Student-run Organizations
Extracurricular activities are an important part of student life at the Yale School of Public Health. Many students enhance their academic studies with applied public health experiences in the community through groups such as the HAVEN clinic, PAWS or the Student Consulting Club. Affinity groups, intramural sports, and professional organizations also provide opportunities to come together to share in the Yale experience and expand your social and professional network across the University.
YSPH Student-run Organizations
- Student Association of Yale School of Public Health (SAYPH)
SAYPH is organized by YSPH students for YSPH students. SAYPH works to enhance the experience of each student at YSPH by sponsoring educational and social activities, providing a forum for students’ ideas and concerns, and acting as a liaison between students and the administration. Through SAYPH, students get involved in many areas including the following:
- Student clubs and organizations
- Professional development and alumni relations
- Community service and social events at YSPH and in the greater community
- Health and wellness promotion
- Recruitment of new students to YSPH
- New student orientation and commencement activities
SAYPH is led by an Executive Board consisting of a president, professional development chair, treasurer, alumni engagement chair, social chair, community service chair, and communications chair. There are also MPH departmental student representatives, PhD representatives, and MS representatives. Each department elects students to act as a liaison between students, faculty, and administration. All SAYPH positions are filled through a school-wide nomination process that takes place annually.
2023-2024 SAYPH Board:
- President: Hannah Scott
- Vice President: Gabriela Mendoza Cueva
- Treasurer: Julianne Lee
- Communications: Liv Gotte
- Professional Development Chair: Kaitlyn Maurais
- Community Engagement Chair: Saira Prasanth
- Social Chairs: Sydney Jones and Ellery Neiderer
- Alumni Engagement Chair: Jillian Hornbeck
- PhD Representative: Savanna Randi
- MS Representatives: Huangrui Chu and Zihan Chen
- American College Of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)
American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) is an international professional society of 40,000 healthcare executives who lead hospitals, healthcare systems and other healthcare organizations. ACHE's mission is to advance our members and healthcare management excellence. Yale ACHE offers networking, education, and career development to students aspiring to pursue healthcare management roles at Yale SPH, SOM, Nursing, Medical School, and the PA program. In the past few years, there has been an average of 100 Yale ACHE chapter members. There will be a variety of ACHE events over the course of the year including speaker series events, chapter events, professional development events, and Connecticut/National ACHE events (CT ACHE Student Career Panel, ACHE Congress).
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- Addiction Medicine Collaborative (AMC)
The AMC is an interdisciplinary student organization among the Yale health professional schools that seeks to collaboratively enhance professional and public education concerning substance use; to promote and foster the interests of students, health professionals, and advocates for substance use assistance and recovery; and to encourage scholarly inquiry concerning substance use disorders as they impact health care professionals and the public that we seek to serve.
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- American Public Health Association (APHA) – Yale Chapter
Yale-APHA is the Yale chapter of the American Public Health Association, the oldest, largest, and most diverse organization for public health professionals across the world. The mission of Yale-APHA is to: 1) Foster professional and academic development of Yale School of Public Health students, 2) Develop relationships with undergraduate and graduate students with interests in public health and other allied-health professions and 3) Propagate the mission and goals of the American Public Health Association.
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- Black @ YSPH Student Association
Black @ YSPH Student Association is dedicated to fostering a sense of community for Black-identifying students at YSPH by advocating for the interests of Black students at YSPH, contributing to the personal, professional, and academic success of Black students, and developing a strong network of Black YSPH alumni.
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- Boosted FC
The mission of the YSPH Soocer Team is to unite our diverse community under a shared passion for soccer while promoting inclusivity and fostering health and wellness. Through the universal language of sport, the group aims to create a supportive and welcoming environment where all members, regardless of background or skill level, can come together to play, learn, and thrive. By emphasizing health promotion through sports, members seek to inspire active lifestyles, build strong connections, and champion the values of teamwork, respect, and camaraderie. Together, the group kicks for a healthier, more inclusive future.
