Location: Springfield, IL - must be located within 1.5 hours of Springfield, Illinois to work onsite for 15-20 hours a week.
The Illinois Department of Public Health is seeking a dedicated intern to join the Foodborne and Enteric Disease Program for the Fall 2025 semester. This internship offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in public health surveillance, communicable disease investigation, and patient education. The intern will work closely with state public health staff to help identify, monitor, and respond to cases of foodborne and enteric illnesses across Illinois. The role is ideal for students passionate about disease prevention, public health systems, and real-world application of classroom knowledge.
Key Responsibilities:
- Conduct Disease Surveillance Interviews: Interview individuals diagnosed with enteric illnesses and record detailed information in the Illinois Disease Surveillance System (IDSS).
- Provide Public Health Education: Communicate prevention strategies to patients to limit further transmission of diseases.
- Identify High-Risk Situations: Alert IDPH staff of cases in sensitive occupations such as food service, daycare, or healthcare.
- Support Outbreak Investigations: Assist local health departments by administering cluster-specific and hypothesis-generating questionnaires.
- Case Review and Closure: Help review and complete documentation for Campylobacter cases to ensure compliance with case definition standards.
- Administrative Compliance: Complete all required IDPH trainings and adhere to department policies and procedures.
Qualifications:
- Pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in Public Health, Health Education and Promotion, Health Administration or Management.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Completion of relevant coursework in public health, health education, biology, or related physical and biological sciences.
- Interest in infectious disease prevention and outbreak investigation.
- Ability to investigate individual communicable disease cases and participate in outbreak response.
- Professional or academic experience related to disease control is preferred.
- Working knowledge of computer applications, including Microsoft Office Suite.
- Strong attention to detail and ability to manage confidential information responsibly.
- Located within 1.5 hours of Springfield, Illinois to work onsite.
Duration and Compensation:
This is an unpaid internship with flexible scheduling options to accommodate academic commitments. This is an onsite position in Springfield, Illinois for 15-20 hours a week. There may be opportunity for some remote hours for a hybrid setup. Academic credit may be available depending on your institution's guidelines.
Applicants not located within 1.5 hours of Springfield, Illinois will NOT be considered for this position. All applications must be submitted by Tuesday, June 3rd by 4:00pm.
Apply here
