COMPLETED PROGRAMS

The Health Professions Partnership Initiative
Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the purpose of the Health Professions Partnership Initiative (HPPI) is to increase the number of African Americans in public health training at the University of South Carolina (USC) and in the public health workforce in the Columbia, SC, area. The partnership serves one Columbia area school district, along with Benedict College and South Carolina State University. Program activities designed to introduce students to public health careers and training programs include: health career clubs, an academic intervention program for middle school students, career exploration tours, summer enrichment programs for high school students, as well as internships, service learning, and shadowing for high school and undergraduate students. College students can enroll in public health seminar courses located on their campuses.

Our Partners:
Sanders Middle School
Keenan High School
Benedict College
South Carolina State University
Mid-Carolina Area Health Education Center
South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control

The Palmetto Health Alliance Scholarship Program
The Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities staff manages and facilitates the awards process for the Palmetto Health Scholarship Program. Palmetto Health has committed to awarding scholarships to minority students pursuing a master’s degree in health services administration. The scholarship covers the cost of tuition, technology fees, and provides a graduate assistantship. Awards are made to students who demonstrate academic excellence and financial need.

The South Carolina Biomedical Research Infrastructure Project (SC BRIN) –  
    Supplement 9
Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the purpose of this research project is to facilitate and enhance research partnerships between one of South Carolina’s major research institutions and one of its Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The Arnold School of Public Health and South Carolina State University will work collaboratively to address issues of health disparity in rural and minority populations in the state through a pilot study that will lead to interventions that will address the increase in childhood obesity and risk for type-2 diabetes in rural and minority populations.

Palmetto Health Office of Community Services
The Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities collaborates with Palmetto Health in its efforts to improve the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of the communities it serves. The Institute serves as the central point-of-contact, responsible for identifying and coordinating a team of Arnold School of Public Health faculty, staff, and students who will provide a variety of services to include: the evaluation of community services programs sponsored by Palmetto Health, technical assistance, program planning, data analysis/reporting, and information resources.

The African American Faculty Development Institute
Funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services, the goal of this project is to provide the framework and financial resources to support the Arnold School of Public Health efforts to facilitate the development of African American faculty committed to eliminating health disparities and to increase the number of inter and intra-institutional research partnerships focused on health disparities.

In order to reach this goal, three primary objectives have been identified:

Objective 1: To develop and implement an integrated information system to support multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary research and access to lifelong learning to address the disparate health conditions within South Carolina.

Objective 2: To establish a certificate program in health disparities studies at the University of South Carolina that would be made accessible to masters and doctorally prepared HBCU faculty in South Carolina by utilizing distance education technology.

Objective 3: To establish a dedicated distance education and on-site resource library in the proposed Arnold School of Public Health building that would be dedicated to scholars and students interested in eliminating health disparities through research and professional outreach.

Program activities will focus primarily on existing faculty at the South Carolina’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which are Allen University, Benedict College, Claflin University, Morris College, South Carolina State University, and Voorhees College. Training and education in public health would be offered to faculty with an interest in public health for the purpose of enhancing their knowledge of the field and to engage in research activities related to health disparities via distance learning mediums.