{"id":92802,"date":"2022-10-26T16:10:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T21:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=92802"},"modified":"2022-10-26T17:16:33","modified_gmt":"2022-10-26T22:16:33","slug":"1-5-million-grant-will-support-public-health-scholarship-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2022\/10\/26\/1-5-million-grant-will-support-public-health-scholarship-program\/","title":{"rendered":"$1.5 million grant will support Public Health Scholarship Program"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration will allow the UNMC College of Public Health to strengthen the capacity of the current workforce who live and work in tribal, rural and under-resourced communities in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas, including tribal communities in South Dakota and North Dakota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the next three years, the Public Health Scholarship Program, a Region VII Public Health Expansion Scholarship, will provide full tuition for at least 37 public health practitioners a year in the designated region as they receive a formal education in public health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe UNMC College of Public Health is committed to strengthening the public health system in the region,\u201d said Brandon Grimm, PhD, senior associate dean at the College of Public Health and principal investigator of the program. \u201cTraining individuals where they are, in the communities they love and are committed to, is an innovative model that will result in a more dedicated and trained public health workforce in rural and tribal communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Training in public health will increase the public health practitioners applied experiential knowledge for preparing for and responding to public health emergencies and addressing the social determinants of health that impact their communities, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt continues to be challenging to attract and retain new graduates in under-resourced communities. For this reason, the Public Health Expansion Scholarship will train public health practitioners who live and work in tribal and rural communities. The trainees are committed, embedded and invested in the health and wellness of their communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Public Health Expansion Scholarship will assure the public health workforce has the opportunity to expand their skills in public health without having cost and accessibility as a barrier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UNMC College of Public Health Dean Ali Khan, MD, MPH, said, \u201cThis new federal scholarship reflects the confluence of the key strengths of the transformed UNMC College of Public Health: promoting health equity, improving public health practice and offering a nationally recognized online training program with students in 44 states.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UNMC College of Public Health was one of 29 institutions to be awarded the scholarship program. Each scholarship will pay for full tuition and fees for a public health practitioner to receive a certificate, Master of Public Health, Master of Health Administration or Doctorate of Public Health degree. UNMC COPH offers all degree programs online, making it the most comprehensive accredited online training program in the region. The online training also makes it accessible to individuals working full-time in public health throughout the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Grimm thanked the team involved with the proposal. \u201cWe would not have received this grant without their hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The college\u2019s proposal team included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n