To understand the role public health students play in response to COVID-19 despite cuts in funding for graduate student emergency response programs (GSERPs), we reviewed the websites of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, Council on Education in Public Health, and individual schools and programs to identify student participation in COVID-19 response activities. Thirty schools and programs of public health are supporting public health agencies in response to COVID-19, primarily through the provision of surge capacity (n = 20, 66.7%), contact tracing (n = 19, 63.3%), and training (n = 11, 36.7%). The opportunity to participate in formal and informal applied public health experiences like practica, service-learning, and field placements can benefit both public health students and agency partners. Although recent publications have identified gaps in academic public health response to COVID-19, in part due to the cessation of funding for workforce development and other university-based programs in public health preparedness, schools and programs of public health continue to support public health agencies. Future funding should explicitly link public health students to applied public health activities in ways that can be measured to document impacts on public health emergency response and the future public health workforce.
Keywords: COVID-19; Public health preparedness; Public health students; Public health workforce; Surge capacity.