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- Connecticut Hospice Advisory Board
To create a lasting, positive relationship between Yale University and The Connecticut Hospice through a diverse team of graduate student consultants. The Connecticut Hospice Advisory Board will consist of interested students from all health care or management related graduate programs and will attend to the various strategic planning and administrative needs of The Connecticut Hospice. The Connecticut Hospice will benefit from strategic recommendations and board institutional memory while students will benefit from meaningful project-based work.
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- Desi Students Alliance
The Desi Students Alliance is a South Asian cultural affinity organization dedicated to fostering belonging, pride, and intercultural understanding of South Asian roots and heritage at YSPH. We frequently partner with campus-wide Yale organizations such as YSPH DEI, Yale Chaplain's Office, South Asian Society, SAYPH to celebrate significant cultural events such as Diwali and Holi. We hope to build a home for members of YSPH, whether South Asian or non-South Asian, to participate in colorful intercultural events.
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- Disability Empowerment in Public Health at Yale - YSPH’s graduate cross-disability community (DEPHY)
DEPHY is an affinity group for all students at the School of Public Health who consider themselves to be part of disability community, including (but not limited to) Disabled students, neurodivergent students, students with physical disabilities, Deaf/ hard-of-hearing students, blind students, students with chronic illnesses, students with mental health conditions, other students who receive or would like to receive accommodations, and allies. The group embraces disability not just as a personal experience but also as a sociopolitical category, and seeks to provide a home for students in the disability community who locate their understanding of disability at any point along the spectrum of social and medical models of disability. DEPHY works in collaboration with disability affinity groups in other parts of the university to foster a sense of community among students with disabilities, share resources for navigating YSPH with a disability, advocate for members of our community, and promote structural transformation at YSPH for the inclusion of disabled students.
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- Emerging Majority Students Association (EMSA)
The EMSA is committed to creating and fostering a sense of community among minority/underrepresented students and students interested in the promotion of diversity and inclusion at YSPH. Our three-fold mission is to:
- serve as a platform for voicing the concerns and interests of minority students at YSPH,
- promote a multicultural, professional, and academic environment that enables us to address the health issues of minorities in the field of public health with an emphasis on the New Haven community, and
- collaborate with admissions toward raising the level of underrepresented minority/underrepresented student recruitment, admission, and retention at YSPH.
Contact:- Global Alliance for Public Health
The Global Alliance for Public Health strives to create a space for the academic and professional development of international students at the Yale School of Public Health and truly bring diverse and global voices to the public health field.
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- Graduate and Professional Student Senate
The Yale Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS) is made up of representatives from each of the graduate and professional schools. GPSS is the overarching student government meant to be a liaison between all the graduate and professional schools and Yale University.
The mission of GPSS is to foster interaction among students through community service, social gatherings, academic and professional events, as well as to enable official and unofficial student groups. The Senate also represents the graduate and professional student population on official university committees and oversees the management and maintenance of GPSCY and Gryphon's Pub.
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- Haven Free Clinic
The HAVEN Free Clinic is a student-run primary care clinic partnered with Fair Haven Community Health Center (FHCHC) and Yale University. Our model is unique in its interdisciplinary focus and inclusion of students from across the disciplines of medicine, nursing, physician assistants, and public health. Student volunteers are crucial to the operations of HAVEN and serve as interpreters, clinical care providers, health and nutrition educators, reproductive health counselors, researchers, and a variety of other functions. Medical visits are conducted by teams of senior and junior clinical students with guidance from faculty attendings. Since opening our doors in November 2005, we have conducted over 4000 adult patient visits. Last year alone we saw over 400 unique patients with over 300 student volunteers. Currently, we see an average of 40 patients per week. HAVEN operates Saturdays from 9a-12p out of the Fair Haven Community Health Center. Our programs are targeted to residents of the Fair Haven neighborhood. Our Vision: Every uninsured adult living in Fair Haven will have access to comprehensive quality healthcare. Students will develop a lifelong commitment to valuing social context and community needs in their future work with patients and communities.
