WHO Internship Program 2026 in Switzerland
The Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Management (EPM) advances global efforts to prevent and control existing and emerging infectious diseases by increasing access to evidence-based interventions; fostering impactful innovation; and leveraging technical, operational and strategic partnerships.
In addition, EPM develops global mechanisms to facilitate coordination and collaboration between countries and multi-sectoral partners for catastrophic events of natural, accidntal or deliberate origin.
The Medical Countermeasures Unit holds multiple portfolios including supporting countries to prepare for pandemic medical countermeasure deployments through use of influenza medical countermeasures; the International Coordination Group on Vaccine Provision (ICG), the mechanisms that manages and coordinates provision of emergency vaccine supplies and antibiotics to countries during major outbreaks; the WHO BioHub which serves as the mechanism for voluntary sharing of biological materials with epidemic or pandemic potential; and the i-MCM-Net which is a network of networks that aims to ensure equitable and timely access to life-saving interventions and biological materials during an outbreak.
Given the increasing frequency and impact of pandemic and major epidemic-prone pathogens, there is an urgent need to better prepare for potential future pandemics and to bring coherence to the current medical countermeasures landscape, which is complex and fragmented across pathogens (COVID-19, mpox, ebola, pandemic influenza, novel coronaviruses, disease X and others) and tools (i.e. vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics).
The MCM ecosystem is diverse, encompassing a broad and complex network that spans across distinct functional areas (such as research and development, manufacturing and procurement), geographical regions and phases along the health emergency cycle.
Access to medical countermeasures is one of 5 systems identified in many international reviews of the COVID-19 response and in the WHO Health Emergency Preparedness, Response and Resilience (HEPR) Framework.
The other 4 systems are: surveillance, community protection, clinical care, and emergency coordination.
The access to countermeasures subsystem (HEPR Subsystem C4) is a key element in the HEPR architecture as the ability to test, treat and protect communities during health emergencies depends on timely, sufficient and equitable access to medical countermeasures (MCM), such as diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccines, medical devices and medical equipment.
Overview
- Type: Internship
- Organization: World Health Organization (WHO)
- Location: Geneva, Switzerland
- Duration: 24 Weeks
- Eligible Countries: All
- Internship Dates: 5 October, 2026 – 19 March, 2027
- Deadline: 31 July, 2026
Benefits
WHO interns receive several benefits during the internship, including:
- Monthly living allowance (1680 CHF per month)
- Daily lunch vouchers
- Medical insurance coverage
- Accident insurance
Internship Responsibilities
Interns will support WHO’s Medical Countermeasures Unit and may work on activities such as:
- Conducting literature reviews on medical countermeasures
- Researching vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics
- Collecting and analyzing scientific data
- Assisting in preparing technical reports and policy briefs
- Supporting workshops, conferences, and international meetings
- Preparing background documents for WHO programs
- Contributing to projects related to epidemic and pandemic preparedness
Learning Outcomes
During the internship, participants will gain practical knowledge of:
- WHO’s global health operations
- Medical countermeasure strategies
- Pandemic preparedness and emergency response
- Scientific research methodologies
- Data analysis and reporting
- International public health collaboration
- Policy development and technical documentation
Eligibility Criteria for WHO Internship Program 2026
Applicants should meet the following requirements:
- Open to all nationals.
- Have completed at least three years of undergraduate studies before the internship begins.
- Be currently enrolled in a university degree or have graduated within the last 18 months.
- Study in one of the following or a related field:
- Medicine
- Public Health
- Biology
- Biochemistry
- Microbiology
- Virology
- Bioinformatics
- Statistics
- Information Sciences
- Medical Sciences
- Demonstrate strong English language skills.
- Knowledge of French or another UN language is an advantage.
- Have good research, analytical, and communication skills.
- Be familiar with Microsoft Office applications.
- Experience with statistical software or scientific research is considered an advantage.
Required Documents
Applicants should prepare:
- Updated CV/Resume
- Academic transcripts (if requested)
- Proof of enrollment or graduation
- Motivation/Cover Letter
- Reference details (if requested by WHO)
Why Apply for the WHO Internship Program 2026?
- A WHO internship provides valuable exposure to international public health initiatives and allows participants to work directly with specialists tackling global health emergencies.
- Interns gain practical research experience, develop professional skills, and build international networks that can support future careers in public health, medicine, research, and international organizations.
Dead line: July 31, 2026