The Public Health College Corps is recruiting 150 college students, who are state residents and attend a university in Connecticut or out of state.

Quinnipiac will provide those selected with broad training in viruses and vaccines, community engagement principles and best practices, social and emotional intelligence, communications, public relations, and social media.

The selected students will engage in role playing sessions to build competency in asking questions, redirecting, and answering impromptu questions. The program is scheduled to run from July 19-Aug. 20.

Following their training, the students will be deployed for four weeks to work in communities where vaccination rates among those ages 18-24 are not as strong as their older counterparts, as identified by the state Department of Public Health.

The Public Health College Corps program is the result of a statewide working group comprised of representatives from public and private higher education institutions, seeking to support the state’s public health response to the pandemic. This initiative seeks to build off the momentum of the Connecticut College Corps, which received more than 1,100 applications in just two weeks.

Quinnipiac was selected to host this program because of its wide-ranging expertise in public health in its School of Medicine, School of Health Sciences and School of Nursing.

“Quinnipiac University is gratified to be virtually hosting the Public Health College Corps, an impactful example of peer learning in action,” Quinnipiac University President Judy Olian said. “We are pleased to be able to offer an educational platform informing 18-to-24 year-olds of the science around COVID-19 vaccines, and their effects on communities — protecting individuals who are vaccinated and those with whom they come in contact, and preventing further spread of the virus.”

Those interested in joining the Public Health College Corp should complete and submit this application by Friday, July 9. For more information, visit the CT Public Health College Corps Summer Program page on QU.edu or @CTCollegeCorps on Twitter.