Today is Virginia Intern Day. The Virginia Department of Health would like to express deep gratitude for the work of our interns and what they have contributed to our mission.
This year, 34 interns joined the VDH Internship Academy’s fourth cohort – from a pool of 1,274 applicants. They have been working across the agency, gaining valuable experience in programs from accounting to shellfish monitoring. In the Internship Academy’s four-year story, we’ve hosted 127 interns from 47 institutions of higher education from 19 states and D.C.
For the fourth consecutive year, VDH has been recognized as a top internship employer in Virginia. Three of the six specific intern awards announced in April 2026, by the State Council on Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV), were from VDH’s Internship Academy. Plus, three additional Academy interns were honored as Virginia’s Top 50 Interns as part of SCHEV’s inaugural awards.
In addition to the Internship Academy, our partnership with Norfolk State University has welcomed over 100 of talented informatics student interns over the past three years. Including 18 interns of who joined us this year, they have designed data tools and process improvements which have been implemented across the agency. Beyond these programs, VDH nursing staff continue to provide highly regarded clinical training experiences that support nurses at every stage of their education and career.
All these internship opportunities reflect VDH’s long-standing culture of mentorship and its commitment to developing Virginia’s future public health workforce.
To the VDH staff who have mentored and worked alongside our interns: thank you. Your investment in the next generation of public health leaders is an investment in Virginia’s future.
To our interns, you have made VDH better. I hope you will take what you have learned at VDH into communities and roles to create meaningful change.
On Friday, July 31 our Academy interns will be presenting their posters on the mezzanine at the Madison Building from 9– 10:30am. If you’re able, please take some time to see the remarkable contributions they’ve made to VDH and to the Commonwealth. I hope you can join us. You can also review their work, along with previous cohorts, our website.