Internships

Summer and academic-year internships are a fantastic way to confirm professional interests, develop applied and technical skills, learn how organizations work, and be mentored by experts in a chosen area of work. HS majors and minors have completed internships with a diversity of businesses, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and other host sites in the Richmond area and other cities and countries. Career services can help students connect with off-campus internship opportunities.

Meet a Health Studies major

Emma Johnson, ’22, loves data. Specifically, she is fascinated by health informatics, which uses data to influence public policy to improve health care outcomes. As a sophomore, she took Introduction to Healthcare Studies (HS 100, now renamed Health Policy) with Dr. Rick Mayes. “I was sitting in class when it hit me—this is what I am meant to do,” she said. “I can care for people by working on health care policy.” After graduation, Johnson hopes to work in public sector health care consulting or for a federal health care agency.

 Two internships have given her the chance to get hands-on experience in addressing health care challenges. In Summer 2020, she interned remotely with MATTER, a global non-governmental organization that helps people launch projects to improve communities through education, nutritious food, and health care. In Summer 2021, she completed a public health informatics policy internship with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). “My department focused on building public health capacity to meet the needs that arise in a pandemic and strengthening the technology infrastructure to support the use of health data,” Johnson said. “Health informatics is not typically taught at the undergraduate level, so it was really exciting for me to explore this through my internship.” Read more.