Public health scholarship program - the proposed project will provide scholarships for graduate training in public health at the indiana university school of public health bloomington to bolster the…

Public health scholarship program - the proposed project will provide scholarships for graduate training in public health at the indiana university school of public health bloomington to bolster the public health workforce in indiana. There will be emphasis on recruiting trainees from underrepresented backgrounds and providing field experience and post-graduate employment opportunities in areas located in underserved communities in indiana. We have demonstrated success in these priority areas (see data in attachment 12), and we therefore request a funding preference. The project will accomplish 3 objectives: (1) enhance the knowledge and skills of the public health workforce in indiana by developing or strengthening community partnerships and linkages to identify employment needs, training opportunities, and to facilitate scholarship recipients' employment post-training completion in state or local governments, including the indiana department of health or local public health departments, and other public health-related organizations. This objective will be met by facilitating the employment of 80% of scholarship recipients in public health positions in indiana in each of the three years of the project. We will strengthen existing partnerships and develop new partnerships throughout the state to create employment pipelines that address the workforce and public health needs of indiana, with a particular emphasis on underserved areas of the state. (2) educate the public health workforce in indiana to address public health inequities and health disparities and incorporate principles of social determinants of health (sdoh) into practice. This objective will be met by recruiting 32 scholarship recipients to complete the online public health graduate certificate in year one, recruiting 32 scholarship recipients to complete the MPH degree in year two, and recruiting 32 scholarship recipients to complete the MPH degree in year three. We will recruit trainees to complete our existing on line graduate certificate in public health and/or one of our existing master of public health degree programs. Our curriculum will focus on addressing health disparities and the social determinants of health. (3) educate the public health workforce in indiana to prevent, prepare for, and respond to recovery activities related to covid-19, as well as other public health emergencies, by providing public health field experience (practicum) opportunities. This objective will be met by placing 14 graduate public health students in public health field experience sites in indiana during each of the three years of the program. We will rely on strong existing community-based partners and develop new partnerships to utilize as field experience locations for trainees to gain experience addressing public health needs in underserved areas of indiana.