The WHO Health Emergencies Internship 2026 is a full-time, 24-week placement at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. The internship supports the Medical Countermeasures Unit within the Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Management. Participants will contribute to research, data analysis, technical documentation, meeting preparation, and projects related to vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics used during health emergencies.
Programme Snapshot
Programme: Internship – Health Emergencies
Category: Internship
Host: World Health Organization
Department: Epidemic and Pandemic Management
Unit: Medical Countermeasures Unit
Country: Switzerland
Location: Geneva
Format: Full-time
Duration: 24 weeks
Internship Period: 5 October 2026–19 March 2027
Application Deadline: 31 July 2026
Financial Support: Living allowance, lunch vouchers, and insurance coverage
About the WHO Health Emergencies Internship 2026
The internship is connected to WHO’s work on medical countermeasures for epidemics, pandemics, and other public health emergencies.
Medical countermeasures may include vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics, and related technologies. The selected intern will support projects intended to strengthen research, documentation, coordination, and technical work in these areas.
The placement is designed to provide students and recent graduates with practical exposure to WHO’s technical programmes. WHO’s wider Internship Programme aims to help participants develop knowledge and experience while contributing to public health work.
Programme Focus
The intern will support the Medical Countermeasures Unit through research and project-based assignments.
The work may cover scientific information, emerging medical products, relevant technologies, technical documents, and activities involving vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics.
The internship also involves preparing materials that can support meetings, publications, programme activities, and technical discussions.
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Internship Responsibilities
The selected intern may contribute to the following activities:
• Conduct literature reviews and mapping exercises on medical countermeasure products and emerging technologies.
• Collect, organize, and analyse data and documents for manuscripts related to medical countermeasures.
• Prepare background documents and supporting materials for meetings.
• Draft, format, and edit policy briefs, toolkits, guides, hand-outs, brochures, and reports.
• Assist with the organization of workshops, conferences, meetings, and other events.
• Participate in unit projects involving vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics, and related medical countermeasure portfolios.
Learning and Professional Exposure
The internship provides practical exposure to research and technical work within an international public health organization.
Through the assigned activities, the intern may strengthen skills in:
✓ Literature research and evidence review
✓ Scientific and technical writing
✓ Data collection and analysis
✓ Preparation of meeting materials
✓ Development of reports and policy-related documents
✓ Coordination of workshops and technical events
✓ Public health emergency preparedness
✓ Medical countermeasure research and product mapping
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Who Can Apply?
Applicants must have completed the equivalent of at least three years of full-time university studies before beginning the internship.
They must also meet one of the following academic-status conditions:
• Be enrolled in a course of study at a university or equivalent institution leading to a formal qualification.
• Have recently completed a formal qualification and apply within 18 months of graduation.
WHO’s general internship requirements also state that applicants must:
• Be at least 20 years old on the date of application.
• Hold a valid passport from a WHO Member State.
• Not be related to a WHO staff member.
• Not have previously participated in the WHO Internship Programme.
Relevant Academic Fields
The vacancy is intended for candidates studying or recently graduated from a relevant field.
The listed academic areas include:
• Medicine
• Biology
• Bioinformatics
• Microbiology
• Virology
• Biochemistry
• Medical sciences
• Information sciences
• Statistics
• Public health
• Another closely related field
Skills and Language Requirements
Expert knowledge of English is required.
Intermediate knowledge of French or another United Nations language is desirable.
Applicants should also be able to work with commonly used computer programmes, including:
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft PowerPoint
Knowledge of analytical or statistical tools such as R or XLStat may also be useful for the assigned research and data-related activities.
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Financial Support and Internship Conditions
WHO interns do not receive a salary. However, financial and insurance support is available under the Internship Programme.
Confirmed support for this placement includes:
✓ A living allowance
✓ Lunch vouchers valued at CHF 20 for each working day in Geneva
✓ Accident insurance coverage
✓ Medical insurance coverage
The final living-allowance assessment may depend on the intern’s financial circumstances and any external financial support they receive. WHO requires selected candidates to complete a financial disclosure process before determining eligibility for financial assistance.
Documents Required Before the Internship
Candidates should not send documents unless WHO specifically requests them.
Before an internship offer is finalized, selected candidates may be required to provide:
• Proof of enrolment in an eligible course of study or proof of completion of their latest qualification.
• A completed WHO medical certificate confirming fitness for work.
• A Declaration of Interests form, including information about financial support.
• Any additional documents requested during the recruitment process.
How to Submit an Application
Applications must be submitted through WHO’s online recruitment system.
Applicants should:
• Open the official vacancy notice.
• Create a WHO Careers profile or sign in to an existing account.
• Review the vacancy requirements carefully.
• Complete the online employment and education profile.
• Provide accurate information about qualifications, experience, achievements, and competencies.
• Submit the application before the closing date shown in the recruitment system.
WHO notes that closing times are displayed according to the system settings of the applicant’s device. Applications received after the stated deadline are not accepted.
Selection Process
WHO reviews applications against the requirements of the vacancy.
Only applicants under serious consideration are normally contacted for further assessment. The selection process may include one or more screening stages and a competency-based interview before a placement is offered.
Application Deadline
The application deadline for the WHO Health Emergencies Internship is:
31 July 2026
Applicants should check the closing time displayed in the WHO recruitment portal because it may reflect their device and local time settings.
Apply Here
Review the official internship details and follow the application instructions provided on the WHO Careers page.
