Key points
- The associate application period is open March 16–March 22, 2026.
- The Public Health Associate Program for Recent Graduates (PHAP) is a two-year, paid training program that prepares recent graduates to enter the public health workforce through field experience and structured learning.
- PHAP has placed over 1,800 associates at public health organizations nationwide since 2007.
Open Opportunities & Updates
- The associate application period is open March 16–March 22, 2026.
- The 2026 PHAP host site application period is closed.
Overview
PHAP is a competitive, two-year, paid training program with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Associates are assigned to state, tribal, local, and territorial public health agencies and non-governmental organizations (collectively referred to as host sites) to strengthen the nation's public health infrastructure and capacity. Associates gain field-based experience supporting local emergency response efforts; conducting contact tracing, disease investigations, and surveillance; mobilizing communities through education and partnerships; and filling critical roles during infectious disease outbreaks.
PHAP was established in 2007 to support state and local-level health departments and strengthen our nation's public health workforce. PHAP:
- Helps public health departments respond to urgent threats and protects communities through deployments and rapid needs assessments.
- Drives public health improvements through innovation, evaluation, quality improvement, education, and outreach.
- Provides associates with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to fulfill public health competencies and meet required performance standards.
- Helps bridge staffing gaps in health departments while preparing the future public health workforce.
PHAP offers work assignments that give associates field-based experience to develop as public health professionals. Associates are assigned to one subject area for the two-year term that is selected by their host sites. These subject areas focus on the nation's most pressing public health priorities.
The Public Health Associate Program for Recent Graduates Fact Sheet provides a quick overview of PHAP, what associates do, why this program matters, and a closer look at how associates help health departments respond to urgent threats and protect communities.