Graduate Student Epidemiology Program

AMCHP is committed to cultivating interest in the broad array of MCH careers and building the knowledge, skills, and abilities of practicing professionals to address current and future challenges – all while experiencing desired leadership growth and fulfillment in the context of this critical work. Our programs use adult learning principles to guide individual and small group training, facilitate mentorship connections, and offer hands-on experiences to put values driven leadership into practice across MCH domains and settings. These are deep, significant investments in people with demonstrated ability to contribute and immense potential to drive sustainable change in their respective jurisdictions.

Consistent with HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Leadership Competencies, Version 4.0, GSEP strives to do the following within the context of MCH epidemiology:

1. Ensure interns have the foundation necessary to work within various professional settings to contribute to the health and well-being of our nation’s women, children, youth, and families and inspire others to do likewise.
2. Provide leadership training and use the MCH Leadership Competencies to guide the measurement and evaluation of MCH leadership training’s strength.
3. Cultivate, sustain, and grow intern connections with current MCH professionals in national, state, and local health agencies, academia, and other MCH organizations. Students and site supervisors should create opportunities across the 12 MCH Leadership competencies.

Learn More

What kind of students are we looking for?

We’re building the college-to-work pipeline. We’re looking for currently enrolled graduate students with a strong, demonstrated interest in epidemiology and maternal and child health (inclusive of youth with special health care needs).  Epidemiology degree seekers are preferred.  Specifically, we want to expose students to three different career tracks/options for epidemiologists in the MCH field across all MCH population domains:

• Women/maternal health
• Perinatal/infant health
• Child health
• Children with special health care needs
• Adolescent health

Students will have the opportunity to engage more deeply in one or more tracks and domains through their internship projects. View and explore testimonials from previous GSEP interns here.

Steps required to apply for the 2023 Graduate Student Epidemiology Program:

1. Complete a student profile. Preview the student profile questions here.
2. Complete the student application. Preview the student application questions here.
3. Request one (1) letter of recommendation. Your recommender must upload their letter of recommendation before the application deadline of February 22, 2023 at 11:59 pm EST.

All three (3) steps listed above must be completed before 11:59 pm EST on February 22, 2023 in order for your application to be considered complete and move to the committee review process.

READY TO APPLY?

The 2023 GSEP Student Application Period is now closed. Check back here for information regarding the 2024 summer cohort in December of 2023.

Letter of recommendation guidance for students:

We require one (1) letter of recommendation as part of the application process. When you submit contact information for the person you want to write your letter, they will receive an e-mail from our system with a unique link to contribute a one-page letter (.docx or .pdf format) to your application. Recommenders will not be able to view the content of your application. Please communicate with your letter writer in advance to make sure they’re willing to submit something on your behalf before the application deadline of February 22, 2023 at 11:59 pm EST. Note that we will not accept more than one (1) letter of recommendation.

When thinking about the person you want to write your letter of recommendation, consider asking someone who knows about your skills, aspirations, and drive well enough to write about why you would be a great fit for all aspects of the program – and your potential to contribute to the field of MCH epidemiology.

You can share this resource with your recommender. It describes what they should consider while writing their letter of recommendation and the steps they will take to upload their letter.

Student eligibility

Student interns should have completed at least a full year of graduate coursework prior to the start of the internship. Students must be either currently enrolled or <12 months post-graduation from an accredited masters or doctoral level program in epidemiology, MCH, or related discipline(s).

Trainees or fellows receiving a stipend must be a citizen or a non-citizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence, as evidenced by a currently valid Permanent Resident Card [USCIS Form I-551] or other legal verification of such status, by the start of the training grant, fellowship or traineeship, or award. A non-citizen national is a person who, although not a citizen of the United States, owes permanent allegiance to the United States. At this time, individuals holding an F-1 Visa (“Student Visa”) do not meet eligibility requirements.

What kind of host sites are we looking for?

We are looking for sites that can provide meaningful internship experiences for graduate students and share AMCHP’s values of leadership, collaboration, health equity and social justice, inclusion, integrity, excellence, and stewardship. We encourage many types of MCH programs to apply, including those housed at:

• State/jurisdiction, Native American or indigenous, and local health departments.
• Non-profit organizations working in partnership with Title V MCH or CYSHCN programs or in support of established Title V priorities.
• University departments receiving funds from a Title V MCH or CYSHCN program aimed at advancing established priorities.

Read more about host site expectations here. Preview the 2023 host site application questions here. Host sites will also need to create a host site profile; preview those questions here.

Apply Now

Interested in learning more? View the recording of the Interested Host Site Webinar here. You can find the presentation slides from the webinar here. 2023 GSEP host site applications will open on January 12, 2023 and will be reviewed on a rolling basis until 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, February 22, 2023. Questions? Please contact Candice Simon (csimon@amchp.org).

For questions about the GSEP student application and experience, please contact Mikayla Frye (mfrye@amchp.org ). For questions about the GSEP host site application and experience, please contact Candice Simon (csimon@amchp.org).