Academic Health Department — Academic Public Health Corps

The mission of the APHC is to support public health agencies and to advance health equity in Massachusetts by engaging with public health students, alumni, and expert participants through interdisciplinary collaboration. We achieve this mission through creating partnerships between 13 academic institutions across Massachusetts and local public health entities. Through this work, we hope to enable communities to overcome the COVID pandemic and permanently strengthen the public health system within Massachusetts.

Since April 2020, the APHC has placed hundreds of their Corps Members with local boards of health throughout Massachusetts. Academic Public Health Corps Members are deployed to communities across Massachusetts to meet the emergent local public health needs identified by the local boards of health, which have a history of being underfunded and short staffed. The APHC plays an important role in supporting their vital work while also giving students real world experience and professional development opportunities. Past projects have included contact tracing and case investigation, data analysis, health equity support and research, community outreach, health communications and promotion, graphic design and social media management, policy research, vaccine clinic support, strategic planning, and more.

How does a local board of health/health department request assistance from the APHC?

The APHC solicits requests for assistance from local boards of health throughout the year, then assigns projects to their Corps members.

If you would like to request assistance from the APHC to support your local board of health, please fill out this intake form:

• https://forms.gle/akiDzqSFK7v7UaP29

A member of the APHC leadership team will contact you within 2-3 days to schedule an introductory virtual meeting, gather information on your request, and organize Corps members to respond to your needs. Please see below for types of projects that the APHC accepts.

How do I apply to become a Corps Member?

The Academic Public Health Corps is always hiring current public health students and recent grads for short-term Corps Member positions supporting public health across MA! Build your resume, find a practicum, and network with other public health professionals. A full job description is available here:

• https://bit.ly/aphc9

Please apply here to be a Corps Member:

• https://bit.ly/aphc8

Note: The APHC seeks to include a range of lived experiences in our organizational leadership. To that end, anyone who is interested in this role should apply — even if you do not perfectly match the qualifications listed in the job description. We strongly encourage applications and inquiries from women, LGBTQIA+ identified persons, Black, Indigenous, People of Color, people with disabilities, and others from historically underrepresented communities.

What are some examples of projects that APHC Corps members have worked on?

The APHC can assist LBOHs with the following services:

Health Communication (Print, Signage, Social Media, Websites)

• Social media messaging development (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter)
• Topic- and population-specific messaging and infographics
• Signage to communicate health regulations
• Graphic design and web development support
• Written translations of health communications materials (flyers, infographics)

Data Analysis & Presentation

• Data Analysis and visualization to highlight disparities and offer insight into public health problems in communities
• Geographic Information System (GIS) Mapping
• Dataset manipulation
• Visualized data analysis reports
• Data analysis consultation

Health Equity Support

• Highlighting and supporting public health initiatives that promote health equity and service minority or underrepresented communities
• Collaborating with community and faith-based organizations
• Creating tailored infographics and informative social media content
• Community and stakeholder analysis and engagement
• Supporting health equity projects and research

Research and Administrative Support

• Meeting minutes
• Digital file organization
• Policy guidance
• Planning and research