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Project Name: Public Health Scholarship Program (T52)
Applicant Title: REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
Abstract Text: Project Director Name: Elizabeth Wattenberg, Ph.D. Address: Division of Environmental Health Sciences School of Public Health Room 1110 Mayo 420 Delaware Street SE Minneapolis, MN 55455-0341 Contact Phone Numbers: xxx-xxx-xxxx (Voice); xxx-xxx-xxxx (Fax) Email Address: xxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx Total grant funds requested: $1,500,000.00 We are requesting a preference for funding based on two areas: SPH serves individuals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds, and SPH graduates large proportions of individuals who serve in underserved communities. The purpose of the proposed Scholarship Program is to strengthen the public health workforce by providing scholarships for individuals to pursue a Masters of Public Health (MPH) at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health (SPH), and to facilitate the transition of scholarship recipients (trainees) to a career in public health after completion of their training. The proposed Scholarship Program is framed by the need to address persistent health disparities in Minnesota, and by local public health workforce shortages. The foundation of the proposed program is a well-established partnership between SPH and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). The objectives of the proposed program are as follows: Objective 1. Enhance the knowledge and skills of the public health workforce by recruiting trainees to the Scholarship Program. Objective 2. Provide a curriculum to trainees that will enhance their knowledge and skills in the area of public health inequities and health disparities, and prepare them to incorporate the principles of social determinants of health into practice. Objective 3. Provide public health practice experience for trainees to prevent, prepare for, and respond to recovery activities related to COVID-19, as well as other public health emergencies by placing them in field experiences in governmental public health or other public health organizations. Objective 4. Facilitate trainee employment, post-training completion, in governmental public health or other public health-related organizations. The proposed program will be led by the SPH Associate Dean of Education and Student Engagement. Under her leadership, the program will be implemented by skilled SPH student services staff, who will coordinate the following: the selection of trainees and awarding of scholarships; the orientation of the trainees to the curriculum; the placement of trainees in field experiences; and facilitation of the transition of the trainees to careers in public health. The skilled staff will also conduct and coordinate the evaluation and continuous improvement of the program. SPH faculty advisors will provide academic support and guidance. We will work with our MDH partners to ensure that the curriculum prepares the trainees to enter the public health workforce equipped to identify and analyze health disparities, engage the communities they serve, and implement evidence-based strategies that will have a positive and meaningful effect on health equity. Understanding health disparities is key to developing the skills necessary to prevent, prepare for, and respond to recovery activities related to COVID-19, as well as other public health emergencies. The trainees will be recruited from the 8 MPH programs offered by SPH. We anticipate that 15 trainees will be awarded scholarships each year, starting in fall 2022. The innovative components of the proposed program include the following: 1) Students will complete a minor in Health Equity. 2) We will collaborate with our MDH partners to develop a seminar series, which students will attend, on the use of culturally and linguistically appropriate strategies to authentically engage community members. 3) SPH has an outstanding formal mentor program that connects currently enrolled SPH students to professionals to help with career discernment, networking, and professional development.