11 Online Public Health Internships for High School Students
If you are a high school student, an internship is a great way to explore potential careers. You gain professional experience, strengthen your resume, build skills, and discover what kind of work you enjoy doing. Online public health internships for high school students offer a meaningful way to understand how health systems operate and how professionals work to protect communities from diseases, promote wellness, and shape policies that impact millions of lives.
Why should I participate in an online public health internship in high school?
You’ll learn about topics such as epidemiology, community outreach, global health, and health communication while building critical thinking and teamwork skills valued by colleges and future employers. If you’re interested in disease prevention, health education, policy, or community work, online public health internships can help you explore the field from home while collaborating with teams and mentors. A public health internship can also strengthen your college applications by showing admissions officers initiative, leadership, and a commitment to this field.
To help you get started, we’ve put together 11 online public health internships for high school students.
1. Eve and Gene Black Summer Medical Career Program
Location: In-person or remote sessions are available
Cost/Stipend: $500 as a scholarship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 100 - 180 students
Dates: Session 1: July 7 - 17, Session 2: July 21 - 31
Application Deadline: February 14
Eligibility: Current 11th or 12th-grade high school students
The online public health internship for high school students allows you to spend 2 weeks learning about pediatric medicine. You will join either an online session or an in-person hospital placement in the Los Angeles area. You will hear from pediatricians, nurses, therapists, and other specialists asking questions about real cases. You may also observe clinical routines, team meetings, and how staff support children and families. You will complete simple assignments and a reflective essay at the end of the program as part of your learning.
2. Ladder Internships - Healthcare & Medicine Track
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Cost applies (financial aid is available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Varies depending on your program cohort
Application Deadline: Varies depending on your program cohort
Eligibility: High school students, undergraduates, and gap-year students from around the world
In Ladder Internships, you will spend 8 to 12 weeks working remotely with a startup or nonprofit on real-world projects. Depending on your placement, you might support health research, help build a wellness app, or design outreach for a public health initiative.You will also assist with tasks such as data analysis, market research, content creation, and product testing. You will meet regularly with your manager to plan your work and get timely feedback. A Ladder mentor also guides you through goal setting and reflects on your progress. The program encourages collaboration across teams and time zones, helping you understand how your daily work contributes to larger challenges in health and society. Apply now!
3. United Planet Virtual Internship and Volunteer Quests
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: $100 - $300 per week
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Year-round
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students (aged 16 years and above), university students, graduates, working professionals, and retirees
Through this online public health internship for high school students with United Planet, you will spend several weeks working remotely with a nonprofit or social enterprise in another country. You will contribute to projects in areas such as global health, environmental sustainability, or children and education. You will assist with tasks such as research, data entry, curriculum or content development, and support social media or outreach campaigns. You will meet regularly with a site supervisor who mentors you and reviews your work. Many placements also include team calls where you share updates and learn from peers.
4. Zon Lab - Camp Zon
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 14 - 25
Application Deadline: April 27
Eligibility: High school or rising college freshman who are at least 16 years of age or above, residing in Massachusetts
In this 2-week virtual research program, you will work with the Zon Lab team as part of a small research group. You will focus on anemia and use zebrafish as a model to study blood development and disease. You will help design experiments, review data, and discuss findings while observing live-streamed work from the lab. You will also attend seminars where scientists share their career paths in medicine and research. You also learn basic coding and how to read scientific papers. The program concludes with a formal presentation that allows you to share your findings and reflect on careers in biomedical science and public health.
5. UT Southwestern Medical Center Internship for High School Students
Location: Remote via Zoom
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 1 - 5 and June 8 - 12
Application Deadline: February 2
Eligibility: Rising 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students and rising college first-years
In this 2-week mental health internship, you will spend part of your summer during interactive online sessions led by clinician-scientists at UT Southwestern. You will explore careers in psychiatry, social work, neuropsychology, and physician assistant practice. Before each class, you will read short news articles and scientific papers. During the sessions, you will participate in case discussions, ask questions about training paths, and see how clinicians approach assessment and treatment. You will also attend guest lectures that connect neuroscience, psychotherapy, and community-based psychiatry.
