Student Membership for Academic Programs
Give students meaningful ways to lead, contribute, publish, and engage with the field before graduation.
AHEA offers discounted student membership for academic programs seeking to extend professional development beyond the classroom. Students gain access to substantive leadership, applied experience, publication and recognition opportunities, member forums, and practical tools designed for the public health environment they are preparing to enter.
$75 per student annually · 20-student minimum
Student member benefits
AHEA was built for the public health environment students are preparing to enter now - one in which funding, roles, institutional priorities, and even the language available for discussing health equity are shifting quickly. Membership is designed not only to help students prepare for that environment, but to give them meaningful ways to lead, contribute, publish, and participate in the field before graduation.
Part of AHEA’s commitment to equity is reflected in how we structure participation within the association. We intentionally create opportunities for students to hold substantive leadership roles and contribute alongside more established professionals, rather than treating those experiences as something they must wait years to access. A student is currently serving on one of AHEA’s National Research and Insights Council, for example.
Students at other universities have shared positive feedback about opportunities such as serving as Campus Leads, taking on hands-on leadership through the People’s Health Project, and participating in member forums. What has stood out in those conversations is the value students place on having meaningful ways to participate, contribute, and engage with the field while they are still in school.
Taken together, AHEA membership gives students access to experiences that can otherwise be difficult to obtain early in a career - substantive leadership, applied work, publication, professional visibility, and a voice in larger conversations shaping the field - while helping them prepare for a public health environment that is changing rapidly.
Specific student benefits include:
Leadership through the AHEA Leadership Network, including the opportunity to serve as an AHEA Campus Lead as well as pursue local, state, and national leadership roles. These roles give students substantive opportunities to develop and demonstrate leadership within a national professional association.
Applied, real-world leadership through the People’s Health Project, AHEA’s community action arm. Students can take part in hands-on initiatives and public-facing work, assume meaningful responsibilities, and gain experience helping move health-equity priorities from ideas into action. For example, students led a People’s Health Project campaign focused on period poverty, demonstrating the kind of substantive, real-world leadership AHEA aims to make accessible early in a career.
Member forums and facilitated conversations that create space for candid discussion about the challenges, decisions, and changing conditions people are navigating across public health and health equity. Students participate alongside people at different stages of their careers, giving them access to perspectives and conversations that extend beyond the classroom.
Publication opportunities through Cases in Health Equity Practice, giving members a way to turn applied work, ideas, and real-world experience into contributions for a broader professional audience. In the near future, additional opportunities will be available through AHEA’s indexed and peer-reviewed American Journal of Health Equity.
Professional recognition and visibility through Profiles in Health Equity Practice and other AHEA initiatives that create opportunities for members and their work to be recognized beyond their home institutions. Eligible student members may also request an AHEA Graduation Cord to recognize their participation in AHEA.
A voice in understanding and documenting the state of the field through national pulse surveys, member input, and the State of Health Equity Report, giving students opportunities to contribute to a broader picture of what professionals, organizations, and communities are experiencing as the health-equity landscape changes.
The Strategic Messaging tool, which helps members strengthen personal, professional, and organizational communication for complex and changing environments while preserving their underlying intent and credibility.
The Career Positioner tool, which helps members clarify transferable strengths, reframe experience for evolving roles and sectors, and strengthen how they present themselves professionally.
The Evidence in Practice tool, which helps members identify relevant PubMed evidence and translate research findings more efficiently into practical public health application.
Expanded member access to AHEA’s tool suite, along with new leadership, publication, recognition, and engagement opportunities introduced during the membership year.