Congratulations to ASPPH’s 2024 Public Health Education Enhancement and Development (PHEED) Grant Awardees. These grants, exclusively available to Undergraduate Network members, are aimed at fostering collaborative partnerships that will innovatively enhance the education of undergraduate public health students. Our awardees have proposed creative and impactful projects to enrich their undergraduate students’ educational experiences.
Concordia University Wisconsin School of Pharmacy Bachelor of Science in Public Health Program
Improving offerings and opportunities to build a public health career
This project focuses on the Education and Pathways domains. Within Education, they will focus on curricula and delivery method changes to expand the BSPH program to their Ann Arbor campus. Within Pathways, they will build partnerships and develop memorandums of understanding for a 3+2 program, and community college outreach efforts. The primary goal is to build partnerships to increase their undergraduate public health student population, and longer-term goals of growing the public health workforce in both WI and MI, increasing the number of internships/experiential learning opportunities for their students, and providing opportunities for their students to obtain an MPH.
George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health Undergraduate Program
School of Public Health first-year retention program
The Milken Institute School of Public Health (SPH) undergraduate program will team with George Washington (GW) University’s Office for Student Success, Center for Career Services, and Development and Alumni Relations to develop a pilot first-year retention program. They will focus on students who are the least engaged and most likely to leave GW. Activities and programming will occur at the university, school, and community levels. Examples of programming include time management and self-advocacy workshops, enhanced career exploration opportunities, individual advising sessions, peer mentoring programs, and employer and alumni “field trips” to provide career advice.
Temple University College of Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Science
PHUTURES – Public Health Undergrads from Temple University Reach for Exceptional Skills
The PHUTURES Program (Public Health Undergrads from Temple University Reach for Exceptional Skills) will enhance current career preparation activities in the undergraduate public health curriculum by hosting monthly professional development events for public health majors and minors throughout the academic year. These will include networking events with public health professionals, field trips to public health-focused organizations and events in and around the Philadelphia area, and community service and service-learning events. Undergraduate public health students will be hired as intern coordinators of this program to assist with the planning and coordinating of professional development activities.
The Research Foundation for the State University of New York (SUNY), University at Albany School of Public Health Undergraduate Program
Collaborative partnerships with state agencies and community organizations
With the PHEED grant, SUNY will establish and expand collaborative partnerships with state agencies and community organizations to overhaul their field placement program, including the creation of an internship award to offset tuition costs. A key characteristic of this program is that it will be inclusive for all students, ensuring accessibility across disability and socio-economic status. Internships (known as field placements in their undergraduate program) allow students to actively apply their classroom learning to real-world experiences and develop leadership skills necessary for career development.
University of Louisville Research Foundation, School of Public Health and Information Sciences Undergraduate Program
Discover, Experience, Apply, and Learn (DEAL) Day
The Kentucky Department for Public Health offers Discover, Experience, Apply and Learn (DEAL) Day at the state health department. Universities have organized field trips and transported students to the locations to participate in the all-day program. Students rotate between six stations, which offer engaging, hands-on activities that promote exposure to the 10 Essential Public Health Services, complementing what they have learned in their coursework. The program has been extremely successful with nearly 400 students participating. DEAL Day will be mobile and brought to each university campus to allow for additional growth, collaboration, and greater student participation.
University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health Bachelor of Science Program
Program of Community-Engaged Service-Learning
The Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) curriculum at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health includes applied public health experience through 120 hours of service learning. This project will expand the service-learning component of the BSPH by integrating community-engaged service, specifically the work involved for a non-profit organization to be a sustainable service organization. This program will broaden student awareness of the impact of public health on communities outside the healthcare system while gaining valuable service-related experience by performing public health work in the community. The organizations will be co-training the newest public health workforce while gaining valuable personal power, helping to fulfill their mission.