ASPPH/CDC Governmental Public Health Applied Practice Experience Program: Application Deadline July 22, 2026

The ASPPH/CDC Governmental Public Health Applied Practice Experience Program is a collaborative effort between the ASPPH Center for Public Health Workforce Development and the CDC designed to strengthen pathways into the governmental public health workforce while providing MPH students with meaningful, hands-on practicum placements.

Applications are now being accepted through July 22, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET for the Fall 2026 cohort. Through the program, students from ASPPH-member, CEPH-accredited schools and programs of public health are placed with state, Tribal, local, and territorial health departments to complete mentored, project-based Applied Practice Experiences.Students will work directly with governmental public health professionals on projects that support health department priorities while developing leadership and data science competencies developed collaboratively by ASPPH and subject matter experts through the CDC Public Health Leadership and Education, Advancing Health Equity and Data Science (PH-LEADS) initiative. Placement projects may include strategic planning, workforce development, quality improvement, program evaluation, community health assessment, accreditation readiness, and data analysis.

ASPPH will place up to six students in governmental public health host sites for the Fall 2026 cohort. Placements begin in September 2026 and include a $3,000 stipend. All placements will be virtual, unless the student is already located near their host site and the student, host site, and ASPPH agree to an in-person or hybrid placement. ASPPH manages the program and will coordinate with the student, host site preceptor, and student's academic advisor to ensure the APE experience meets the APE requirements of the student's academic institution.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must:

• Be enrolled in a Master's- or Doctoral-level program at an ASPPH member, CEPH-accredited school or program of public health.
• Be in good academic standing.
• Be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (green card holder). Student visas not accepted.

HOW TO APPLY

For detailed program information, please see the ASPPH/CDC Governmental Public Health Applied Practice Experience Program Announcement. Applications must be submitted through the ASPPH Applied Learning and Training Programs online application portal by July 22, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET.

QUESTIONS? All questions regarding the application process should be directed to [email protected].