Applied Experience Requirement

Public Health Majors are required to complete an approved 80-hour public health Applied Experience as part of their undergraduate degree.  

This requirement involves supervised, hands-on work with public health professionals across the world. The intent is to engage students in activities that align with their areas of interest. Students can fulfill this requirement with local community-based organizations, government agencies or research units. Through the Applied Experience, we aim to afford each student the opportunity to participate in population-level change in a meaningful way.     

Some examples of places our students have worked: 

  • AID Healthcare Foundation Clinic, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • West Bengal State Health Department, West Bengal, India
  • Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity, Baltimore, Maryland
  • Bloomberg Philanthropies, New York, New York
  • Baltimore City Health Department, Baltimore, Maryland
  • National Fragile X Foundation, McLean Virginia
  • Metropolitan’s Health Center 21, Bangkok, Thailand
  • California Department of Public Health Environmental Management Branch, Huntington Beach, California

For more information about the Applied Experience, contact the course instructor Keri Frisch.

Declared majors, access your PHS Community page on Canvas

My Applied Experience was a formative experience that allowed me to approach global public health work from a grassroots level, applying many concepts I learned in the classroom to the public health field. Further, my time in Uganda deepened my understanding and appreciation for community-level interventions, and for Ugandan culture.

Leta Ashebo, Class of 2021

Applied Experience Map

View JHU Public Health Studies Program: Applied Experience Sites in a larger map.

If you are a current public health major and would like more information about a listing, please contact the AE instructor.

Eirnin Mahoney

Class Of 2024

Infection Prevention Intern, University of Maryland Medical Center

This experience opened my eyes to the complexities of maintaining a safe hospital environment, where something as simple as tap water can represent an infectious disease risk. And beyond just determining risks and possible solutions, prompting an institutional response is more complex than I could have imagined, requiring collaboration across hospital departments such as maintenance and labs.

Ellie Rose Mattoon

Class Of 2023

Hopkins Community Connection, East Baltimore 

I got the opportunity to work with patients on goals a physician might not be able to follow up on, such as food stamps, shutoff protection, or medical transportation. I also worked with a team piloting the impact of produce delivery on food security in East Baltimore!

Eyad Ali

Class Of 2024

Pediatric Burn Atlas Research,  Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, JH School of Medicine

By developing an atlas where parents can visualize how their child’s burn is expected to heal, we can reduce distress associated with burn injuries and improve psychological functioning.

Louie Martinez

Class Of 2024

Intern, Department of Risk Management:  Cibola General Hospital, Grants, New Mexico

I developed a patient safety project that informed patients about fall risks and assisted in ensuring positive health outcomes were maximized in the healthcare facility.

Lucas Zhou

Class of 2023

Applied Experience: FDA Center for Drug Evaluation Research

In my AE at the United States Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation Research (or USFDA CDER), I uncovered and evaluated potential DDTs, which are “methods, materials, or measures that have the potential to facilitate drug development.” The majority of technologies encountered were applicable to data science and computational modeling.

Tanvi Kosuri

Class Of 2024

Internship: National Institute of Allergens and Infectious Diseases

Through my work, I have been able to see the impact of antimicrobial resistance, not only in India but on a global scale.

Tomi Ibikunle

Class Of 2025

Generation Tomorrow Program,  Johns Hopkins Center for AIDS Research (CFAR)

My experience expanded my understanding of public health. I saw how systemic racism and social determinants such as environment and access to education and health play a role in the prevalence of a disease.

Victor Ke

Class of 2023

Internship: International Rescue Committee, Baltimore, MD

I built so many great professional relationships with our clients and learned so many skills that I never thought I would have had to develop otherwise. All of the clients I worked with were always so grateful and excited to speak with us, I do not think I have felt so appreciated to that extent before.