The Indian Health Service (IHS), the federal health program for American Indians and Alaska Natives, has announced job opportunities for civil and environmental engineers.
If you are looking for your next career opportunity and want to make a difference, consider joining the monthly virtual career fair for the Division of Sanitation Facilities Construction.
Each month, you will have the chance to connect directly with recruiters, learn about open positions within the Division, explore the benefits of working with the IHS, and have your questions answered live. Make sure to register today.
In September 2024, Melissa de Vera discussed her career at the Indian Health Service during an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Featurecast.
She noted that her journey was not straightforward. De Vera, a licensed professional engineer, currently serves as the Assistant Director of Management Operations for the Indian Health Service, Office of Environmental Health and Engineering, Division of Sanitation Facilities Construction.
De Vera explained that in the 1950s, fewer than 20% of Native American homes had access to adequate drinking water and waste facilities. Families had to haul water for drinking, cooking, and washing from ditches, creeks, stock ponds, and other unprotected, unmonitored sources.
When De Vera attended college, a professor assigned the class to go out into the environment and document their observations.
She chose to observe flood irrigation, which allowed her to reflect on her hometown's environment—a desert community primarily focused on dairy and alfalfa farming.
During her observations, she realized that a wetland created from runoff from flood irrigation, fed by an irrigation ditch, sourced its water from snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This experience led her to pursue a field of study in environmental engineering.
The IHS also hosts a summer internship each year for students in STEM disciplines who are passionate about public service. The internship provides hands-on experience at construction sites, including surveying, construction observations, and sanitation surveys and inspections.
De Vera mentioned in the podcast that while interns are classified as civil or environmental engineers, they do not need to be studying those specific disciplines. Instead, applicants should have a genuine commitment to public service.
As summer 2025 came to an end, De Vera celebrated a post shared by ORISE on LinkedIn.
"We enjoyed hosting you for a second summer, Bryanna," De Vera commented on the highlight of the ORISE Experience for National Intern Day.
Bryanna Bissainthe, an ORISE participant with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Indian Health Service, had completed a summer internship.
A civil engineering student from Tennessee State University, she worked on projects related to wastewater systems. Her research focused on understanding the entire water treatment process and its application across multiple systems.
This weekend, the National Academy of Public Administration kicked off the National Academy of Public Administration’s 2025 National Conference with the annual Arthur S. Flemming Awards at the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, D.C.
The Arthur Flemming Awards honored Lt. Cmdr. Melissa de Vera. Her accomplishments as one of the 2025 award recipients over the past year were celebrated during the 76th annual Flemming Awards ceremony.
According to the Flemming Award citation, De Vera has achieved exceptional results in cross-boundary leadership and human capital management.
Her work in forging partnerships with the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, the Department of Energy, and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps' Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program demonstrates the value of collaboration.
These partnerships enhanced the division's human capital, allowing for the provision of $3.5 billion in sanitation projects as part of the Indian Health Service's responsibilities to tribal nations under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These projects improved access to safe drinking water and sanitary waste disposal infrastructure, significantly enhancing environmental health conditions for American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
Her efforts not only promote equitable access to public health infrastructure and tribal self-determination but also underscore the significance of collaboration in making a difference in underserved communities.
According to Tribal Business News, de Vera is enrolled in the Rocky Boy Chippewa Cree Tribe and resides in Bemidji, Minnesota.
In 2017, the Indian Health Service recognized De Vera during the United States Public Health Service Engineer Category Awards Ceremony.
This ceremony coincides with National Engineers Week in February to honor the contributions of U.S. Public Health Service engineers in creating safer, healthier, and more productive living environments.
At that time, De Vera, then an IHS Bemidji Area field engineer, received the Rear Adm. Jerrold M. Michael Award for her exemplary service, leadership, and outreach that have positively impacted the next generation of engineers in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
She played a crucial role in leading the Engineer Professional Advisory Committee (EPAC) Connectors and informally mentoring young engineers.
The award recognizes outstanding leadership and dedication to the education, training, and mentoring of current and future U.S. Public Health Service engineers.
Established in 1948, George Washington University's Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration coordinates the Flemming Awards and hosts an annual ceremony for the presentation of the awards. To date, more than 500 individuals have received this honor.