Summer Program in Environmental Health (SUPEH)

Program Description

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Summer Program in Environmental Health (SUPEH) is a paid 10-week internship for students majoring in environmental health. Interns participate in activities with the Environmental Health Services Branch of CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH).

2010 SUPEH interns conducted a cruise ship inspection in Florida with CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program.

Over the summer, interns explore many aspects of environmental public health. Interns gain environmental health experience and an understanding of environmental health work at the local, state, tribal, and federal levels.

Interns collaborate with federal employees working in the environmental health field and develop mentoring relationships. Interns also shadow senior officials and scientists, spend time in local public health departments, and travel to important environmental health sites in the city of Atlanta and beyond. Interns also attend brown-bag lunches with CDC staff to discuss environmental health topics and make presentations at CDC staff meetings. CDC’s extensive lecture and seminar program is available to interns as well.

SUPEH interns and interns in the Collegiate Leaders for Environmental Health (CLEH) program attend field trips and other activities together. (Note that eligibility for the CLEH program differs from that of SUPEH.)

SUPEH interns receive a weekly stipend of approximately $600 to assist with living expenses. This internship is facilitated through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. All interns are responsible for the cost of travel to and from Atlanta and for housing during the internship. Information about student housing options can be found on the CLEH Housing and Transportation page.

Information about things to do in Atlanta can also be found on the CLEH website.

Eligibility

Abby Boorstin, 2010 SUPEH intern, conducting a land-use assessment with a metro Atlanta area health department.

SUPEH eligibility requirements:

Environmental health major in a program accredited by the National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC).
U.S. citizenship or Permanent Resident with green card.
Full-time enrollment at a college or university as a rising junior, senior, or graduate student. Students must be returning to school to complete degree requirements at the end of their internship OR the internship must serve as needed academic credit to complete degree requirements.
Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Other Important Information

The internship must be accepted in the summer it is offered. Internships will not be deferred.
Participation in the summer internship program, or acceptance of an award/stipend in connection with such participation, neither commits nor infers commitment to later employment by the participant, CDC, or the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE).
All summer interns are considered guest researchers. As such, interns are subject to CDC regulations governing visiting scientists, guest researchers, and other professionals. These regulations determine access to CDC campuses and confirm an applicant’s eligibility for the internship.
Participation in the program is contingent on the applicant’s ability to obtain the proper security clearances.
All applicants are subject to a criminal records check and other background investigations conducted by the U.S. government. These inquiries develop information to assess various factors about the applicant, including reliability, trustworthiness, honesty, integrity, character, conduct, and loyalty to the United States .
Each intern is responsible for payment of income taxes and is advised to become familiar with the relevant sections of the Internal Revenue Code and other applicable state and federal laws and regulations.
All interns must have current health insurance coverage acceptable in the state of Georgia.
All applicants must be fluent in the English language.

To learn more about SUPEH intern activities while based in EHSB, see our SUPEH About Us page.

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