Applied Experience

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.

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.

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.

Tanvi Kosuri

Class Of 2024

Internship: National Institute of Allergens and Infectious Diseases

Through my summer internship with the National Institute of Allergens and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), I worked on a project that aims to better understand life-threatening infections around the world.

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.