Links to information about the internship, FAQ and application. Stipend: $5000 for undergraduate students; $6000 for graduate students. Application closes: January 30, 2026.

OHIP interns are expected to be available for the entire nine week project. If you are not available for the entire period, talk to the OHIP Site Coordinator prior to accepting an offer to participate in the program. Priority will be to place students who are able to commit to the entire summer session. You will not be admitted if you cannot attend the initial orientation and training.

Time commitment: June 15-August 15, 2026, including a 3-day orientation in Los Angeles from June 16-18 (travel is paid by OHIP for students to attend orientation, but not paid to travel to internship location).

OHIP is a national summer internship dedicated to helping you learn about the field of occupational safety and health from those with most at stake: working people.

The Occupational Health Internship Program (OHIP) is a full time, paid summer internship designed to link the skills and interests of students with the needs of workers employed in an under-served or high hazard job. Teams of two interns are assigned to a union or worker organization where they receive supervision from a designated staff member and an academic mentor. The 2026 OHIP training sites are Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Durham, NC, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and San Francisco Bay Area. Additional sites may be announced after the opening of the application period.

​Work on a Multidisciplinary Team

Students are matched with projects based on specific language or technical skills, as well as their experience or interest in working with worker organizations or unions. Typically a graduate student is paired with an undergraduate student. Most teams include students from different disciplines.

Investigate Health and Safety Concerns

Each team project is designed to maximize contact between workers and interns to learn about the hazards and other realities of work. As part of the process of researching hazards, interns interview workers, conduct focus groups, attend union/worker organization meetings, and observe workers on the job. As a result, students gain an understanding of the complexity of the work environment and learn about the importance of health and safety in relation to work.

Ultimately teams identify and document health and safety problems and recommend ways to reduce or eliminate hazards. In return, interns provide workers and unions/worker organizations with concrete information about hazards or health and safety concerns that they can use to build and strengthen their efforts to prevent job injury and illness.

Build Friendships, Meet OSH Professionals, Land a Job!

Experience friendships created by working together to tackle important  problems. Meet other students striving to integrate their academic and political interests into their life’s work. Build camaraderie through team meetings, periodic seminars, and activities held over the summer. Connect with people that have dedicated their careers to improve working conditions for an ever changing workforce. Attend local, state-wide, and national events where job opportunities may arise.

Eligibility

Please review the Eligibility Section of the FAQ Page before beginning the application.

Who Can Apply?

Undergraduate students enrolled in an accredited college or university who will have completed at least two years of college (i.e. juniors and seniors only) by the OHIP summer and students enrolled in graduate programs are eligible to apply. Recent graduates cannot be out of school for more than six months prior to the start of OHIP (i.e. for summer 2026, students are not eligible if they graduated prior to December of 2025).

Our funding agencies do not allow us to provide internships to anyone considered post-doctorate (i.e. anyone who has an MD or a PhD by the summer of 2026 is NOT eligible for OHIP). In addition, we cannot offer positions to students who have doctorate degrees and are now pursuing a graduate degree (i.e. MD or MBBS pursuing an MPH).

For additional information, email Paola Henderson phenderson@aoec.org