CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy
CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy
CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy
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Host a Student Team

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Become a Preceptor

We welcome the chance to partner with you! Preceptors play a vital role in mentoring Community Health MPH students and shaping the next generation of public health professionals. In return, you gain valuable support from highly skilled students trained in research design, program planning, evaluation, data analysis, health communications, policy research, and more.

What is the Community Health Practice Collaborative?

The Community Health Practice Collaborative or “collab” is an opportunity for you to work with a team of 3-5 students over two consecutive academic terms (Fall-Spring or Summer-Fall) on a dedicated project or series of projects. Each student would complete 180 hours with your organization over the two terms to meet this requirement of their MPH in Community Health degree.

Projects can take place remotely, in person, or in a hybrid format, and must result in at least two concrete deliverables for each student. This experience allows students to apply classroom learning in real-world settings—developing, managing, evaluating, or leading evidence-based public health projects while earning academic credits.

Projects are developed prior to the start of the semester. When the semester begins, students are matched with projects based on their preferences and qualifications. In the 2nd week of the semester, the course instructor will introduce you to your team. You take the lead from that point forward, but the course instructor remains available to support you and the team every step of the way.

For more details, please review our Community Health Practice Collaborative information packet.

Who can host a student?

Host sites include organizations that research, provide, plan, coordinate, fund, or regulate public health services. These may include:

  • Government agencies

  • Hospitals or clinics

  • Community-based organizations

  • Policy think tanks or consulting firms

  • Research institutions

  • Advocacy groups

  • Global health organizations

  • For-profit institutions with a public health mission

What kinds of students will I be working with?

The students you will be working with are all MPH students studying Community Health at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, and typically have the following characteristics:

  • Majority are working professionals; of those employed, 77% are working full-time
  • Average age is 26
  • 8-10% international students
  • 3-5 years of professional experience prior to CUNY SPH
  • Broad range of professional backgrounds, including health, social sciences, natural sciences, business etc.

What types of projects are appropriate?

Collab projects must offer students the opportunity to contribute to real, meaningful public health work. Projects may focus on program planning, implementation, applied research, community health education, advocacy, or other appropriate public health-related efforts. 

All projects should be structured, skills-based, and aligned with the competencies of the student’s degree program. We would be happy to meet with you to discuss your project idea and how best to scope the work for a team of 3-5 students.

To ensure a strong learning experience, projects should:

  • Address a public health issue or goal
  • Be achievable within the timeframe of 180 hours per student
  • Include clearly defined activities and deliverables
  • Support the students’ academic and professional development

By the end of the collab experience, each student is expected to complete at least two substantive deliverables for the host site. You can view examples of past collab projects here.

  1. Community-Tailored Vaccine Communication & Data Distribution in Upper Manhattan
  2. Expanding Access to Sexual & Reproductive Health & Mental Health Services for CUNY Students in the Bronx
  3. Removing Unhealthy Food and Beverage Advertising on the MTA Campaign
  4. Interventions for LGBTQ+ Youth in the US Child Welfare and Foster Care Systems
  5. Understanding Young People’s Experiences of Sexual Agency in the US
  6. Improving Medical Intake Processes for Asylum-Seeking & Refugee Patients
  7. Developing a Policy Guide and Implementation Strategies for Expanding Medication Abortion Access on College Campuses
  1. Literature reviews or systematic reviews
  2. Needs assessments and asset mapping
  3. Survey design, implementation, analysis, and reporting
  4. Key informant interviews and recruitment protocols
  5. Environmental scans and stakeholder analyses
  6. Database creation and cleaning
  7. Workflow analysis and process improvement diagrams
  8. Policy briefs, memos, or legislative tracking
  9. Social media toolkits, infographics, or community-facing health education materials
  10. Program logic models and evaluation frameworks
  11. Statistical analysis using SPSS or Excel
  12. Monitoring and evaluation reports
  13. Grant proposals or budget/resource planning tools
  14. Health risk assessments related to environmental or occupational exposures
  15. Strategic planning documents or implementation roadmaps
  16. Advocacy strategies, stakeholder maps, or testimony drafts
  17. Training guides, onboarding materials, or facilitator handbooks
Late March – Aug 15 Work with CUNY SPH staff and faculty to develop a project proposal, designate a point person, and identify additional requirements for the student team (required vaccinations, documentation, required background checks, etc.).
Aug 26 Course begins
Aug 30 – Sep 3 Prepare relevant background information about the project to share with the student team.
Sep 9 Student teams finalized
Sep 9 – Sep 15 Orient the student team to your project and work with student team to complete any additional requirements (required vaccinations, documentation, required background checks, etc.) needed to conduct project work.
Sep 15  –  Dec 13 Project leadership (approximately 2 hours per week); provide feedback on the student team’s project outline.
Dec 13 Provide feedback to student team and CUNY SPH faculty
Dec 20 End of Fall Semester
Jan 28 Start of Spring Semester
Jan 28-May 2 Project leadership (approximately 2 hours per week); provide feedback on the student team’s project outline.
End of May Attend student team’s presentation and provide feedback.
May 9 Provide feedback to student team and CUNY SPH faculty
May 20 End of Spring Semester
Timeline
Host Organizations
Late February– May 15
Work with CUNY SPH staff and faculty to develop a project proposal, designate a point person, and identify additional requirements for the student team (required vaccinations, documentation, required background checks, etc.).
June 1
Course Begins
June 1- June 7
Prepare relevant background information about the project to share with the student team.
June 7
Student Teams Finalized
June 7- June 14
Work with student team to complete any additional requirements (required vaccinations, documentation, required background checks, etc.) needed to conduct project work.
June 14- July 31
Project work (approximately 2 hours per week); provide feedback on the student team’s project outline.
July 31
Provide feedback to student team and CUNY SPH faculty
July 31
End of Summer Semester
August 26
Start of Fall Semester
August 26- December 10
Project work (approximately 2 hours per week); provide feedback on the student team’s project outline.
December 14 or 21
Attend student team’s presentation and provide feedback.
December 22
Provide feedback to student team and CUNY SPH faculty
December 22
End of Spring Semester

Frequently Asked Questions

You can submit a project description or idea at any time during the academic year by completing this form and/or emailing it to oel@sph.cuny.edu. We typically meet with potential preceptors to refine project ideas in the spring for the Summer-Fall Cohort and in the spring and summer for the Fall-Spring Cohort.

Yes. We provide a Community Health Practice Collaborative Project Info Form to help structure your project, which you can access here.

Yes. Projects can be in-person, hybrid, or fully remote. Make sure to clearly state the format in your description.

Email oel@sph.cuny.edu who will make sure that your question gets to the right place.

Many of our master’s programs offer this option. Learn more about those fieldwork opportunities.

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