The Vermont Department of Health (VDH) is located in the heart of Burlington, Vermont on the shores of Lake Champlain. As the state’s largest city, Burlington has a wide range of activities to enjoy year round. If you are interested in hiking, skiing, snowboarding, boating, biking, running, or any other outdoor activities, you could not find a better place to live and work. Burlington is also home to 5 different colleges and universities that contribute to rich social and cultural offerings. From the well-developed local food movement to the ecologically-minded social norms, Burlington’s rating as Gallup Poll’s Happiest Small City only scratches the surface. Finally, Burlington is two hours from Montreal and just a few hours from Boston and New York City.
VDH provides a unique setting to practice public health. Our staff recognizes the challenges of public health in the 21st century, and Vermont is pushing the envelope as nimble, small states can do. Because our department is smaller than many other state health departments, working here provides opportunities to work across divisions that arise naturally, as many projects require diverse skill sets. This will allow you to meet key individuals in many divisions and contribute to projects that affect the department and state as a whole. Vermont also has a unique centralized structure not seen in most states: there are no autonomous local health departments. Instead, VDH staffs district offices throughout the state that drive community work and implement a wide range of VDH programs. With 500 employees and thoughtful leadership, VDH is not only a great place to practice public health; it plays a key role in Vermont’s consistent ranking at the top of America’s Health Rankings’ list of healthiest states.
