The UGA College of Public Health has announced its second cohort of Health Equity Fellows who will work directly with local government officials in five Georgia cities to carry out projects to improve community health.
The Fellows program, which launched in Spring 2021, is a signature initiative of the College’s mission to address health inequities in Georgia communities.
“This program is all about building meaningful relationships and exploring complex community problems together,” said Grace Bagwell Adams, director of the Health Equity Hub at the College of Public Health.
“Having them on the ground will make a big difference in both the student experience and the ability of the student to connect to their city in a meaningful way that will allow them to really understand what the city needs in the area of health equity.”
The 2022 Health Equity Fellows are –
- Vanessa Diokpara, MPH candidate, health policy & management concentration
- Leila Farist, MPH candidate, epidemiology & biostatistics concentration
- Kristi Sprowl, Doctor of Public Health candidate
- Pryce Nwabude, MPH candidate, health policy & management concentration
- Sloane Sengson, health promotion major
The College has partnered again with the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) to pair students with cities looking for support in tackling long-standing issues that may affect the health of their citizens. This year’s partner cities are: Albany, Decatur, East Point, Hiawassee and Tifton.
“GMA is delighted to have this opportunity to work with this talented group of Health Equity Fellows on public health equity issues,” said Becky Taylor, director of federal relations and research at GMA who worked with CPH to connect students to city leaders.
“The research these students will undertake will inform work underway on similar issues in cities throughout the state. We are grateful to UGA’s College of Public Health for bringing this opportunity to Georgia’s cities and look forward to our continued partnership.”
The work the inaugural cohort of students was able to accomplish with their partner cities, says Adams, was powerful, giving the cities tools to address health disparities more effectively through new, rich data.
View the full presentation of the 2021 Health Equity Fellows projects here.
Funding for the program is provided through the College’s endowed Public Health Outreach Fund, which enables the College to continue its work of serving communities across Georgia.
“Each student and city participating is unique, and I love seeing how the partnerships play out. I believe that good, healthy collaborations start at the local level for all communities. I look forward to the unique projects and am excited to serve a geographically diverse set of cities through the Health Equity Fellows program,” said Adams.
– Lauren Baggett
Posted on April 8, 2022. Originally published on December 3, 2021.
April 4-10 is National Public Health Week! Follow our social media channels – Facebook | Twitter | Instagram| LinkedIn – as we highlight current challenges around each issue, and share how CPH is helping to make our communities healthier, stronger and safer!
