Academic Health Department

Public Health Practice & Global Engagement has formalized collaborative Academic Health Department (AHD) partnerships with the Washtenaw and Livingston County Health Departments. Students engage through the AHD for internships, short projects, class experiences, tours, and informational meetings with the health department. Learn more about the partnership activities and how to get involved.

Washtenaw County Health Department Partnership 

Livingston County Health Department Partnership

Washtenaw County Health Department (WCHD)

University of Michigan School of Public Health and WCHD have a long history of collaboration related to public health practice, education, and research. Learn more about the recent student opportunities from this partnership below:

  • Washtenaw County Health Department Tours: Students visit the health department and engage in conversation to learn more about governmental public health and how it works in the community. Tours are complete for the Winter 2026 semester. New dates will be available in Winter 2027.

Past flyer for tour dates at Washtenaw County Health Department

  • Emergency Preparedness Exercise: Fowl Play at the Fair (Saturday, March 21, 2026, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM). Join Public Health Practice & Global Engagement in partnership with Public Health Prepared and the Washtenaw County Health Department to immerse yourself in a series of real-life-based emergency scenarios alongside a diverse team of experts to tackle a fast-spreading virus while trying to protect the community. This engaging, hands-on emergency preparedness exercise simulation uses a One Health approach. You'll face the challenges of containing an outbreak while navigating the Incident Command Structure (ICS), communicating and working with health department staff, and keeping the community informed and calm. Don't miss this opportunity to learn valuable skills in this hands-on simulation! 

Public Health Preparedenss decorative flyer

  • Student Projects: 
    • Four student projects originated through the AHD partnership. Activities included curriculum development, fact sheet creation, and social media support.
    • This year, the partners went through strategic planning to further streamline the processes for connecting students with projects in future years.

Livingston County Health Department (LCHD)

The University of Michigan School of Public Health recently established a new academic health department partnership with the Livingston County Health Department (LCHD). This year’s accomplishments included:

  • Executing a 5-year memorandum of understanding
  • Placing three students for internships with LCHD
  • Establishing evaluation plans for the partnership
  • Working to finalize a data use agreement to further support student projects