Student Practicum: Academia’s Bridge to Practice

The Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH), the membership organization representing Schools and Programs of Public Health accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, frequently collaborates with public health organizations and agencies to bridge public health academia and practice. While the links between academia and practice are numerous and well-established, there is growing interest in the future public health workforce and how best to train graduate public health students for the evolving work of governmental public health. To address this growing interest, ASPPH, with funding from CDC, completed a study of ASPPH member institutions and the student practice experiences in governmental public health settings titled, Governmental Public Health Student Practicum Project.

Practice faculty and staff from ASPPH-member schools and programs of public health were surveyed to define the processes and procedures by which students are placed in governmental public health agencies for the required student practicum. Furthermore, this project determined the geographic reach – all 50 states – of schools and programs of public health as well as the many contributions of their students to the work of health departments. ASPPH will present the results of this project and engage attendees in a discussion of additional methods to foster existing collaborations and to create new and meaningful partnerships. Additionally, ASPPH will provide attendees with examples of Memoranda of Understanding, preceptor contracts, and practice site databases to be implemented or constructed at academic institutions as well as governmental public health agencies.