Community-Based Learning

There are many public health issues and challenges that cannot be fully understood without hands on experiences within affected communities. Occidental public health students have many opportunities for internships, community-based research, study abroad and other ways to engage and learn in the field.

Some good resources on campus include the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute (UEPI), the International Programs office, and the Hameetman Career Center. Courses to consider include KINE 398: Community Health and Fitness Research and PUBH 307 Public Health Practicum. PUBH 307 Public Health Practicum combines class lectures and discussion, reflection and service to introduce students to myriad community health issues, concerns and solutions. The practicum is offered in the Fall & Spring. As practicum hours and days vary for each partner location, interested students should contact the course instructor to verify hours before registering for the class to avoid any scheduling conflicts. Students enrolled in the practicum spend two 4-hour blocks (8 hours/week) working for a partner site, in addition to class meetings.

During the summer students can also apply to the UEP & UEPI Summer Internship Program that includes the Summer Public Health Internship. The UEP & UEPI Summer Internship Program is a full-time paid position for 10 weeks working for nonprofit community-based organizations on affordable housing, food studies and urban agriculture, public health, or immigration rights & social justice.

Occidental Program

• UEP & UEPI Summer Internship Program

​Domestic summer programs

• Summer Public Health Scholars Program (SPHSP) at Columbia University
• Occupational Health Internship Program (OHIP) 
• Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) at the University of Michigan School of Public Health 
• Future Public Health Leaders Program (FPHLP) 
• Summer Internships in Biological Sciences in Public Health at Harvard University Chan School of Public Health  
• Diversity Summer Internship Program for Undergraduates (DSIP) at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 
• Health Career Connection (HCC) Summer Internship 
• Minority Training Program in Cancer Control Research (MTPCCR) at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health  
• Collegiate Leaders in Environmental Health (CLEH) 
• Youth Equity Model of Practice (YHEMOP)  

​Domestic year-long programs

• Emerson Hunger Fellows Program, Congressional Hunger Center (CHC) 
• Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County (CCALAC) AmeriCorps VISTA program 

International summer program

• Comprehensive Rural Health Project, India (CRHP) 

International year-long programs

• World Health Organization (WHO) Internship Programme 
• Global Health Corps Fellow