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MPH Practicum

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MPH Poster session

From academics to real-world application

Brown public health students do substantial public health work while they are students. Each fall, MPH students gather to present the results of their MPH Practicum, and their contributions to current public health issues.

Read more

MPH Practicum

Apply what you’ve learned with a hands-on practical experience.

All MPH students are required to complete an MPH Practicum. The MPH Program provides enrolled students with a variety of resources to connect with rewarding and interesting Practicum experiences.  In addition to meeting with academic core advisors and other faculty conducting research in specific public health topics, students also confer with the Assistant Director of Applied Learning and/or the Field Placement Coordinator in order to learn more about opportunities that align with each student’s public health area of interest and future career goals.

Components of the MPH Practicum

Potential Practicum opportunities are explored during the fall semester and further formulated during the spring semester of the student’s first year.  The MPH Practicum plan includes information on the Practicum organization, site, and work to be conducted, as well as a description of the final deliverable products. The Practicum should have a community-based component and requires the student to work with an inter-professional team during the experience.

Students must complete at least 145 hours at a pre-approved organization/agency, which can be paid or unpaid. This is equivalent to approximately one month (4 weeks) of full-time (8 hours per day) work. Students can complete the Practicum longitudinally during the first academic year; during the summer between the first and second years; or a combination of these time periods. The Practicum should expose the student to real-world public health issues and other professions outside of public health that works to address public health issues.  Practicum activities may include (depending on the topic and the qualifications of the student) attending meetings; participating in ongoing activities; planning, implementing, and evaluating short-term projects; participating in health education and outreach; taking part in analytical discussions, and/or delivering health-related services.

The Practicum must include two final deliverable products.  The products should be an organic part of a student’s Practicum work and not something developed as an academic exercise. The products should be of practical utility to the organization or part of moving a larger project forward. The products may include, for example, designing a public health intervention, conducting a quality assessment, developing health education materials, designing a survey instrument for primary data collection; writing a communication brief; completing a research analysis/report, or developing/updating a website.  Students must consult with their respective Practicum supervisor/mentor and with the Assistant Director of Applied Learning or the Field Placement Coordinator (for the online MPH Program) to be sure that their proposed products are acceptable for the educational purposes of the Practicum. The final products need to demonstrate the achievement of at least three MPH Foundational Competencies (and/or MPH Concentration Competencies for the in-person MPH Program) that have been identified by the student.

Students enrolled in the in-person MPH Program must design a poster that showcases the student’s Practicum and final products.  Students must present their Practicum posters at a poster session held in the fall semester of the second year of the MPH Program as a part of the PHP2072 course.  

Sample MPH Practicum Experiences

Our students’ Practicum experiences are as diverse as their interests:

Our students’ Practicum experiences are as diverse as their interests:

Sample MPH Practicum Location
Evaluation for Standard and Mobile Health Applications Bangladesh
Microbial Translocation and Schistosomiasis Brazil
Using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy to Assess White Matter Neuroinflammation Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies
Developing an Instrument in Assessing Financial Toxicity in Multiple Sclerosis Center for Gerontology
Technological Solutions for the Diagnosis of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Center for the Study of Children at Risk
Retaining Transgender Women in HIV Care: Best Practices in the Field The Fenway Institute
Evaluation of Academic Detailing Visits with Top Opioid Prescribers in Rhode Island Rhode Island Department of Health
Efficiency of Nursing Home-Emergency Department Transfers and Quality of Communication Review Rhode Island Hospital Emergency Department
Supportive Housing Models for Medicaid Program Steward Healthcare Network
Co-Facilitator of Teens Empowered to Advocate for Community Health TEACH Community Health
International Organization for Migration Practices Regarding Assisted Voluntary Return & Reintegration for Migrants with Health Needs World Health Organization

Sample Local Practicum Sites

  • Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities, and Hospitals
  • Rhode Island Department of Corrections
  • Rhode Island Department of Health
  • Community Care Alliance
  • Day One Sexual Assault and Trauma Resource Center
  • The Fenway Health Center (Boston)
  • Green & Healthy Homes
  • Greenhouse Social Enterprise
  • HealthCentric Advisors
  • House of Hope Community Development Corporation
  • Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence
  • Maternova, Inc.
  • Narragansett Indian Tribal Lands
  • Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island
  • PACE Organization of Rhode Island
  • Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights
  • Providence & Woonsocket Public High Schools
  • The Providence Center
  • Rhode Island Foundation
  • Rhode Island Free Clinic
  • Rhode Island Hospital
  • Rhode Island Public Health Institute
  • Center for the Study of Children at Risk
  • Steward Healthcare Network
  • Walden Behavioral Care
  • The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs
  • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

Read more about recent MPH Practicum experiences

Recent News

See all School of Public Health news
News from SPH

Students present the outcomes of their MPH Practicum projects at annual poster session

November 4, 2024
The School of Public Health’s MPH Practicum Poster Session showcases the results of students’ hands-on work beyond the classroom.
Read Article
News from Brown

Petranea Smith: Engaging with the community to help people get vaccinated

August 29, 2024
With a commitment to community engagement, the public health graduate student and aspiring physician is spending her summer helping underinsured Rhode Islanders access protective health care.
Read Article
News from SPH

Student Spotlight: Improving Quality & Connection

August 7, 2024
Without a professional background in public health, but with passion for improving the health of vulnerable populations and for acquiring the tools needed to meet her goals, Iranian immigrant Navid Nickpour is creating connections at PACE Organization of Rhode Island.
Read Article
MPH Poster session

From academics to real-world application

Brown public health students do substantial public health work while they are students. Each fall, MPH students gather to present the results of their MPH Practicum, and their contributions to current public health issues.

Read more
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Providence RI 02903 401-863-3375 public_health@brown.edu

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      • MPH/MPA
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