Developing a Community-Based Research Project Proposal to Build Public Health Educator Capacity: A Graduate Student Perspective

Abstract

This article is the author’s first-person perspective of completing an Applied Practice Experience (APE) at an accredited public health program. Graduate-level public health students in the United States are mandated by the Council on Education for Public Health to complete this supervised field experience to apply knowledge and concepts to real-world public health practice. For his APE, the author worked with a faculty advisor and two community groups to facilitate and submit a community-based participatory research grant proposal. This article discusses the author’s experiences before, during, and after the APE. The author outlines challenges and success of working on this applied project. The article concludes with implications for public health education specialists regarding experiential learning and applied practice experiences for graduate students.