University of Kentucky Public Health Traineeship Grant

In eight short years since the creation of the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky (July 2004) and its initial accreditation (July 2005) and reaccreditation (2010), the College has seen significant growth in many critical resource areas, including the number of core faculty members (a 25% increase) and state budget appropriations (a 100% increase). Although the College has been successful with respect to recruiting and graduating students who go on to careers in public health (a graduation rate over 80% for the two-year M.P.H. program), the best students, including underserved minority students, compete for a limited amount of graduate-student assistantships and grant-supported positions on faculty research efforts. In addition, as state support for graduate education has decreased, many of the university- and state-based programs that supported field experiences, conference attendance, and funding for graduate research have diminished. In order to attract the “best and brightest students” to public health graduate education and careers in public health to ensure a competent and skilled future public health workforce, additional student support resources are needed. The College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky is uniquely positioned to attract students to public health from one of the most economically depressed and health-challenged regions of the United States, Central Appalachia. The College’s objectives for this traineeship grant are the following: 1. Identify, recruit, admit, and financially support M.P.H. students in one or more concentrations in epidemiology, biostatistics and/or environmental health, Dr.P.H. students in Epidemiology, and Ph.D. students in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. 2. Develop opportunities for M.P.H. and Dr.P.H. practicum experiences and Ph.D. research experiences with local, state, industry, and federal agency personnel in the students’ chosen concentrations. 3. Support students’ educational experiences at national conferences, trainings, and workshops relevant to their chosen concentrations. 4. Promote continuing education in their chosen concentrations in associated topics for practitioners through attendance at workshops and summer institutes. The work plan will be guided by the PI (Associate Dean for Academic and Students Affairs) with the assistance of senior faculty (Co-PIs) in each of the shortage area disciplines. The College’s Student Affairs staff and College Admissions Committee will recruit and admit students. A special traineeship selection committee of senior faculty will make the selection of the trainees and then advise and mentor them.