Recorded presentation

Dipti D. Shah, MPH¹, Ayanna L. Fews, MBA², Lynn Goldman, MD, MPH³, Michel A. Ibrahim, MD, MPH⁴, Laura A. Novelli, MHS⁴, Anne E.W. Carlson, MHS⁵, Amy L. Boore, MPH⁴, and Christiana Coyle⁴. (1) Epidemiology and Disease Control Program, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 201 West Preston Street, Room 326, Baltimore, MD 21201, 410-767-6664, dshah@dhmh.state.md.us, (2) MidAtlantic Public Health Training Center, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Suite W8510, Baltimore, MD 21205, (3) Department of Environmental Health Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Room 8511, Baltimore, MD 21205, (4) Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Room E6140, Baltimore, MD 21205, (5) The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, 2024 East Monument Street, Suite 2-504, Baltimore, MD 21205

In response to an identified student need for more opportunities to gain exposure to various public health careers outside of academia, and with the mission to develop an applied epidemiology curriculum, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) Mid-Atlantic Public Health Training Center (MAPHTC) developed an internship program called PHASE. Based on an existing strong partnership between the two organizations, this program was initiated in Fall 2003, and was piloted in the Department of Epidemiology at JHSPH. PHASE provides graduate students with ‘hands-on’ experiences in public health that have otherwise been missing from the academic curriculum and exposes students to applied public health careers through monthly seminars featuring speakers from the public health community. Internships that incorporate academic core competencies are developed at DHMH. Participating students complete a minimum 16-week internship at DHMH and earn academic credit commensurate with the work they accomplish. Students present their work at monthly seminars and have the opportunity to use their project towards their thesis. Five students currently intern at DHMH, through PHASE, and work in areas including infection control, SARS prevention and control, and veterinary public health. The strong leadership of the partners of PHASE has led to a very successful launch of this program. Plans are underway to expand PHASE to other departments at JHSPH and to other health departments in the Mid-Atlantic region. We recommend the establishment of similar collaborations at other schools of public health and health departments.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe examples of opportunities for student involvement at a state health department.
• Identify components of a successful collaboration between an academic institution and a state health department.
• Determine how a similar program can be developed in other states and public health institutions.

Keywords: Health Departments, Public Health Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation