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Bay Area Community Health Fellows Program:

Information for Host Organizations

Partner with UC Berkeley Public Health to Expand Your Community Impact

Community-based organizations, local public health agencies, and community health non-profits are the backbone of our local communities. Through the Bay Area Community Health Fellows Program, eligible organizations in San Francisco, Alameda County, and Richmond gain graduate-level support over the summer for key projects while training the next generation of public health leaders.

Priority Topic Requirement: To qualify as a host partner, proposed fellow projects and practicums must address one or more of our four designated focus areas:

  • Homelessness
  • Addiction and recovery
  • Mental health
  • Community violence
A person stands in front of Public Health Department building signage, wearing a staff badge.

Why Partner With Us?

  1. Access high-caliber talent: Work with UC Berkeley MPH students trained in program design, communications campaigns, quantitative and qualitative analysis, policy development and other key skills and subjects.
  2. Increase project capacity: Get help executing high-priority initiatives within our four priority topic areas. Projects might focus on designing and launching a new initiative, conceptualizing and implementing needs assessments, or examining the impact of existing programs using qualitative or quantitative approaches.

What Makes a Great Host Project?

We seek host partners in San Francisco, Alameda County, and Richmond offering meaningful, action-oriented public health opportunities centered on our focus areas. Sample host projects might include:

  • Conducting qualitative or quantitative community health needs assessments on housing insecurity, mental health service access, or harm reduction strategies.
  • Designing, implementing, or evaluating community-based interventions addressing mental health access, violence prevention, or addiction and recovery support.
  • Developing policy proposals, legislative analyses, or advocacy plans for programs addressing homelessness, mental health, or community violence.
  • Creating health communication toolkits and community engagement strategies in the four focus areas.

Host Organization Requirements

  • Serve communities within the City and County of San Francisco, Alameda County (or its municipalities), or the City of Richmond.
  • Offer a practicum project centered on homelessness, addiction and recovery, mental health, or community violence.
  • Designate a primary supervisor (preceptor) who will mentor and guide the fellow.
  • Provide a clear, structured project scope focused on a high impact opportunity to improve health and outcomes in one or more of the four focus areas.
  • Participate in brief midpoint and final project check-ins with the UC Berkeley team.
  • Not eligible for this opportunity but interested in partnering with our students? Explore opportunities to host a practicum during the summer or academic year by visiting our practicum hosting page: practicum.berkeley.edu (UC Berkeley School of Public Health, RISE Office).

Call to Action

To apply, submit an application by November 20 (application form will open October 1).

Sign up here for more information and updates, including upcoming info sessions for community partners.

Have more questions? View our host organization FAQs here.

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