Academic Health Department

Welcome to the Kent County Academic Health Department!

The Kent County Health Department (KCHD) is pleased to offer internship opportunities to students interested in gaining real-world public health experience. To be considered for an internship or practicum with KCHD, students must complete an application package and be registered to receive credit for the internship through a college or university. Click the boxes below to learn more about the program and explore current internships! (Please note: All internships are unpaid, unless otherwise stated).


What is an Academic Health Department (AHD)?

Academic Health Departments serve to establish formal relationships between academic institutions and public health practice organizations to enhance public health education, training, research, and service. The benefit of this relationship is two-fold; students are better prepared to enter the workforce with a solid foundation in hands-on public health practice and public health organizations—such as local health departments—gain increased capacity for performing core public health functions and meeting community health needs.

At the Kent County Health Department, teamwork is truly our framework. Adopting an Academic Health Department model is in keeping with our commitment to collaboration, continual learning, and community engagement. We are operating at a time when the scope of public health continues to expand—often at a rate outpacing available resources. To better serve our community, we must reinvent the way we do public health by building robust community partnerships and utilizing shared resources. Students will experience firsthand that our greatest resources are our external partners and the enthusiastic dedication of our staff. Consider joining our valued team of KCHD student interns and continue your public health journey with us!

If you are a staff member of an academic institution and would like to learn more about partnering with KCHD, please contact Janine O’Donnell. You can also join our mailing list to learn about current internship offerings.

Key Characteristics of an AHD include:

  • A formalized written agreement between an academic institution and a public health practice organization
  • Shared personnel, resources, and compensation
  • Collaborative education and training for students and staff
  • Joint research, grants, projects, and services
  • Shared provision of public health services
  • A shared role in executing the three core functions of assessment, assurance, and policy for healthier communities

Click here to learn more about academic health departments.