ELC Opportunities and Resources

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  3. ELC Opportunities and Resources

This list is meant to be a resource for students interested in gaining hands-on experience in a public health setting. This is not a comprehensive list of ELC opportunities. There are many ways to earn ELC credit including volunteering within your community.

Opportunities at St. Lawrence University

Community Based Learning Courses

The student’s CBL component must be public health based in order to earn ELC credit.

SOC 246. What’s so Bad about Aging w/ CBL
SPAN 3xxx. Intensive Spanish in Nicaragua w/ Medical Spanish & Hospital Internship Option (summer term 2018/2019)
PSYC 413. Community Psychology w/ CBL
PHIL 4007. Bioethics w/ CBL

Senior Year Experience (SYE)

SYEs are collaborative projects between students and faculty. Contact a specific faculty member associated with the Public Health Minor.

Opportunities in the North Country

The descriptions and mission of the organizations listed on this page are excerpted from their public pages.  Interested students are encouraged to research and explore the organization carefully and consult with the Public Health Coordinators to determine if opportunities will meet the Experiential Learning Component of the minor.

Renewal House
Renewal House responds immediately to the needs of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in St. Lawrence County through services that empower victims and increase community awareness.
http://www.slvrenewalhouse.org/index.php/getting-involved/volunteer-internship-opportunities

Planned Parenthood
The organization provides an array of comprehensive medical services, educational programming, and advocacy opportunities across the region. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-north-country-new-york/get-involved-locally

GardenShare
GardenShare's mission is to solve the problem of hunger in St. Lawrence County through policy advocacy work and by strengthening the food system to benefit all County residents. For information on volunteer/internship opportunities, see: http://gardenshare.org/contact. 

Hospice & Palliative Care of St. Lawrence Valley
Providing compassionate care and support to the seriously ill and their families since 1983.  https://hospiceslv.org/volunteer-faq/

Seaway Valley Prevention Council
To inform the public about the disease of alcoholism and substance abuse through information and education, to promote early treatment and rehabilitation of persons with drinking problems and/or substance abuse problems, their families and their children, to increase public awareness of alcoholism, to advocate and/or develop essential services for the treatment and prevention of substance abuse, to provide consultation services to interested persons and community leaders.

Northern New York AHEC
Northern Area Health Education Center, Inc., established in 2001 through collaborative efforts, improves access to quality healthcare by making improvements in the supply, training, development, and distribution of health professionals across various county areas.  Our Pipeline to Practice approach connects students to careers, professionals to communities, and communities to better health.  As part of the larger New York State AHEC System, NAHEC is one of nine centers in the State of New York offering statewide capacity for addressing healthcare workforce needs in health careers exploration, continuing education programs and services, clinical training opportunities, and community partnership development.  NAHEC serves Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Franklin, and Clinton counties.

Projects:  NAHEC has projects that can appeal to students with a variety of interests and skills.

  • Mentoring high school students interested in healthcare careers
  • Healthcare workforce recruitment activities
  • Event planning & preparation
  • Data Research & Political Advocacy
  • Grant research & drafting
  • Graphic design

Agency Requirements:

  • Volunteer application
  • Interview
  • Confidentiality Contract
  • Media Release

Website:  https://northernahec.org/
Contact: Kathy Hughes, Program Coordinator, at khughes@nahecnet.org

The Health Initiative
The Health Initiative was created out of a collaboration by Canton-Potsdam Hospital and Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center. Leaders from these institutions brought together over 200 individuals - representing a broad spectrum of the community including health, human service, business, government and education - to conduct a thorough assessment of health in St. Lawrence County. The steering committee identified three health priority areas that needed to be addressed county-wide: Access to Care; Nutrition and Physical Activity; and Substance Use, focusing on youth tobacco use. For more information, see: https://gethealthyslc.org/index.php

Health Coaches Program
This program, in collaboration with Canton-Potsdam Hospital, is an opportunity for SLU students to get hands-on experience being part of the healthcare team and supporting chronically ill individuals as they set goals and make changes to improve their health. More information here: https://www.stlawu.edu/biology/health-coaches-program.

St. Lawrence County Public Health Department
The St. Lawrence County Public Health Department, is an opportunity for SLU students to get hands-on experience while helping the department "ensure the health, safety and quality of life for all St. Lawrence County residents." More information here: https://www.stlawco.org/Departments/PublicHealth/

External Opportunities

Please note that many of these opportunities require applications to be submitted several months in advance.

