The Oral Health Section Intern will support the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Office of Health Improvement, Bureau of Health Promotion, by assisting with statewide oral health initiatives and communications. This internship provides hands-on experience in public health assessment, data collection, stakeholder communication, and program support related to oral disease prevention and oral health promotion.
This opportunity is ideal for a motivated student interested in public health, oral health, and health communication who wants practical experience working with a collaborative state public health team while also managing independent projects.
Responsibilities:
- Collaborate with Oral Health Section staff and leadership on daily program tasks and special projects.
- Review, update, and prepare oral health communication tools for public distribution and web posting.
- Assist with compiling, organizing, and communicating oral health data for stakeholders.
- Create an engaging quarterly newsletter highlighting oral health data, field stories, and department updates.
- Collect and compile oral health–related news items for internal distribution.
- Support development and coordination of a Continuing Education Certificate program for external stakeholders.
- Identify gaps in Illinois oral health data and opportunities to improve information quality.
- Assist with research, data organization, basic mapping, writing, and project coordination activities.
- Update Oral Health Section webpages and identify and correct broken links or content errors.
- Collaborate with other public health programs to support cross-program awareness and partnership building.
- Perform additional duties as assigned within the scope of oral health program support.
Qualifications:
- Currently pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in Public Health, Oral Health, Dentistry, Dental Hygiene, Health Communication, or a related field at The University of Chicago.
- Demonstrated interest in oral health, disease prevention, and population health.
- Experience or coursework in research, data organization, writing, or public health assessment is preferred.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to manage independent projects and meet deadlines.
- Ability to work collaboratively with multidisciplinary public health teams.
- Preferred experience working with web content and basic digital communications tools is a plus.
Duration and Compensation
This is an unpaid internship with specific days determined by program needs. This is a remote position for 20–37.5 hours per week. Academic credit may be available depending on your institution's guidelines.
Eligible University of Chicago students may qualify for the RBH Oral Health Fellows Program; participation must be arranged directly through the University of Chicago.
All applications must be submitted by Friday, February 27th, 2026 to be considered for this internship.
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