Applied Practice Experience - APEx
The Applied Practice Experience – Alumni Feature
The Applied Practice Experience (APEx) is a practicum (or internship) that is a required component of the MPH core curriculum. Through APEx, Columbia Mailman students have the opportunity to work alongside public health professionals, experience the day-to-day realities of the field, and apply what they have learned in the classroom to advance the cause of public health in tangible ways.
Students receive support before, during, and after their APEx. Introductory workshops orient them to fieldwork and prepare them for professional practice. In collaboration with a faculty advisor, students select a site, project, and plan for their APEx. Faculty at the Columbia Mailman School have well-established relationships with government agencies and healthcare institutions in New York City and around the globe—offering students many options for completing this requirement. Once deployed in the field, students receive support as needed from their onsite supervisor and departmental advisor. Upon completion of their APEx, students formally present their work at departmental or school-wide events, and often can use the data that they collect as a component of their master’s thesis or capstone paper.
While many applied practice experiences are funded—particularly those in healthcare and in larger for-profits—many small, community-based organizations do not have the same resources to provide a stipend to their interns. As a result, students may feel financially pressured to complete their practicum at better-funded organizations and, as such, can miss out on the opportunity to gain vital experience to advance their careers and support work that helps reduce health disparities in the community.
Gifts to the Practicum Stipend Fund help to ensure that Columbia Mailman students have access to vital learning experiences that will pave the way for them to pursue impactful work and leadership in advancing health equity in our communities. With your support, students can pursue the APEx that best aligns with their personal and professional aspirations, regardless of their financial resources.