Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Winter 12-1-2016

Keywords

Public Health, Summer Internships, WDPH, Clark University

Abstract

In the past few years, many people and institutions in the city of Worcester have begun to recognize the necessity of achieving improvements in health. In 2015, the Worcester Division of Public Health (WDPH) and Clark University’s Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise began a partnership known as the Worcester Academic Health Department (WAHD). In addition to joining a university and a public health agency, this partnership sought to connect students interested in the public health field with opportunities to engage in practical application of skills and knowledge acquisition. The current Academic Health Collaborative of Worcester (AHCW) evolved from the WAHD, and represents the far-reaching connections of the public health initiatives throughout Worcester between medical centers, universities, and the WDPH. The vision of the ACHW is to “deploy, share, and leverage the resources of the region's health and academic institutions to make the Greater Worcester area the healthiest region in New England by 2020.” The ACHW’s summer internship program is structured around long-term, sustainable projects rather than one-time events and is a key component in the success of the Collaborative. By supporting the WDPH with a variety of essential projects, students have been able to take part in research and project implementation that improves community health in the city of Worcester.

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