staff.
  • A streamlined evaluation process.

The internship will be available for summer, spring, and fall. Environmental public health programs can apply now and select when they would like to work with an intern.

Considerations

Internship Format

To allow flexibility for students, NEPHIP now offers the internship experience via virtual, in-person/on-site, or hybrid formats depending on student and host program needs.

Project Types

Projects are open to a wide variety of environmental public health issues and program needs identified by local environmental public health host sites. Review our PDF of the Project Guidance for project examples and considerations.

Intern & Host Program Matching

Students and host programs will be matched by our staff based on each student's experience and interest and on the host site's project portfolio. Host programs may have the opportunity to interview selected students prior to acceptance; however, if a host program declines the student post-interview, a replacement student may not be guaranteed.

Quality Improvement or Accreditation

Environmental public health program applicants with internship projects related to national performance management and quality improvement initiatives, including the use of the CDC's Environmental Public Health Performance Standards or attaining national voluntary accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board listed on the CDC's Health Department Accreditation webpage, may receive extra consideration for intern placements.

Terms of Agreement

Internships must meet the requirements of the host program, as well as the student's academic institution and NEPHIP eligibility guidelines. All arrangements for the internship, including start and end dates, work hours or timesheet, sick policy, etc. should be made by the academic program in partnership with the intern and host program mentor to meet academic guidelines and requirements.

Review the Terms of Agreement PDF for 2023 to understand what is expected.

Host Program Mentor

The mentor is expected to engage interns, discuss project progress, successes, and challenges, answer questions that arise and introduce students to various programs. Review the over view of the Role of the Host Mentor PDF.

Eligibility

To be considered as a host program, the environmental public health program should be able to meet the following criteria:

  • Have the ability to virtually assist the student in identifying and completing an independent project that focuses on solving a current environmental health problem or challenge facing the jurisdiction.
  • The project may be used by the intern to meet university internship requirements.
  • Provide opportunities for student interns to be exposed to multiple environmental health programs and activities throughout the internship. Examples include climate and health, food safety, onsite water and wastewater programs, vector control, institutional environmental health, or emergency preparedness.
  • Assign a mentor to the intern who should be available to assist in mentoring and advising the student intern on the independent project on a routine basis throughout the internship period.

Learn More

  • Host Site NEPHIP Guide | PDF
    • Role of the Health Department Mentor, page 11
    • Terms of Agreement, pages 12-13
    • Project Guidance, pages 14-15
  • Student NEPHIP details | Webpage
  • National Environmental Health Science & Protection Accreditation Council | Webpage
  • Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs, AEHAP | Webpage

Contact: NEPHIP@neha.org

Funding Details

The CDC's Water, Food, and Environmental Health Services Branch is providing funding to support up to 50 environmental health student internships at state, tribal, local, and territorial environmental public health agencies for each year.