- Health and Environment at Yale (HEY)
Health and Environment at Yale (HEY) is an interdisciplinary student group, linking students, staff, and faculty from across Yale, including the School of Public Health and the School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences. The members of HEY have a shared interest in bridging environment and human health and seek to forge connections with future colleagues from all disciplines. Throughout the year HEY holds social networking events, seminars with host speakers, journal clubs, career talks and movie screenings. Topics discussed include (but is not limited to): food security, vector-borne diseases and climate change, green spaces and mental health.
- Implementation Science Group at Yale (ISG)
The ISG aims to help students with interest in public health and healthcare services to gain a foundation in Implementation Science by exposing them to high quality implementation science research, training, programming/practice, and resources. At ISG, we aim to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice in public health and healthcare. Our goals are to:
- Attract student interest to Implementation Science
- Provide students opportunities to network in Implementation Science
- Help students identify careers in Implementation Science
Contact:- Indigenous Leaders in Public Health (ILPH)
ILPH operates on the values of kinship, compassion, culture, and humility to create a space for Indigenous students working in public health to network, support, and collaborate with one another. ILPH hopes to grow the Indigenous alumni network, facilitate professional development, and inform research and practice that occurs in and/or in regard to Indigenous communities locally and globally.
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- Neighborhood Health Project
The Neighborhood Health Project provides an educational opportunity for Yale health professions students to offer basic health screenings to low-income residents of New Haven, CT. Our services, which are located at a neighborhood food pantry, include patient interviews, blood pressure and blood glucose checks, BMI assessments and healthcare referrals.
- New Haven PAWS Project
The mission of the New Haven PAWS Project is to emphasize health equity by providing immediate solutions to foot health among those experiencing homelessness in New Haven. The PAWS Project engages the greater Yale community in events centered around foot health including foot washing services and shoe, sock, and hygiene kit giveaways.
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- Out in Public
Out in Public seeks to promote diversity and awareness at Yale School of Public Health by providing a platform for students to advocate for the needs and concerns of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community at YSPH and beyond, by creating a personal and professional network for the LGBTQIA+ community, and by organizing social and academic events aimed at fostering a sense of community at YSPH.
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- Plant-Based for Public Health (PB4PH)
Plant-Based for Public Health (PB4PH) at YSPH is dedicated to recognizing, amplifying, and celebrating the connection between nutrition, individual wellbeing, population health, animal welfare, and environmental health. PB4PH embraces the One Health perspective. We exist to empower individuals through education, community advocacy, and wholehearted inclusion to wield the power of accessible dietary and lifestyle choices for the promotion and progression of public health. We advocate for a healthier, more equitable, sustainable, and compassionate food system, and recognize that public health depends on the wellbeing of humans, animals, and the planet.
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- Public Health First-Generation & Low-Income Students
This group aims to create a strong community consisting of First-Generation & Low-Income Students at Yale School of Public Health. Our goals are to help with issues specific to First-Generation & Low-Income students. Influence policy at YSPH on behalf of poor & uneducated people. Create a sense of community for a historically overlooked and underrepresented population. And address classism within academia.
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- Preventative and Accessible Traditional Healing
The Preventative and Accessible Traditional Healing mission is to form a space that serves as a community for people interested in engaging with eastern medicine principles (Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine) as a way to empower themselves through knowledge of preventive medicine, balance, and connection to the natural world. The group aims to dispel stigmas surrounding eastern medicine and emphasize the power of symbiosis between eastern and conventional medical practices.
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- Public Health Innovation Exchange
Public Health Innovation Exchange (PHIX) connects YSPH students into the greater Yale entrepreneurial community and creates a supportive student working group to achieve entrepreneurial success. Goals include identifying key public health challenges as project(s) of interest; conceptualizing, pitching, and implementing commercial products; and empowering membership to creatively pursue novel and innovative solutions.
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- Reproductive Health Equity Now (RHEN)
RHEN at YSPH is a student-led group dedicated to advocating, mobilizing, and organizing around total reproductive healthcare equity on-campus, in the US, and globally. We recognize that as future public health professionals, we play a critical role in ensuring reproductive rights, access, and justice for all. Through peer-to-peer education, engagement, and action, collaboration with academic and community partners, and learning from the women and femmes of color at the forefront of this movement, we work to progress access to all reproductive healthcare—birth control, abortion, and gender-affirming care included.
