MSPH Practicum
In addition to completing the requisite coursework, students must gain practical skills in the application of the principles and methods learned, give back to community members, and participate effectively in a professional team. Many students will complete their practicums abroad. Students will have the opportunity to work with faculty at field sites across sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America among others. We have long-standing collaborations with local research partners in many countries, such as Nepal, Peru, Uganda, Bangladesh, and several Native American Nations in western US. Faculty and staff also help students find opportunities with other global health organizations.
Lisa Folda, MHS '05, is the Practicum and Alumni Partnerships Manager for the Department of International Health. She works closely with faculty, alumni, and employers to establish practicum programs and mentorship experiences for the Department's MSPH students. She facilitates career development and placement strategies to help prepare our students to become successful public health practitioners. Ms. Folda, a Bloomberg School alumna, has a background in both student advising and public health practice. She is dedicated to making meaningful connections that benefit both students in their learning and practicum sites in their important work.
Aditi Rao
PRACTICUM TOPIC: Patient Considerations on Emergency Department-Based Routine HIV Testing
LOCATION: Eastern Cape, South Africa
Aditi Rao (right) with other Johns Hopkins student team members outside the Emergency Department in Mthatha Regional Hospital, South Africa, where they were working on an HIV testing project prior to the pandemic.
Practicum Examples
| Topic | Organization |
| Peer Educator-Facilitated Community Health Education Program in Keta, Ghana | Afia Clinics International, Ghana |
| Household Feasibility Trial of Complete Corralling of Young Pigs Among Rural Families in Tumbes, Peru | Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Tumbes, Peru |
| Investigating the Impact of a Peer Intervention Targeting Persons Not Yet on Antiretroviral Therapy in Rakai District, Uganda: a Mixed Methods Study | Rakai Health Sciences Program, Rakai, Uganda |
| Screening for intimate partner violence in pediatric primary care settings | Harriet Lane Pediatric Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore |
| Police-Youth Relationships in Baltimore: New Perspectives in Light of Freddie Gray | Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore |
| Monitoring how food assistance cuts impact household food security for Syrian refugees in Jordan | World Food Programme – Jordan EMOP Unit, Amman |
| Exploring the Unique Risk and Protective Factors of the White Mountain Apache Youth Suicide Epidemic and how these translate to Prevention Efforts | Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health, White River, Fort Apache Reservation |
| Designing a handwashing station for low-income communities using the integrated behavioral model for water, saninitation and hygience interventions | International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Bangladesh, Dhaka (iccdr,b) |