CDC awards the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health $2.7 million to train undergraduates as future public health leaders

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of Minority Health and Health Equity has awarded a five-year, $2.7 million grant to the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health to launch a training program that will inspire undergraduate students to pursue careers in public health and strengthen the future public health workforce.

The UCLA Public Health Scholars Training Program will be part of the larger CDC Undergraduate Public Health Scholars (CDC CUPS) program network. The UCLA Public Health Scholars Training Program provides undergraduate students the opportunity to explore the field of public health through hands-on training, structured workshops, group excursions, and leadership and professional development. The scholars participating in the 8-week summer program at UCLA will be partnered with Los Angeles-based organizations, health systems, and government agencies where they will contribute three days per week toward substantive public health projects. Scholars will also participate in structured educational workshops two days per week. The workshops will explore cutting-edge public health topics and will address crosscutting themes, such as health equity, social justice, health disparities, social determinants of health, and prevention. Mentorship is incorporated throughout the program, providing additional support to scholars.

“The idea is to not only provide educational and field experience opportunities to scholars, but to also foster community among the students, faculty, and public health practitioners, which will help the scholars develop a strong connection to public health,” said Dr. Michael Prelip, Program Director and Chair and Professor of Community Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.

The launch of the training program comes at a critical time for public health and the public health workforce. There is currently a shortfall in the public health workforce and a minimum of 250,000 new public health workers will be needed by 2020 to fill gaps created by retirement and other turnover.

“Not only is there a need to increase the workforce, but also its diversity,” said Lindsay Rice, MSW, Program Manager of the UCLA Public Health Scholars Training Program. To be effective, the public health workforce must be responsive to dynamic demographic factors in the U.S. population. While the U.S. Census Bureau projects that underrepresented minorities will compose 40% of the U.S. population by 2050, the current public health workforce lacks racial and ethnic diversity. Disparities also persist in the distribution of public health personnel with many rural areas facing significant shortages and challenges accessing care.

The UCLA Public Health Scholars Training Program partners with community-based organizations, health systems, and government agencies located throughout Los Angeles to address the need to increase the diversity of the public health workforce, improve the representation of underserved and underrepresented groups in public health, and solidify the public health pipeline, all of which will ultimately raise the quality of public health services.

About 200 scholars will participate in the program over the course of five years, and will be provided with a stipend of $3,000, housing, some meals, transit passes, and a trip to the CDC. Applications for 2018 will be accepted until Jan. 31.

“We hope the program propels these scholars through successful academic endeavors and into meaningful careers in the health professions,” said Dr. Prelip.

For more information on the UCLA Public Health Scholars Training Program visit http://bit.ly/2FV3iPf.

Written by Sarah Blenner

The UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, founded in 1961, is dedicated to enhancing the public's health by conducting innovative research, training future leaders and health professionals from diverse backgrounds, translating research into policy and practice, and serving our local communities and the communities of the nation and the world. The school has 650 students from more than 25 nations engaged in carrying out the vision of building healthy futures in greater Los Angeles, California, the nation, and the world.