Integrating service-learning into an MPH curriculum for future public health practitioners: strengthening community-campus partnerships.

Through a 3-year grant from the Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, the Virginia Commonwealth University MPH program adopted an incremental approach to implement service-learning focused on health disparities into its curriculum. We first incorporated service-learning into an elective course and then a required internship. We then worked with the Virginia Department of Health to develop a plan for first-year students to engage in additional experiential learning through a practicum.