The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the General Counsel (OGC), Public Health Division (PHD) is currently accepting applications for two to three unpaid interns for the fall of 2021. PHD prefers interns that are available to work multiple days a week or a nearly full-time schedule. Students should be available from approximately the beginning of September to the end of November.
The internship takes place in our office located in Rockville, MD, and is accessible by the DC metro for those students commuting from DC proper. PHD, one of eight Divisions in OGC, provides legal advice and services to all the federal agencies within the Public Health Service. The clients we serve out of our Rockville office include the Indian Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the Health Resources and Services Administration, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Our work touches on a variety of public health matters, such as vaccine injury compensation, scientific misconduct, HIV/AIDS, community health centers, drug pricing, health workforce distribution and training, disease prevention, fitness and nutrition, organ transplantation, health care delivery for American Indians and Alaska Natives, mental health and substance use disorder issues, and the prevention of work-related injury and illness. Interns are exposed to the most current public health issues, such as efforts to address childhood obesity and severe mental illness, and combat the national opioid crisis. Work assignments most often involve legal research and writing, in addition to the possibility of some litigation support. Interns are assigned both a mentor and a writing coach and also have opportunities to attend client meetings with attorneys, listen in on calls, and attend training sessions.
Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, current resume, unofficial transcript, and a writing sample (limit 10 pages) to the attention of Cynthia Shabazz-Spurr, Management Analyst, at ogc-phdintern@hhs.gov. The due date for applications is March 25, 2021. Competitive applicants tend to be 2nd or 3rd year law students with a demonstrated interest in administrative or health law and superior academic credentials. Please note that law school graduates cannot be considered unless they are enrolled in a course of study, such as an LLM program. Applicants should email Ms. Shabazz-Spurr at ogc-phdintern@hhs.gov with any questions.