Health Career Connection, Inc.

Health Career Connection, Inc., (HCC) is a national nonprofit organization that provides undergraduate students from under-represented or disadvantaged backgrounds with internship placements in health care and public health organizations.

The majority of students recruited by HCC are first-generation college students who come from low-income families and communities with limited resources to help them thrive in the workforce. Ultimately, HCC seeks to improve the health of populations by motivating and developing values-driven, capable, and diverse leaders and public health professionals. NYHealth awarded HCC a grant to support 5 10-week summer internships.

Under this grant, HCC matched five students to organizations suited to their career interests, including two internships that will be hosted at NYHealth. In addition, HCC convened interns within the same geographic areas through seminars and site visits that exposed participants to career possibilities postgraduation, fostered connections to role models, and provided an inside look at how health organizations operate. At their host organizations, students gained practical experience: they learned by applying existing and newly acquired knowledge to their tasks. Most importantly, students built relationships through mentoring and networking among peers, HCC’s team, and HCC’s partners, alumni, and professional networks.

In 2015, NYHealth awarded HCC a second grant to continue support for this initiative.