6. Internships at APA
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Some internships are paid, while others offer course credits
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Year-round (spring, summer, fall, winter)
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Eligible to work in the U.S. (as verified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s e-verify service) and must reside in one of the states where APA is already registered as an employer; must be enrolled at least part-time in an academic institution
In this remote internship with the American Psychological Association, you will spend a term working with a professional team on projects that connect psychology, health, and public policy. You will assist with literature reviews, survey design, basic data analysis, and drafting briefs or web content while gaining experience in research and communication. You will also receive regular supervision and mentorship from APA staff and may attend virtual seminars on careers in psychology, ethics, and mental health. Many placements also include opportunities to share your work during meetings or short presentations.
7. Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: $25 application fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 18 - August 8
Application Deadline: February 2
Eligibility: High school students who are 15 years or above by June 18
Through this internship for high school students, you will spend 8 weeks working in a lab at George Mason University on a mentored project in bioscience, engineering, or related fields. You will help conduct experiments, code, or analyze data while gaining hands-on experience with lab methods and scientific reasoning. You will receive guidance from a faculty mentor and often work alongside graduate students and other interns. You will also attend seminars on research careers, ethics, and how science informs medicine and public health. The program concludes with a formal poster symposium where you present your findings and see how your work connects to real-world problems.
8. ASHM Virtual Internships with Forage
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Free; no tuition or stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Self-paced; available year-round
Dates: Self-paced; available year-round, typically takes about 5 - 6 hours to complete
Application Deadline: None; enroll online at any time
Eligibility: Students and early-career learners worldwide
In this virtual internship with ASHM and Forage, you will work on projects in sexual health and blood-borne infections. You will complete short projects that simulate the work of a program officer, such as reviewing guidelines, drafting emails to clinicians, and planning education activities. You will also gain hands-on experience with case scenarios, basic data interpretation, and clear written communication. You will receive structured feedback through model answers and insights from ASHM’s training materials. The program encourages thoughtful, stigma-free communication and cross-disciplinary thinking, helping you see how public health teams design, deliver, and evaluate services for HIV, viral hepatitis, and STI prevention.
9. The Junior Academy by The New York Academy of Sciences
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Not specified
Application Deadline: January 6
Eligibility: High school students aged 13 - 17 years old; international students are welcome
Through this virtual STEM innovation program, you will spend about 10 weeks working on global challenges set by industry and academic partners. You will collaborate with your international teammates to design solutions tackling challenges in health, climate, food, or cities while building skills in research, data analysis, and basic prototyping. You will meet regularly with expert mentors who review your ideas and share advice on STEM careers and ethics. You will also join online workshops on communication and design. At the end of each challenge, you will submit and present your team’s solution, helping you understand how science and engineering can improve public and planetary health everywhere.
10. Parkview Health High School Student Programs
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: No cost or stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Varies depending on the program
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the program
Eligibility: High school students
In this online public health internship for high school students at Parkview Health, you will spend a semester working alongside professionals in a large integrated health system. You will assist teams in both clinical and non-clinical areas with daily tasks such as organizing materials, observing patient flow, and contributing to small projects. You may also take part in shorter job shadowing opportunities where you observe nurses, therapists, lab staff, and other healthcare professionals in action. You will also receive regular guidance from a site mentor and attend any required orientations or safety training.
11. Medicine Encompassed (ME) Student Internships
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: No cost or stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Year-round
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students worldwide with an interest in STEAM, biology, or medicine
In this virtual internship with Medicine Encompassed, you will spend the school year working with a student-led nonprofit promoting medical education and health literacy. You will join specialty committees and contribute to research, writing, and design for articles, study guides, and STEAM resources. You will gain experience in science communication, teamwork, and basic project management. You will receive regular guidance from committee leads and attend online meetings to discuss goals, assign tasks, and review drafts. Many teams also participate in outreach projects such as project cultivation.
Image source - Los Angeles Pediatric Society logo