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Public Health/Medicine
Overview
For a full list of career fields available in all our locations, click here.
Check out the Internship Company Examples below but know that these are just examples of common employers and not the only possibilities. Students are matched by our Global Partner with an employer based on their interests/experiences and the employer’s hiring needs.
Build Your Own Internship: Location of Your Choice
Not seeing an internship for you below? If you have a very specific internship placement in mind or are looking through our program list and not seeing your location of choice, you still have options! You can “Build Your Own Internship,” where you research and secure your own internship while working with the GEO office to receive relevant academic credit. Students are responsible for finding this internship, housing, and travel arrangements independently, which is what differs from the existing internship placement programs that GEO offers. All students will be charged in-state tuition for this program and receive a guaranteed $250-$1000 scholarship.
Build Your Own Internship
Examples of Internship Placements
âââââââAccra, Ghana with World Endeavors
Medical Care Internship:
Gain valuable insight related to medical care work in Ghana. Clinics are run by community outreach programs, where teams of medical staff may go into poorer communities to visit patients and families. Interns have the opportunity to shadow and assist medical staff. Hospitals and clinics in Ghana can be severely under-resourced and are continually open to extra support. Interns shadow local staff in their day-to-day work, learning how they manage and interact with patients. Through this medical placement, we hope to create cultural exchange opportunities through our efforts with the locals, and to assist local clinics and hospitals in providing care for patients. Interns will develop teamwork skills through hands-on activity, while experiencing deep cultural immersion as well as an appreciation of Ghanaian culture.
Physical Therapy Internship:
Interns may be placed with community clinics and/or sports organizations in Ghana, West Africa to provide physical therapy treatment to local patients and to Ghanaian athletes. Interns work alongside experienced physical therapists and physiotherapy students. Many of the patients' conditions are typical of Ghana: hypertension-related strokes, car accidents, and a high proportion of crush injuries to the hand and tendons from cutting and grinding machinery. In Ghana, a hand injury usually results in no compensation or income, and only those who can afford the two pound fee per session receive treatment. There is also a significant amount of facial palsy due to otitis media, which is treated with electrical stimulation. The clinic has some equipment, including a hydrotherapy pool, but it is still a long way from meeting the needs of the local community. Tasks can include helping patients recover from accident, illness or injury, organizing therapeutic physical exercise sessions, providing massages, writing reports, and providing education and advice about exercise and movement.
Atenas, Costa Rica with World Endeavors
Private Medical Clinic - Healthcare Internship:
Healthcare interns in Costa Rica have worked with both clinics and hospitals. Past interns have been placed with a private medical clinic and were able to observe the doctors and other professional staff on site. Tasks involved doing rotations in different areas of the clinic, assisting nurses by changing beds, washing wounds, observing surgeries, as well as translating for English speaking patients. Minimum B2 Spanish level required for this type of placement.
Local Clinic/Ambulance Internship:
Interns have been placed with a local clinic, where they have helped to organize the ambulance and prepare the examination room, stocked medication, taken vital signs and recorded medical history, observed physician-patient consultations, accompanied the paramedic and doctor on ambulance calls, assisted with patient transfer from hospital/clinic, supported patient baseline vital signs with oxygen in the ambulance, confirmed correct medication and dosage, observed patients for change in status over the course of intravenous therapy, and alerted physicians of any changes in patient status. Minimum B2 Spanish level required for this type of placement.
Occupational Therapy at an Elderly Care Facility Internship:
Join the welcoming team at an elderly care facility where you will assist with OT sessions along with daily health and wellness routines. Interns also gain experience with a wide range of therapeutic techniques, in addition to OT.
Veterinary Sciences Internship with Family-Run Clinic:
Family-run veterinary clinic mainly for companion animals. Interns attend to patients, provide support during surgeries, and care for animals that are hospitalized at the clinic.
Bangkok, Thailand with World Endeavors
Note: This location is especially recommended for MPH students, as this could potentially fulfill MPH practicum requirements.
Public Health Government Internship:
Past Public Health interns have been placed with a branch office of a US federal agency that conducts and supports health promotion, prevention and preparedness, with the goal of improving overall public health. The Thailand office works closely with the Royal Thai Ministry of Public Health and other partner organizations to address drug-resistant malaria, HIV, emerging infectious diseases, border health, immigrant, refugee and migrant health, global health security, and non-communicable diseases.
Health Center Internship:
Interns have been placed with a metropolitan health center in Bangkok that has a wide range of departments, including pediatrics, mental health/substance abuse, and dentistry. Intern responsibilities can range from assisting the medical staff in their clinics, to working with the social worker or public health team, helping in the outpatient department, helping to measure body weight and blood pressure, or conducting community visits with the mobile health unit, conducting physical exams, eye exams, consultations, providing vaccinations, or providing health education to community members. The mobile health unit also conducts home visits to see families and follow up on various cases of those who cannot come to the health center, as well as school visits to provide health education and health screenings at schools.
