Public Health Entomology for All

Internships and Fellowships at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

Do you want to protect all U.S. communities from vector-borne diseases like malaria, dengue, and Lyme disease? Would you like to learn about Public Health Entomology as a profession and learn applied entomological strategies to prevent and control vector-borne diseases that are transmitted to people by mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas? Apply for an internship or fellowship through Public Health Entomology For All, an exciting opportunity for current students or recent undergraduate graduates in the United States.

Applications for 2025 Internships and One-Year Fellowships are currently closed. Applications for Summer 2026 Internships will open in December. In the meantime, please fill out our 2026 PHEFA Internship Interest Form here.

About the Program

In partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Entomological Society of America (ESA) created the Public Health Entomology For All (PHEFA) program as we recognize entomology and ESA have a role in creating a workforce that can protect the United States from debilitating diseases carried by insects.

PHEFA Internships and Fellowships will encourage students and recent graduates to pursue entomology as a career and work toward a future in which all communities benefit from creative scientific processes and solutions.

Through PHEFA, ESA hires interns and fellows who have attended a college or university in the United States and are interested in entomology and public health. Interns and fellows work at the CDC Arboviral and Bacterial Diseases Branches in Fort Collins, Colorado, the Rickettsial Zoonoses Diseases Branch and Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Dengue Branch in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Learn more about public health entomology at the CDC from C. Ben Beard, Ph.D., Deputy Director, here.

One-Year Fellowships for Recent Graduates

Apply for a Fellowship

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will host PHEFA Fellows in its field offices in Fort Collins, Colorado; Atlanta, Georgia; and San Juan, Puerto Rico for one year beginning in summer 2025. Fellows will conduct research alongside experienced entomologists in CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases who are creating solutions to public health challenges, like Dengue, Zika virus, Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Fellows will learn about public health entomology as a profession and learn applied entomological strategies to prevent and control vector-borne diseases. 

Timing. PHEFA fellowships will last for one year. Fellows are expected to attend orientation starting May 27, 2025 and then will be able to arrange their start date with the CDC.

Location. CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases in Fort Collins, Colorado; Atlanta, Georgia; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Compensation. Fellows will be compensated as follows:

  • $28 per hour. Fellows will be expected to work 40 hours each week for 52 weeks (excluding federal holidays);
  • Membership in ESA for three years;
  • Fellows will be provided benefits (health insurance, dental insurance, and FICA withholding).

Application requirements.

  • Be currently enrolled in or have previously attended a college or university in the United States;
  • Have obtained a Bachelors or Masters degree within the last three years (including Spring 2025);
  • Be in academic good standing with a minimum GPA  of 2.75, or
  • Have graduated with a cumulative GPA of 2.75
  • Demonstrated interest in health equity.

Applicants will also be asked to provide general information and:

  1. Confirm present or former attendance at a U.S. college or university 

  1. Upload a transcript for each post-secondary academic institution attended (official or unofficial) 

  2. Upload a resume or CV 

  3. Provide two reference letters. At least one of the references should address your personal characteristics and how they may impact your success in PHEFA 

In addition, applicants for the one-year fellowship will need to:

  1. Review the four CDC billets below or research area description and identify which billet they are interested in and rank your selections in the questionnaire.

Application period/deadline. The PHEFA Fellowship application period is now closed. Incomplete applications, applications without reference letters, applications with reference letters received after the due date, and late applications will not be considered.

Questions? Please review the Public Health Entomology for All FAQs. For additional questions, contact Stacie East, ESA's Director of Equity and Grants, at seast@entsoc.org.

Internships for Current College Students

Apply for an Internship

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will host a total of six undergraduate students who have completed their junior year as PHEFA Interns in its field offices in Atlanta, Georgia; Fort Collins, Colorado; and San Juan, Puerto Rico, during the summer of 2025. Interns will work alongside experienced entomologists in CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases who are creating solutions to public health challenges, like Dengue, Zika virus, Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Consider applying for this internship even if you do not live or attend school near any of the locations, as housing will be provided at the host location. PHEFA Internships are paid, and ESA will provide one round-trip ticket to the location of the field office each intern is placed.

Approximate Timing. PHEFA internships will last 10 weeks during the summer of 2025. Interns are expected to attend orientation starting May 27, 2025 and will arrange the timing of their summer work with CDC, with consideration made to when their spring classes end and fall classes begin.

Location. Two PHEFA interns will be placed at a CDC Field Office in each of three locations: Atlanta, Georgia; Fort Collins, Colorado; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Internship applicants need to submit only one application to be considered for any of the locations. After initial interviews are conducted, applicants who continue in the application process will meet with a CDC representative to learn more about the individual offices and assignments.

Compensation. Interns will be compensated as follows:

  • $21 per hour. PHEFA Interns will be expected to work 40 hours each week for 10 weeks (excluding federal holidays);
  • 1 round-trip ticket to the location of the assigned field office;
  • Housing on a local college campus or a housing stipend;
  • A small stipend for meals; and
  • Membership in ESA for three years.

Application requirements. To be eligible, students must:

  • Attend a college or university in the United States
  • Have completed at least 3/4 of their undergraduate education
  • Demonstrate an interest in science and health equity
  • Be in academic good-standing

Applicants will be asked to:

1.  Confirm present or former attendance at a U.S. college or university

2.  Provide a transcript for each post-secondary academic institution attended (official or unofficial). 

3.  Upload resume or CV. 

4.  Provide two reference letters. At least one of the references should address the applicant's personal characteristics and how their characteristics may impact the applicant's success in PHEFA. 

Application period/deadline. The PHEFA Internship application period is now closed. Incomplete applications, applications without reference letters, applications with reference letters received after the due date, and late applications will not be considered.

Questions? Please review the Public Health Entomology for All FAQs. For additional questions, contact Stacie East, ESA's Director of Equity and Grants, at seast@entsoc.org.

Class of 2024

Meet the 2024 Class of Interns and Fellows

The Entomological Society of America congratulates the 2024 class of interns and fellows selected for the Public Health Entomology for All program.

Class of 2023

Meet the 2023 Class of Interns and Fellows

The Entomological Society of America congratulates the 2023 class of interns and fellows selected for the Public Health Entomology for All program. 

Learn about Christina Limbert, Leyham Leban, Kristen Joy Adkins, and Jamesia Henderson's experience as Public Health Entomology Interns and Fellows at the CDC.

Class of 2022

Meet the 2022 Class of Interns and Fellows

The Entomological Society of America congratulates the 2022 class of interns and fellows selected for the Public Health Entomology for All program. 

Learn about Tess Brown's experience as one of the six inaugural interns in "How a CDC Internship Set One Student's Sights on Entomology." Plus, learn about Jacoby Clark's experience as a fellow in "CDC Internship, Fellowship Program Enlightens Mentors and Mentees Alike."

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