Office of Minority Health

Grantee Information

United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation
6402 Arlington Boulevard
Falls Church, VA 22042-2356
703-205-7630 (Phone)
www.uncfsp.org

The United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation (UNCFSP) is a nonprofit organization that works to establish relationships between the diverse and high-performing minority education community and the private industry. The overall goal of UNCFSP is to provide:

• Minority Institutions (MIs) with capacity-building opportunities;
• The government and private industry with access to a talented and diverse workforce; and
• Individuals with the experience, exposure, mentoring, and development they need to have successful and empowered careers.

Grant Project Information

Minority Public Health Workforce Development Internship (MPHWDI)
Length of Project: 9/1/12-8/31/15
Annual Funding Level: $150,000
Project Director: Robyn L. Watson
703-205-7630 (Phone)
E-mail: Robyn.Watson@uncfsp.org

Abstract

Minority populations disproportionately experience health disparities but continue to be underrepresented as U.S.health professionals. Diversity within the workforce is important to ensure that underserved populations can assist in addressing public health issues, which emphasizes the need for supplementary educational opportunities for various minorities. The Minority Public Health Workforce Development Internship (MPHWDI) will address minority underrepresentation within health fields by creating a pipeline to public health professions for qualified minority students. This project will annually facilitate a 10-week summer internship (annually) for eight highly qualified minority students in public health-related disciplines.

The primary project strategies include identifying and facilitating internship opportunities; selecting a target audience of eight qualified minority interns; and tracking intern development to evaluate program effectiveness. The project will utilize process measures to monitor project implementation and program participants. Additionally, annual online surveys and program data (e.g. documentation of intern action plans and written and oral presentations) will be used to determine project completion as well as feedback on the internship experience. In terms of program outcomes, it is expected that 65 percent of interns will express interest in seeking public health careers and 80 percent of interns and mentors will indicate a positive program experience.

Objective