The Arizona Center for Rural Health and U of A Zuckerman College of Public Health Rural Health Professions Program (RHPP) is a partnership with the Arizona Area Health Education Center (AHEC) and regional AHECs.
Service Learning
The core of our program is our offering of service learning courses. Service learning is built on the idea that experiential education, learning in the field instead of the classroom, builds a stronger understanding between students, faculty, and communities.
The overall goal of our program focuses on increasing the numbers of public health students who practice in rural and underserved communities in the state of Arizona.
» View our Service Learning Course menu
Our program also administers the AHEC Scholars Program, which is integrated with the RHPPs at the University of Health Sciences, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and with Arizona's regional AHECs.
If you participated in any one of the COPH RHPP service-learning courses during the 2024-2025 academic year or are a COPH RHPP AHEC Scholar, you are eligible to apply for financial support to fund a project based on your experience in the service-learning courses or as a Scholar. More information here.
RHPP Contacts:
To learn more about the program and courses please contact:
Service-Learning Courses
MILAGRO
Migration Inter-Professional Leading to Action and Growth
Community: Tucson and Southern Arizona
Participate in a collaborative humanitarian response to address migration in the borderlands of Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico. The course is taught by an interprofessional group of faculty and staff, in partnership with the Casa Alitas Migrant Welcome Center and community partners.
Community Engagement
Collaboratively respond to health disparities encountered by disadvantaged and marginalized communities. Learn along side different communities such as urban, rural, homeless, veterans, border region, immigrants, and farmworkers through community-based engagement and experiential learning in collaboration with the Primary Prevention Mobile Health Unit, Street Medicine.
Family and Child Health in Urban Settings
Community: Tucson
Explore current health and social policy and programs affecting families and children as you are immersed in the diverse organizations and communities that reflect the US-Mexico borderlands.
Border Health
Community: Yuma, Arizona – Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico.
Grab your passport and prepare for a binational, bicultural experience. Explore the role of public health advocacy in globalization, migration and health.
Rural Health
Community: Southeastern Arizona
Climate and Health focus
Through this immersion with community organizations serving the needs of small and rural communities in Southeastern Arizona, students will explore environmental health and the health issues related to climate, agriculture, through an environmental justice perspective.
COPH RHPP Summer 2025 Practicum Opportunities
If you participated in any one of the COPH RHPP service-learning courses during the 2024-2025 academic year or are a COPH RHPP AHEC Scholar, you are eligible to apply for financial support to fund a project based on your experience in the service-learning courses or as a Scholar.
Financial support is limited and can range between $1000-$2000 depending on the availability of resources and number of applications received. If more applications are received than can be financially supported with existing funds, the program will review the applications for alignment with the COPH RHPP goals, feasibility, and impact.
This support is provided as a stipend and is deposited into your student bursar account. This support is not available for students with a May 2025 graduation date as the work must be completed over the summer.
The work or project you undertake can be 1) with a community partner you worked with during the course and/or 2) with the instructor of the course. If students plan to work with a community partner, students are encouraged to reach out to the community partner and develop a project scope prior to submitting their application.
Applications are due on 6/2/2025 and you will be notified by 6/16/2025. Your project should be:
- Related to an aspect one of the RHPP service-learning courses (preferably the course you participated in)
- Able to be completed in 12 weeks and be submitted/finished by August 22, 2025
- Include a final deliverable (e.g., report, synthesis, analysis, or summary of work completed)
Please submit the application here.
If you have any questions, please contact Bryna Koch, brynak@arizona.edu