
Many Duke Global Policy (DGP) Program in Geneva participants choose to complete an internship in addition to the Intensive Course Week.
The DGP Program offers students outstanding opportunities for career advancement and unparalleled access to the UN and other Geneva-based institutions.
Internships in Geneva are highly competitive. Although fellows are responsible for securing their own internships, the program uses its reputation and extensive network of contacts to assist students in obtaining internships. We work with accepted fellows to define internship goals, review cover letters, resumes and writing samples, facilitate application submission, and advise and prepare participants for their internships. The program also supports internship applications by meeting with potential host organizations to advocate on students' behalf and find the best internships possible.
Details

DGP Program Fellows complete an internship and intensive course in one of the DGP Program's two tracks.
The Intensive Course Week will take place Monday, June 26 through Friday, June 30, 2023. Internship supervisors are generally attracted to applicants who are available for longer periods (3 months), but shorter internships are acceptable in certain instances.
INTERNSHIP DATES
Students may determine the dates of their internship according to their schedule and their internship site's preferences. Students typically set their internship dates between early May and early September, depending on their academic calendar.
The Intensive Course Week is required for all students and will take place Monday, June 26 through Friday, June 30, 2023. Students will take a break from their internship and participate in the intensive course within their assigned global policy track.
Past Internship Placements
Global Health Track
- AVI Alliance
- WHO - Department of Research Policy & Cooperation
- WHO - Sexual and Reproductive Health
- WHO - Tobacco Free Initiative
- WHO - Patient Safety
- WHO - Ethics, Equity, Trade and Human Rights
- WHO - Mental Health and Substance Abuse
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi)
- UNAIDS
- WHO - Global Alert and Response
- WHO - Tropical Diseases Research (TDR)
- WTO - Intellectual Property, Government Procurement and Competition Division
Humanitarian Crises, Refugees & Human Rights Track
- International Organization for Migration (IOM)
- International Labour Organization - International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC)
- United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)
- United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
- The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
- United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OHCA)
- WHO - Tobacco Free Initiative
- WHO - Health Emergencies Programme (WHE)
SPECIAL NOTES
Global Health Track Fellows
Some of the Global Health internship sites (i.e. the World Health Organization) will accept interns who have limited schedules given the restrictive schedules of many MD students. This is the GH Track minimum program commitment:
- MD students - 9 week commitment (8 weeks for the internship + 1 week for the Intensive Course)
- MPH, MScGH, and all other Global Health applicants are required to make a minimum commitment of 11 weeks to the program (10 week internship + 1 week Intensive Course)
Other Track Fellows
Organizations where our HA fellows intern require students to have longer availabilities for their summer internship. This is the HCRHR Track minimum program commitment:
- Minimum Commitment: 11 weeks (10 week internship + 1 week course)
- 13 week commitments are preferred by internship organizations whenever possible (12 week internship + 1 week course)
Sample Internship Projects
- International Organization on Migration, Health and Migration department: Create internal document to advise health care providers on how to implement health assessments when offering HIV testing
- World Health Organization: Report drafting, event planning and liaising with conference stakeholders for the Tobacco Free Initiative
- World Health Organization - Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases: Survey development for institutions that use research networking tools, interviewing academic institutions and implementers of research networking tools
- World Trade Organization: Analysis of regional trade agreements