Health Institute Internship:
Another past placement has been with an institute that aims to create new innovations and technology to prevent diseases in urban Thailand, pushing for effective strategies and working in cooperation on the national and international level with various organizations to promote effective disease prevention and control. Services provided by the institute include a travel medicine clinic, and an autoimmune skin disease clinic, as well as community, school and home visits. The institute also conducts research, collects data and analyzes statistics, provides vaccinations, and designs programs to control urban diseases such as dengue, hemorrhagic fever and TB. Interns participate in all the work of the institute, including traveling clinics, programs, and routine work, as well as assisting in research.
Biomedical Engineering Internship:
Biomedical engineering with a company that conducts molecular genetic testing related to oncology and reproductive medicine.
Berlin, Germany with CIEE
Start-Up Internship:
Work at a health technology startup on product development and consumer research.
Nutrition Start-Up Internship:
Support daily functions of nutrition/food platforms and startups, including administrative work, research, and report writing.
Note: Clinical healthcare opportunities are not available in Berlin. Typically, only digital health tech startups are available.
Buenos Aires, Argentina with Road2Argentina
Research Internship:
IECS is the Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy, an academic institution affiliated with the Buenos Aires University School of Medicine. IECS is devoted to scientific evidence-based research, education, and technical cooperation in healthcare in order to improve the efficiency, equity, quality, and sustainability of healthcare services in Argentina and the Southern Cone.
Research Internship:
The main goal of FIC Argentina (Fundación Interamericana del Corazón) is to generate high quality and independent research necessary to promote public health policies that prevent chronic diseases, such as heart diseases or diabetes. They educate on the cultural changes necessary to adopt healthy habits and lifestyles and the main topics they tackle are tobacco use, unhealthy diets, excessive alcohol consumption and physical inactivity.
Cape Town, South Africa with CIEE
Hospital Internship:
Intern at a hospital shadowing doctors and providing technical support.
Research Internship:
Work at a research intuition assessing access to healthcare in South Africa and assisting in information dissemination workshops.
Dublin, Ireland with World Endeavors
Biomedical Engineering Internship:
Biomedical engineering with an academic health science center linked with the Irish Rare Kidney Disease and Vasculitis registry and biobank, providing assistance with day-to-day running of the RKD Biobank, including processing blood samples for long term storage and harvesting white blood cells from blood samples, and ongoing research projects.
Public Health Research Internship:
Interns have been placed with a research center focused on complications related to diabetes. Interns have been involved with a wide variety of projects, including several pharmaceutical clinical trials. Tasks have included administrative work, data collection, data entry, contact and follow up with patients and participants, and laboratory work. Others have served as clinical research assistants, helping to run clinical trials and clinical research studies, including arranging and assisting with patient clinic visits, and recruiting patients for clinical trials.
Florence, Italy with World Endeavors
Public Health Internship:
International humanitarian organization dedicated to preventing and alleviating human suffering, and contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world. Intern responsibilities are varied, but past interns have assessed the health of the homeless population and determined needs alongside local professionals, interacted with patients seeking care, participated in weekly rounds at the community health clinic and assisted in delivering health education and health promotion information.
Physical Therapy Internship:
Physical therapy, rehabilitation and chiropractic clinic - a set of practices aimed at the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the patient's functional deficiencies, to restore health. Interns observe patient movements, learn about myofascial release, investigate problems and work to find solutions to implement in rehabilitation to improve patient well-being.
Pscyho-social Rehabilitation, OT Internship:
NGO that deals with the psycho-social integration of people suffering or who have suffered from mental or psychological distress through the creation of a shared space, open to all, in which there is a real breaking down of the stigma surrounding mental health. Opportunities are provided for fun, socialization, well-being, culture, rehabilitation, training and information. Services provided include group therapy with professionals and peers, art therapy laboratories, socio-rehabilitation activities, social-work placements, training internships, and integration and social reintegration activities. Interns work in partnership with the management team in the psycho-social rehabilitation of clients by assisting with occupational therapy sessions within the structures of the association, mainly through group sessions, art therapy, and empowerment through employment training programs, which include a number of local restaurants as well as a beach club and resort with facilities accessible to people with disabilities.
Veterinary Sciences Internship with Clinic:
Veterinary clinic and emergency hospital offering a variety of 24/7 services including routine care, emergency medicine, surgery, orthopedics, lab analysis and hospitalizations, internal medicine and imaging diagnostics. Specialists are available in cardiology and ophthalmology.
Internship with the Department of Biology at a Local University
Interns assist with research projects on a variety of topics, for instance the abundance and distribution, population dynamics, and diet analysis of Savi voles.
