Healthcare

about the field

Healthcare professions are integral to creating a more equitable, accessible, and compassionate healthcare system. This field recognizes that health is not only an individual concern but a collective one, shaped by social, economic, and environmental factors. Healthcare professionals working in this area are committed to addressing health disparities, advocating for marginalized communities, and promoting wellness through inclusive, community-centered care.

These professionals, including doctors, nurses, public health experts, social workers, and community health organizers, work to improve health outcomes by partnering with communities to understand their unique needs and challenges. They emphasize prevention, education, and the social determinants of health—such as housing, education, nutrition, and access to healthcare services—as central elements in fostering healthier societies. Through grassroots initiatives, policy advocacy, and collaborative programs, healthcare professionals drive systemic change to eliminate health inequities and ensure that every community has the resources and support needed to thrive.

By involving community members in decision-making, designing culturally competent care models, and promoting health literacy, healthcare professionals empower individuals and communities to take ownership of their health. These efforts go beyond medical treatment, addressing the root causes of poor health and working toward long-term, holistic solutions that uplift entire communities. It challenges the status quo, ensuring that health is seen not only as a matter of individual well-being but as a collective social responsibility.

internships & Opportunties

national partners

The Bonner Foundation has partnerships with non-profit organizations and national agencies that provide opportunities such as internships, direct service, international experiences, summer placements, post-graduate fellowships, employment, and more to Bonner students, staff, and alumni in the Bonner Network. The following organizations have healthcare and wellness opportunities:

The Congressional Hunger Center works to make issues of domestic and international hunger a priority to policymakers in the U.S. government, and to raise a new generation of leaders to fight against hunger and poverty. Through the Zero Hunger Initiative, Bonners will be able to deepen their learning around issues of food security, hunger and poverty and be exposed to ways they can become more effective advocates for promoting policies that address food security and reduce hunger in their campus communities. The Congressional Hunger Center operates a summer internship program in Washington, DC and a post-graduate fellowship programs, the Emerson National Hunger Fellows Program, that trains, inspires, and sustains leaders. Fellows gain field experience fighting hunger and poverty through placements in community based organizations across the country, and policy experience through placements in Washington, D.C. The program bridges community-based efforts and national public policy, and fellows develop as effective leaders in the movement to end hunger and poverty.

Peer Health Exchange’s mission is to build healthier communities with young people. Together, they create education opportunities for peers to share the tools and resources young people need to make healthy decisions. Peer Health Exchange works with their partner to work toward advancing health equity and improving health outcomes for young people in under-resourced communities.

Students Recover seeks to reduce health and academic disparities and increase the successful matriculation of students in recovery that attend minority serving institutions, community colleges and trade schools that do not offer collegiate recovery programs.

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BONNER Graduate School PartnerS

The Bonner Foundation has partnerships with graduate schools and organizations that provide special benefits (e.g., partial- and full-tuition scholarships, application fee waivers) to Bonner students, staff, and alumni in the Bonner Network. The following graduate schools have offerings in healthcare and wellness:

Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) is the voice of accredited academic public health, representing schools and programs accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). ASPPH is a 501c3 membership organization located in Washington, DC. Our mission is to strengthen the capacity of members by advancing leadership, excellence, and collaboration for academic public health. Our members are CEPH-accredited schools and programs of public health as well as schools and programs in applicant status for CEPH-accreditation. ASPPH is partnered with the Bonner Foundation to provide eligible applicants with a $145 SOPHAS application fee waiver. Applicants should read the instructions under the Service-based Fee Waiver section, download the form and have a Bonner staff from your institution sign off.

The Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis believes that exploring the intersections in social work, public health and social policy creates stronger solutions to complex societal and health issues. Whatever your passion, our innovative programs, supportive community and top faculty will guide you to be an agent of change. The Brown School offers a Masters of Social Work, Masters of Public Health, and Masters of Social Policy. The Brown School has partnered with the Bonner Foundation to offer Dean Scholarships, a $40,000 tuition award, for two Bonner Scholar/Leader alumni. All Bonner Scholar/Leader alumni admitted to the program will be eligible for a minimum $10,000 annual tuition scholarship.

At the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, students learn to identify, analyze, and intervene in today's most pressing public health issues. The public health school's location in Atlanta, referred to as the "Public Health Capital of the World," is also home to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CARE; the national home office of the American Cancer Society; The Carter Center; the Arthritis Foundation; numerous state and regional health agencies; and the patient care, teaching, and health-related research programs of Emory University's Woodruff Health Sciences Center. This setting is ideal for hands-on research, collaborations with the world's leading public health agencies, and interdisciplinary work with national and international organizations. Our public health graduate program is community oriented, and many students bring actual problem-solving experiences with them. Our top-ranked public health program comprises six academic departments: behavioral sciences and health education, biostatistics, environmental health, epidemiology, health policy and management, and global health, and hosts over two dozen interdisciplinary centers. Bonner Scholar or Bonner Leader program participants and alumni who have successfully met the requirements of their scholarship/service and who have been admitted to the Master of Public Health or Master of Science of Public Health programs at the Rollins School of Public Health will receive as part of the financial aid package: $12,000 Rollins Earn and Learn Award, and $30,000 Tuition scholarships (distributed over the course of your degree program).

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bonner alumni in the field

Since 1990, the Bonner Program has graduated over 18,000 alumni who are continuing to make a social impact around the world.

Our 20th Anniversary survey (2010) indicates that about 65% of our alumni choose a career in government and non-profit sectors, often tied to their undergraduate service experiences. Nearly 80% still volunteer on a regular basis; over 90% voted in the last election. As Bonners take their service experiences into the professional world, they are leading social change through the lends of a service based education.

Many Alumni remain engaged in the Bonner Network by working for organizations that partner with the Bonner Program. Other Bonner Alumni work for organizations that seek out current Bonner students as interns and future employees. Furthermore, Bonner Alumni remain active by attending Bonner national conferences and sharing their expertise and passion for service.

To connect with Bonner Alumni, join the Bonner Alumni Network LinkedIn Group to find these alumni and many more.