The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is dedicated to promoting and protecting the health of Virginians and offers valuable public health experience to those who are considering a career in Public Health or Government Service.
VDH offers both paid and unpaid internships to students recently graduated or working toward a degree. These programs allow students to:
- Work while you are gaining practical application in your area of study
- Work with a VDH supervisor to help you apply your studies to your work
- Gain work experience which may help you be a stronger candidate when applying for full-time employment upon graduation
- Learn about career opportunities at VDH and gain valuable networking contacts.
Available Programs
VDH Summer Internship Academy
Cohort 3 (2025) – We will begin accepting applications in mid-December through the end of January for the next Internship Academy. The Academy will be placing up to 30 interns in locations across the state.
View the VDH Internship Academy page for more information.
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Thank you again for the amazing experience of being part of the VDH Internship Academy! The past ten weeks were truly everything I could have hoped for and more. Being able to work at a local health district and apply my passion for AOD prevention and health education to develop a harm reduction program for youth is something I will forever be proud of. Thank you for your hard work and dedication in putting the internship academy together and ensuring we had an enriching experience.Sarah Suplee
VDH Academy Intern -
Being an intern in the central office as an OCOM intern has been a public health dream come true, and this role has solidified my certainty in pursuing a career in this field. The exciting things I have been exposed to, I will carry with me in my future career!Olivia Mangini
VDH Academy Intern -
This experience has been truly transformative, allowing me to learn, network, and grow in ways I never could have imagined.Wuraola “Ruth” Awosan, MD
VDH Academy Intern -
This transformative opportunity offered me a broad range of learning and networking experiences that significantly enhanced my understanding of practical public health work.Kaitlyn Gentille
VDH Academy Intern -
...thank you so much for spearheading the most positive internship experience I could have asked for. I’m so grateful for the time and effort you put in to making the VDH Internship Academy the best it could be.
Lily Freeman
VDH Academy Intern -
I had two weeks to find a place to stay, buy a car and get to Virginia from Georgia, I already had my summer job and plans lined up, but this was a chance of a lifetime. I did not want to miss it.Drew Wood
VDH Academy Intern
The VDH Internship Academy is a structured 10-week program that allows current or recent students an experiential learning opportunity at the Department of Health. The program is for students bringing a broad range of backgrounds, from accounting to graphic design, environmental health to biology, and public health to engineering, every field is applicable to our agency!
VDH Internship Academy has been recognized as a top employer for Virginia interns in both years of its operation since the Academy began operating.
VA/MD WIC Dietetic Internship
The VA/MD WIC Dietetic Internship is a fully accredited program whose mission is to offer a supervised experience program based on the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics Standards of Education and entry level program requirements which will produce highly competent community based registered dietitians who can work effectively in the changing healthcare environment.
Individualized Internship Opportunities
Are you looking for something specific? Contact Us and see if a specific program or health department has availability to take on an intern. If you’d like to receive college credit for your internship we’ll need to complete a MOA with your college or university, reach out to internships@vdh.virginia.gov to see if we have one on file or to kick off the process. Individualized Internships may offer the opportunity for additional flexibility.