Representatives from the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) will be looking for the next crop of public health professionals at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health spring career fair. The fair is set for Feb. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Emory Conference Center Hotel.

DPH recruiters and department representatives will be on hand to discuss opportunities for employment and internships with students and alumni of the school, which ranked sixth in the nation among schools of public health by U.S. News and World Report in 2011.

"We protect lives. Therefore, DPH seeks highly qualified candidates who meet the required education and skill requirements, have a heart to serve, and a passion for maintaining a healthy and safe Georgia," said Dwana Prince, DPH employee relations and staffing manager. "The Rollins School of Public Health is preparing students to use their knowledge to improve human well-being, and that is what DPH is all about."

Currently, DPH has more than a dozen full-time positions open across the department. Prince said the department benefits enormously from connecting with students and alumni at events like this one.

"Emory has a reputation for producing the top qualified MPH [master's in public health] graduates who might join our agency in the future. Participating in career fairs grants DPH an opportunity to present our agency and recruit the most enthusiastic and highly skilled candidates," she said.

The Office of Training and Workforce Development will also be at the fair recruiting students interested in internships at DPH. Emory is one of the local universities that partners with the DPH intern program to help train students into future public health professionals.

L'laina Rash, head of the DPH intern program, said her office will be looking for interns for the summer of 2013, when students are eligible to work full-time between school semesters. Any departments interested in having a summer intern should contact Rash with their request, including the project, objectives, supervisor and location for the internship. The deadline to request a summer intern is Feb. 15.