General Public Health Practicum

All General Public Health (GPH) students are required to complete an Applied Practice Experience (APEx.)  The APEx is a vital part of the service-learning process allowing students to address domestic and global issues across all areas of public health practice. Through the APEx, students focus on community engagement projects and provide host organizations with valuable services, and/or research expertise that relate directly to the ongoing mission and activities of the site and that meet the defined healthcare needs of the site’s surrounding community. Each student’s APEx projects are:

• thoroughly planned in consultation with a faculty advisor and site supervisor;
• monitored on site;
• evaluated by the student, site supervisor, and faculty advisor.

In the GPH program, APEX projects are individually selected and tailored to meet student needs with the focus, substance, and approach varying by student. The APEx may include work in administrative, research, or clinical settings, or participation in ongoing health education, research, or program activities. Medical Residents and Fellows often identify a project in conjunction with their parallel residency or fellowship program; components of that project intended to fulfill the MPH APEx requirement must be distinct and clearly identified.   

Regardless of the setting and specific project, students are required to produce a minimum of two non-academic work samples that demonstrate attainment of at least five competencies (three foundational and two program specific). Examples of acceptable work samples include: project plans, grant proposals, training manuals, lesson plans, surveys, videos, podcasts, presentations, spreadsheets, web sites.

Scheduling/Time Requirements

General Public Health students may participate in the APEx at any point after the completion of the Core curriculum. Students who must return to a medical school program or begin residency often will begin their APEx during the spring semester. For those with more flexibility, the APEx may be completed during the summer. It is expected that GPH students will devote a minimum of 140 hours towards an APEx project. This is usually accomplished by working approximately 10 hours per week during a 14-week semester, or 15-20 hours per week during the summer months. Dual degree students may choose to continue APEx work after completing GPH coursework and returning to the other Columbia graduate school.

Completion/Practicum Paper

Once the APEx project concludes, students submit an APEx Completion Form. The form enables students to upload their APEx deliverables and to identify the competencies demonstrated through their work. Once students submit the APEx Completion Form, it is forwarded to their faculty advisor for review. The Faculty Advisor then evaluates the students’ APEx work samples to verify that identified public health competencies have been achieved. Once approved by the faculty advisor, the APEx Completion Form is sent to Enrollment Services to confirm the APEx requirement has been fulfilled.