Hua Hin, Thailand with Travelbud
Teaching Internship (Paid):
Students will complete a 120-hour TESOL/TEFL course and teach English in local schools. Teaching placements (including grade levels) are made based on the intern's experience working with youth, school needs, and preference. Interns learn how to teach and then are supported throughout their teaching period. Students with a strong background in the Sciences or Technology could potentially teach a class in their STEM subject along with their English classes.
Osaka, Japan with CRCC Asia
Research Internship:
Intern at one of Japan's leading research centers in immuno bioinformatics and information and structure analysis of immunity. The company has some of the world's most advanced technologies and knowledge in the field and conducts research and development in collaboration with teachers at institutions and universities and business companies such as pharmaceutical companies. Duties may include conducting research projects about applications of machine learning technologies to biological and/or immunological problems.
Prague, Czech Republic with World Endeavors
Public Health Internship:
Healthcare interns assist health professionals in a range of projects from public health initiatives to medical research or healthcare administration.
Nutrition Internship:
Nutrition interns assist health and nutrition professionals with activities that may include campaigns to promote proper diets, food preparation, market research, and food safety.
Quito, Ecuador with Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Public Health Internship:
Intern at a public health organization studying incidences of tuberculosis in Ecuador. The student must search all the information available in Ecuador generated by the control bodies of the Ministry of Public Health and compare these data with previous years. Knowledge of Autocad, Java, Html, databases, and epidemiology required.
Rabat, Morocco with World Endeavors
Public Health with Governmental Agency or NGO Internship:
Intern with a government agency or non-profit (NGO) that conducts and supports health promotion, prevention and preparedness, with the goal of improving overall public health.
Occupational Therapy with School for Children with Special Needs Internship:
Join the dynamic team at a special education school that provides education and necessary assistance to children with intellectual and physical disabilities. Shadow occupational therapy sessions and bring your own ideas for other activities to enrich the students' academic experience and development!
Occupational Therapy Internship at a Veterans Hospital:
Work with therapists to provide treatment for veterans and civilian populations at a veteran's hospital. Gain diverse experience including rehabilitation, long-term and short-term treatment for veterans with disabilities, and therapy for patients with prostheses and orthoses.
Physical Therapy Internship at an Outpatient Clinic:
Using a combination of physiotherapy and traditional Chinese medicine, this clinic emphasizes manual techniques and a personalized approach unique to each patient's particular needs. Expand your experience in this fascinating field by assisting the senior physical therapist in providing hands-on therapy for each patient and also observing traditional Chinese methods, such as acupuncture and herbal treatment.
Seoul, South Korea with CRCC Asia
Healthcare Internship:
Intern at a healthcare organization empowering patients to make the right decision for medical procedures. Duties may include assisting on patient inquiry answers: patients seeking assistance finding the right procedures, doctors in Korea and writing blog posts, and creating content with medical information.
Healthcare Technology Company Internship:
Intern at a healthcare tech company that developed an AI Skincare Assistant, the world’s first portable device that analyzes a whole facial skin in a snap and recommends the products using AI technology. With this AI and big data solution, this company is innovating the beauty industry by connecting all the beauty entities with skin data. Duties may include supporting the Global Sales & Marketing team with critical thinking for B2B marketing and partnership, operational execution and Business Development.
Sydney, Australia with World Endeavors
Psychology and Occupational Therapy Internship:
Pediatrics - school for children with disabilities. Gain valuable experience assisting at an elementary school for students with developmental disabilities, learning from teachers as they work with students. Interns also work one-on-one with students and support some developmental goals, like improving fine motor skills. There is not an occupational therapist working full-time on-site, but licensed OTs are brought in from time-to-time upon request and based on funding availability. Interns will be supervised by the school teachers, and not a licensed occupational therapist in most cases.
Veterinary Sciences Internship:
In Australia, interns are typically placed with a veterinary clinic or hospital for companion animals. Some tasks have included:
o Preparing and giving injections
o Learning about prescription diets
o Learning about flea treatments
o Monitoring patients under anesthetics
o Observing dentistry procedures
Health Research Internship:
Past interns have had placements related to clinical and laboratory research, investigating aspects of the eye such as how eyes develop short or long sightedness, infections of the eye, contact lenses, and retinal diseases such as cataract and macular degeneration. This organization provides training in organizing people to test new ocular devices such as contact lenses or therapies of ocular diseases and conditions, in many aspects of laboratory biological testing including microbiology, biochemistry, immunology and histology.
Tokyo, Japan with CRCC Asia
Health Start-Up Internship:
Intern at a startup that helps people live healthier and longer lives. Their product is a urine analyzer which provides instant feedback to help people improve their health and fitness. Duties could include calibrating a urinal device prototype to prepare it for beta testing.
Healthcare Company Internship:
Intern at a company focused on providing stress-free access to healthcare, foods, products, and accurate information to keep your body and mind healthy in Tokyo and beyond. They have grown to be a leader in CBD oil, vegan offerings and health and wellness in Japan. Duties may include marketing and design support.