PAHO Internships

Organizational Context

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Job Purpose

This generic internship roster, published twice a year, allows candidates to apply for in-person or virtual internships across PAHO offices, selecting up to two areas of interest. PAHO, as the specialized international health agency for the Americas and the Regional Office for the Americas of WHO, offers internships at its headquarters, country, and regional offices. The program aims to provide students with practical work experience, expose them to PAHO's operations, and offer assistance to PAHO programs, primarily in health-related fields, but also in areas such as communication, external relations, finance, or human resources.

Responsibilities

Under the supervision of a technical expert, interns are assigned a project based on agreed terms of reference. Responsibilities typically include reviewing literature and conducting surveys, undertaking web research and data collection, organizing data and documents, participating in the development of tools and guidelines, assisting in drafting, formatting, and editing policy briefs, tool kits, guides/manuals, hand-outs, brochures, and reports, assisting in organizing workshops, meetings, conferences, and events, and participating in on-going departmental projects.

Work Experience

Depending on the area of interest, relevant experience may include research and/or drafting reports, academic work or research in the subject area, field and/or developing country experience, or experience with data analysis, statistical packages, and the design of graphical displays for health information. Familiarity with specialized computer programs may also be an advantage.

Skills

Core competencies include teamwork, respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences, and communication. Interns should demonstrate effective oral and written communication, willingness to learn from mistakes, ability to produce quality results, and collaborative teamwork. Familiarity with commonly used computer programs (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is required. Knowledge of specialized computer programs (e.g., statistical software like XLStat) may be an advantage.

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