2026 Wadsworth Center Public Health Lab Academy

The Wadsworth Center is currently hosting 19 participants of the Public Health Laboratory Internship Program: An APHL-CDC Initiative! The Public Health Laboratory Internship Program offers paid internships in projects supporting lab-related research, surveillance testing, and regulatory affairs. As part of this national program, interns placed at public health laboratories assist scientists working on meaningful projects while building skills such as general lab practices (e.g., pipetting, calibrations, etc.), data analysis, report management, problem solving, teamwork, and effective communication.

Wadsworth Center’s Public Health Lab Academy

The interns we host take part in seminars, workshops, and other professional development opportunities. The Academy includes two tracks that students may be accepted into, with additional information below.

Please note: all Wadsworth Center internships are on-site experiences at one of five sites in the Albany, NY area.

Two Pathways for Student Interns

Synchronous learning experience:
We are planning a group cohort experience that will run mid-May to mid-August with projects available in Genetics, Infectious Diseases, and Environmental Health Sciences.

Students will learn basic laboratory skills together, followed by more specialized training in each of the primary fields of study, and then be matched with a mentor to complete an individual project.

Asynchronous independent projects:
Staff at the Wadsworth Center may take individual intern projects with more flexible start/end dates all year (typically at least 10 hours per week for 12 weeks). We encourage interested applicants to apply with APHL during their open enrollment periods. Students are encouraged to attend the available programs we organize for professional development over the summer.

Examples of independent projects include:

  • Understanding Quorum Sensing Receptor Ligand Selectivity and Specificity
  • Ecology of Tick-borne Diseases
  • Investigating Vector-Virus Interactions
  • Radiochemical Analysis for Surveillance and Emergency Response
  • Evaluating a public health workforce development program.

Questions related to:

Applications for the Public Health Laboratory Academy are closed for 2026. Students interested in internships during the 2026/2027 academic year are encouraged to apply to the Public Health Laboratory Internship Program.
 

Program Updates

PHLA interns in teaching lab

Wadsworth Center Launches the First Cross-Division Summer Public Health Laboratory Academy

The Wadsworth Center has been educating undergraduate students for several decades through the Research Experience for Undergraduates Program. Over the last three years we have been building on that experience to launch and expand the summer Public Health Laboratory Academy – an applied research internship experience funded in partnership with the Association of Public Health Laboratories. This year, we have 16 synchronous-track students and three asynchronous-track interns across infectious disease, environmental health, and genetics.
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