Virginia Department of Health > Human Resources > Internships with VDH > Internship Academy Cohort 1

Internship Academy Cohort 1

The inaugural VDH Internship Academy in 2023 was a HUGE success! Twenty-six interns were dispersed across 18 local health departments and 5 central office programs, representing 15 colleges/universities (11 from Virginia and 4 out of state).

10 of our interns were current graduate students.
Undergraduate interns were working toward degrees in nursing, public health, social work, chemistry and pre-med.
6 interns had just completed their bachelor’s or master’s degrees prior to the start of the Internship Academy; one already had a job lined up as an ICU nurse upon internship completion, and 3 out of the remaining 5 have since been hired full-time at VDH!
1 intern is now in the Governor’s prestigious Virginia Management Fellows program!

I am currently a senior at Roanoke College pursing a Bachelor’s in Public Health Studies with minors in Spanish and Sociology. After graduation, I plan on either furthering my education through a Master’s program in Public Health Policy or obtaining a job related to population health or health policy. I am committed to helping others and working towards an equitable health system and community for all.

College/University:
Roanoke College
Public Health Studies – May ‘24

VDH Internship Academy Location:
West Piedmont Health District, Franklin County, Virginia

Poster Presentation

I am a rising senior at William and Mary and am the first person to ever go to college in my family. I am deeply passionate about antimicrobial resistance, environmental conservation, public health, and marginalized community equity. This internship has allowed me to pursue applied learning, with hands on experiences, to provide better infectious disease practices for my community.

College/University:
William & Mary
Kinesiology and Public Health - minor: biology – May ‘24

VDH Internship Academy Location:
Rappahannock Health District, Fredricksburg, Virginia

Poster Presentation

I am currently a senior at Norfolk State University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. In the future I plan to become a physician’s assistant and use the knowledge I’ve gained from this internship to help reduce the significant health disparities that impede my community, and surrounding communities.

College/University:
Norfolk State University
Chemistry/Pre-Med – May ‘24

VDH Internship Academy Location:
Portsmouth Health District, Portsmouth, Virginia

Poster Presentation

I am a first-generation college student pursuing a Master of Public Health at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine. My interests include sexual and reproductive health, adolescent health, immigrant health, maternal and child health, and health equity. My ultimate goal is to become a physician and serve marginalized communities in Central America.

College/University:
Virginia Commonwealth University
Master of Public Health – May ‘24

VDH Internship Academy Location:
Richmond/Henrico Health Districts, Richmond, Virginia

Poster Presentation

I am an MPH-Community-Oriented Primary Care candidate at George Washington University. This summer, I interned for the Alexandria Health Department with the epidemiology team. During this experience, I learned more about the role the local health department has in protecting the health and wellbeing of community members.

College/University:
George Washington University
Master of Public Health - May ‘24

VDH Internship Academy Location:
Alexandria Health District, Alexandria, Virginia

Poster Presentation

My name is Polly Wu and I am originally from Shanghai, China. I got my bachelor’s degree from UVA and double majored in Global Public Health and Youth & Social Innovations. I am currently attending the Master of Public Health Program at Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia with a concentration in Epidemiology.

College/University:
University of Virginia
Global Public Health, Youth & Social Innovations – May ‘23

VDH Internship Academy Location:
State Office of the Commissioner (Governmental & Regulatory Affairs), Richmond, Virginia

Poster Presentation

I am beginning a Master of Public Health program this fall, after graduating in the spring with a bachelor’s in biology and medical anthropology. During the Internship Academy, I worked with the Emergency Preparedness & Response team at the Richmond Henrico Health Districts. One of our primary projects was to provide Narcan training to the employees and volunteers of various businesses and organizations across Richmond, and I came to really enjoy and appreciate this type of boots-on-the-ground, community-oriented public health work.

College/University:
University of Virginia
Master of Public Health – May ‘24

VDH Internship Academy Location:
Richmond/Henrico Health Districts, Richmond, Virginia

Poster Presentation

I am a graduate student at the University of Lynchburg in the Master of Public Health program. I also received my Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Lynchburg in May of 2022. I am excited to work in the Public Health field because I want to help bridge the gap between community members and medical professionals, and this internship has provided me many opportunities to observe how public health makes that happen.

College/University:
University of Lynchburg
Master of Public Health – May ‘24

VDH Internship Academy Location:
Central Virginia Health District, Lynchburg, Virginia

Poster Presentation