RALEIGH – A group of students from historically Black colleges and universities and minority serving institutions stepped into offices across the Division of Public Health within the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Monday perhaps marking the first day of a career in public health.
The cohort of 22 interns comprises the inaugural class of a new internship program for students and represents seven institutions of higher education in North Carolina. They will participate in a coordinated, paid internship program across the NCDHHS Division of Public Health and the Office of the Secretary.
“Building a strong and inclusive workforce includes training the next generation of public health leaders,” said NCDHHS Secretary Kody H. Kinsley. “People who work in public health are often drawn to making a difference in the world, and we’re grateful these students chose to spend their summer making that difference with NCDHHS.”
The program, led by DPH, is tied to NCDHHS’ ongoing commitment to strengthen North Carolina’s public health workforce through investment in enhanced training and capacity building. This key investment in creating a stronger and more inclusive public health workforce pipeline is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.
“With this internship program NCDHHS builds upon our strong partnership with North Carolina’s HBCUs and MSIs to engage students in public health early, a crucial piece of our workforce investments,” said Mark Benton, NCDHHS Deputy Secretary for Health. “After this inaugural year we hope to expand the program across the Department and look forward to the deeper strategic opportunities it will foster.”
Students participating in the program are paired with teams across DPH based on career interests and previous experience. The program includes cohort experiences such as a shared orientation, longitudinal seminar series and in-person immersion and a mentor with HBCU experience.
“A mentor with similar experiences can make the difference in career choices and the vision of what’s possible,” said Angela Bryant, NCDHHS Assistant Secretary for Equity and Inclusion.
North Carolina is home to 10 HBCUs and four minority serving institutions as designated by the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights within the U.S. Department of the Interior.