Tropical Diseases, Environmental Change and Human Health: Semester Program in Costa Rica

This program will explore the effects of environmental change including climate change, habitat fragmentation, and disruption of ecosystem services on the spread and severity of tropical diseases, and also focuses on research with local communities surrounding the three OTS field stations in Costa Rica. We will work in both intact and altered ecosystems to assess disease transmission dynamics including insect and water vectors. The Ethnobiology course explores the tradition use of plants by indigenous communities. The program will visit Nicaragua to provide insights into health issues in another Central American country. This course emphasizes both the biological nature of tropical diseases and the ecological and human health outcomes resulting from changes to ecosystem structure and functions. Instruction is based on the strengths and experience of the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) and our staff, and focuses on the highly respected OTS method of field-based, experiential learning.

The Allan Rosenfield, M.D., HIV/AIDS Public Policy Internship and Fellowship Program
Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible for these internships/fellowships with a focus in HIV/AIDS public policy. "Placements are paid and full time and are up to six months for fellows and up to three months for interns. All fellows and interns are based in our Washington, DC office." Multiple deadlines. Click on link for more detail. 

APHA Internships & Fellowships
Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible for unpaid APHA internships that offer practical work experience. Candidates should be working toward a bachelor, graduate, or postgraduate degree, and all majors are welcome.

Health Services & Resources Administration
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) is seeking applicants for the Public Health Student Intern Program (PHSIP).  Public Health Interns will complete a one-semester rotation within one of HRSA's Bureaus or Offices. This public health program offers unpaid experience for current graduate and undergraduate students in good standing at schools of public health and public health programs in the United States.

The student will have frequent contact with HRSA's public health experts in one of a wide-range of disciplines including Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, HIV/AIDS Bureau, Maternal and Child Health, Healthcare Systems, and Program Analysis and Evaluation.

The student will have an opportunity to participate in training and development activities at HRSA that may include:

  • Orientation to HRSA and government office work
  • Attendance at seminars/webinars available to all HRSA staff
  • Exposure to HRSA program analysis and evaluation methodologies
  • Shadowing HRSA staff across a wide range of public health disciplines

International Medical Aid
International Medical Aid (IMA) is a non-profit organization that provides healthcare volunteer programs for undergraduate students, graduate students, residents, and practitioners in the areas that need it the most: East Africa, South America and the Caribbean. In providing urgently needed healthcare assistance to the people in these regions, we help participants gain valuable exposure to disciplines such as medicine, dentistry, nursing, mental health, public health and physical therapy through an ethics-based approach to care. Our programs also allow volunteers the opportunity to immerse themselves in the beauty and culture of our exotic destinations through unique adventure programs led by experienced and trusted tour guides. Founded on the principles of integrity, respect, commitment, and imagination, IMA provides a safe and mutually beneficial experience where students can make a meaningful contribution to disadvantaged populations throughout the world.

NIH Clinical Summer Internships
Approximately 40 students are selected each year to participate in the Clinical Center's internship experience. At the Clinical Center— the nation's largest hospital devoted entirely to clinical research—students work with mentors who are researchers and health professionals; participate in the NIH Research Poster Day with results generated by their work in this summer program; and attend weekly lectures presented by NIH investigators. (Application window: November 2017-March 1, 2018).  Additional NIH Training program info here.

Pasteur Institute Summer Fellowship
The Pasteur Foundation Summer Internship Program provides U.S. undergraduates, entering their Senior year, with the rare opportunity to work on supervised research projects at the Institut Pasteur. The Foundation’s goal is to encourage and inspire students in the pursuit of a scientific career and to expose them to an international laboratory experience.  Each year, selected laboratories at the Institut Pasteur host U.S. undergraduate students.  Dates of the internship range from early June  to mid-August for a total of ten weeks.

Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN)
The Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN) provides need-based financial aid scholarships for outstanding students interested in attending the PLEN Women in STEM Policy Seminar.  PLEN scholarships will assist students in funding a portion and/or all of program and registration fees associated with attending the seminar. Student(s) awarded any level of scholarship will be responsible for funding their own transportation, meals and any remaining dues for program and registration fees not covered by the scholarship award.  Preference will be given to currently enrolled undergraduate women, but other current students are eligible to apply (particularly, the Women in STEM Policy Seminar—a number of SLU students have participated in the past.  More on their experiences here.) 

The Summer Public Health Scholars Program (SPHSP)
This program is designed for undergraduate students to increase interest in and knowledge of public health and biomedical science careers. SPHSP is a partnership of Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, College of Dental Medicine, School of Nursing, and the Mailman School of Public Health. Together they represent the broad spectrum of public health practice. SPHSP grant funding was awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Office of Minority Health & Health Equity (OMHHE).

The program is designed for undergraduates going into their junior or senior year and recent baccalaureate degree students who may or may not have predetermined career goals. This is a rigorous program which includes introductory Public Health course work at Columbia University; hands-on field experience and immersion in a diverse, economically disadvantaged urban environment; seminars and lectures with public health leaders; and mentoring by faculty members, ensuring students' exposure to the breadth and importance of public health as a career option.