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- Student Consulting Group
The Yale School of Public Health Student Consulting Group provides pro-bono consulting and public health practice to organizations in the Greater New Haven area and beyond while also creating opportunities for graduate students to advance their education, knowledge, and experience.
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- Student Recreation Programs
- The Yale Intramural program provides an outlet for athletic competition for the Yale community. All currently enrolled undergraduate students of Yale College and Yale Graduate & Professional Students are eligible for Intramural Sports (subject to some restrictions). The William Clay Ford Club Sports Program Clubs are open to all Yale undergraduate and graduate students (with a required ratio of 3:1 or greater); a few also accept staff, faculty, and alumni as "assistants." And most clubs are coed.
- Students for Sustainability and Waste Reduction at YSPH (SWAY)
SWAY works to shift the current consumption practices at YSPH through a BYO (bring your own) campaign to:
1) minimize the use of disposable items at catered events;
2) stop current unsustainable food/catering disposable item practices; and
3) support a model for Yale's transition to sustainable consumption and minimalist disposal patterns.
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- Violence Intervention Training, Advocacy and Education (VITAE)
VITAE, the Violence Intervention Training, Advocacy, and Education initiative at Yale School of Public Health, is a beacon of transformative action. VITAE stands as a cross-disciplinary force committed to curbing violence and injury through comprehensive strategies. The group's core purpose is to prevent violence and injury, fostering a society built on understanding, empathy, and proactive change.
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- Womxn of Color for Maternal & Child Health
Womxn of Color for Maternal & Child Health is a group led by womxn of color passionate about health justice for pregnant people, infants, children, and young people of color. Our mission is to:
- Facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue about health equity from a racial justice perspective,
- Elevate health narratives and health knowledge of people of color,
- Advocate for health policies and solutions alongside communities of color driven by their needs,
- Promote the integration of evidence-informed practices* and holistic healing practices,
- Provide training on combating racism as a root cause of health inequities, and
- Promote equitable engagement between the Yale community, New Haven community and beyond.
*Evidence gathered from both academic and non-academic sources, including peer reviewed articles and laypersons’ experiences
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- Yale Biostatistics Student Association (YBSA)
Yale Biostatistics Student Association (YBSA) is a student-run nonprofit organization committed to providing biostatistics education and knowledge to Yale communities. YBSA is also the official student chapter of the American Statistical Association at Yale University. YBSA aims to connect everyone who is passionate about biostatistics and help each member further explore their academic and career opportunities in biostatistics.
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- Yale Healthcare Conference
The Yale Healthcare Conference is a joint effort between YSPH, School of Management and the other Health Professional Schools at Yale. It’s a day-long event with more than 40 industry speakers, and brings together more than 450 professionals, academics, and students for one exciting day of dialogue about major issues in the healthcare industry. This is an entirely student-run conference, and opportunities for involvement and leadership roles include committee chair and volunteer positions in the following areas: recruitment and coordination of speakers, fundraising, logistics, marketing, and budget.
- Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law, and Ethics
- The Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law, and Ethics is a biannual publication of the Yale Schools of Law, Medicine, Epidemiology and Public Health, and Nursing. The Journal strives to provide a forum for interdisciplinary discussion on topics in health policy, health law, and biomedical ethics. It targets a broad and diverse readership of academicians, professionals, and students in medicine, law, and public health, as well as policy makers and legislators in health care.
- YSPH Moves: a Graduate Student Group
The mission of YSPH Moves: a Graduate Student Group is to create a vibrant and inclusive space where graduate students from all disciplines can come together to experience the joy of dance, and foster connections within the diverse Yale community. Through teaching a variety of dance styles, we aim to promote both physical and mental well-being. The group is dedicated to celebrating diversity, embracing unity, and encouraging self-expression, all while nurturing a sense of belonging.
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- YSPH Strength Training & Weight Lifting Student Group
YSPH Strength Training & Weight Lifting Student Group aims to create a network around strength training for novices and professionals alike. Strength training is an important part of health, and the knowledge of how to safely and efficiently participate in strength training should be shared within a community.
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