2025 Public Health Laboratory Newsroom
INSPIRE Programs Bring Public Health Activities to Students

The Minnesota Department of Health is excited to announce the return of INSPIRE (Introducing Students to Public Health Initiatives Rooted in Experiences)! Earlier this spring INSPIRE halted programing due to budget concerns, but we were glad to bring the program back in September of 2025.  

Since September we have been in the process of contacting schools to bring our programming back inside classrooms. We are first focusing on schools for which we had to cancel visits in the spring and have thankfully been able to complete two of those visits already. We have several others on the calendar coming up throughout the winter and spring as well.  

The INSPIRE program does more than go into classrooms. We have a commitment to bring our outreach programming to all areas of the community. In early 2026 we are partnering with Ramsey County for their Young Adult Career Academy event. At this event we will be showcasing career opportunities in public health and more specifically public health laboratories.  

In December, we partnered with Carleton College as it hosted a Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) lab team for a virtual talk with over 50 first and second-year students exploring careers in health and applied sciences. The Carleton students did “career externships” that consisted of four-day virtual experiences designed for first-year and sophomore students beginning their career journeys. Students chose from one of six industry-focused tracks, each designed to provide a rich foundation for early career exploration.  

We look forward to continuing our current partnerships and forging new ones along the way!

Please contact Ashley Riskedahl at ashley.riskedahl@state.mn.us with questions about INSPIRE programs.   

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