Charles B. Wang Community Health Center | Project AHEAD 2027

Project Asian Health Education and Development (Project AHEAD) is a 10-week, paid, summer internship program designed to provide training and firsthand experience to undergraduate students interested in pursuing healthcare careers. Project AHEAD 2027 will take place from Tuesday, June 1, 2027 through Friday, August 06, 2027. The program will be fully in-person and interns will spend time in both Flushing, Queens and in Lower Manhattan, New York.

Our goals are:

• To increase interns' interest in and awareness of the history and dynamics of the New York Asian American community, as well as the particular needs, challenges, and strengths of Asian American communities
• To provide exposure to community health and its various components, including primary care, social work, health education, programming, and research at a federally qualified health center
• To motivate the next generation of community health leaders to serve historically excluded communities and promote health equity
• To help interns develop a better understanding of themselves as individuals and as valued contributing members to their communities

The program consists of three primary components:

• Professional development (e.g., mentoring, resume review, mock interviews, etc.)
• Seminars and workshops on health-related topics and research skills led by CBWCHC staff and community partners
• Implementation of a team-based community health project on a preselected topic that supports the patients and communities served by CBWCHC. 

What is community health?
Community health focuses on the promotion, protection, and preservation of the social, emotional, mental, and physical health and well-being of individuals and communities. Achieving community health involves a wide range of activities, including but not limited to:

• Identifying health risks, needs, and strengths of communities through research and fieldwork;
• Developing, implementing, promoting, and/or evaluating programming, services, and other strategies to promote health and prevent diseases; and
• Advocating for communities on aspects related to health.

The community health project (CHP) may center on one of any of the above activities. At the end of the internship program, interns are expected to submit a research report and present their findings.   

Stipend:

Interns will receive a $5000 stipend for their successful completion of the summer internship program. This is a fully in-person internship program. Charles B. Wang Community Health Center (CBWCHC) will not be responsible for housing accommodation, food, or travel expenses. 

Requirements:

• An undergraduate student, currently attending a four-year college/university, and is in their second, third, or fourth year of college.
  • College courses completed during high school, AP, and IB credits do not count towards this one year of completed college.
• Must be interested in healthcare, health equity, community health, and serving historically excluded communities, including Asian American communities.
• Can commit to the full internship schedule of June 1, 2027 – August 06, 2027, Mondays to Fridays from 9am–5pm, including some early mornings, evenings and weekends. 
• Interns should expect to travel throughout New York City and occasionally spend time outdoors. 

We cannot accommodate international students or students who are studying temporarily in the United States with the intention of returning home after completing their studies.

Application Components and Deadlines:

Please review the following information about the application components and deadlines.

Project AHEAD applications require the following components:

1. Completed preliminary application form
2. A resume
3. Academic transcript(s)
4. Written responses to short answer questions
5. A letter of recommendation (LOR).

The preliminary application deadline is Sunday, December 13, 2026, 11:59 PM ET. Preliminary application forms are only accepted online via this application portal. Applicants will be asked to submit their resume and transcript(s) as part of the application form. You must submit the preliminary application form, resume, and transcript(s) by December 13, 2026, 11:59 PM ET, if you would like to be considered for the program. 

Once the preliminary application form is submitted, applicants will receive an email with next steps to submit their written short answer responses. Short answer responses must be submitted by Sunday, January 17, 2027, 11:59 PM ET. Applicants can find our short answer questions on the next page. 

We require one letter of recommendation (LOR) to support each application. Your recommendation writer will receive an email with next steps to submit the letter after your preliminary application form has been submitted. The letter must be submitted by Sunday, January 17, 2027, 11:59 PM ET. More details about accepted sources for the LOR can be found on the next page.

An application is only considered complete after all components have been received. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Prepare all your information before starting the preliminary application because there is no "save and return" feature.

For any questions, please contact the Project AHEAD team at projectahead@cbwchc.org.