April 07, 2006
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Public Health is one of 12 U.S. schools and graduate programs of public health recently selected to participate in the Engaged Institutions Initiative funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.The initiative seeks to support and promote the sustained efforts of institutions of higher education working in partnership with communities to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities.

Photograph of Dean Barbara K. Rimer, DrPH

Photograph of Dean Barbara K. Rimer, DrPH

“Eliminating health disparities among North Carolinians and those beyond our state is one of the most important priorities of our school,” said Dr. Barbara K. Rimer, dean of UNC’s School of Public Health. “We have a long tradition of working in partnership with communities to improve the health of underserved populations and to increase the number of well-trained public health professionals from under-represented groups. Being part of the Engaged Institutions Initiative will allow us to expand our efforts.”

Photograph of Dr. Lynn W. Blanchard

Photograph of Dr. Lynn W. Blanchard

The School of Public Health involvement with the Engaged Institutions Initiative is an ideological fit with UNC’s continued commitment to serving North Carolina communities, said Dr. Lynn W. Blanchard, director of the Carolina Center for Public Service.

“The School of Public Health is an integral part of our campus tradition and culture of serving the state, as well as a model of how a research institution can partner with communities to address priority issues,” Blanchard said. “This opportunity comes at a time when Carolina is putting increased attention to the concept of engaged scholarship and service – that is, applying our intellectual and academic resources to meet community need. We are all excited about how the effort will complement and catalyze other efforts across the campus, including the Chancellor’s Task Force on Engagement.”

UNC’s School of Public Health was chosen from among 26 schools and graduate programs that applied. Schools were selected based on their track record of engagement with communities and concrete efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities.

Photograph of Dr. Anissa Vines

Photograph of Dr. Anissa Vines

“As part of this initiative, we have developed a team that includes school faculty and students, university officials, state and local representatives and community members who will be working to develop an action plan for becoming increasingly engaged in community activities and research to eliminate health disparities,” said Dr. Anissa Vines, associate director for the UNC Program on Ethnicity, Culture and Health Outcomes (ECHO), who is working with the school on this initiative.

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, a nonprofit membership organization that promotes health through community and higher educational institution partnerships, is overseeing the Engaged Institutions Initiative for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and will send consultants to assist the UNC team throughout the yearlong initiative.

The school’s work in eliminating health disparities has included activities such as the Annual Minority Health Conference led by the school’s Minority Student Caucus, the development of a health disparities curriculum, the Summer Public Health Research Institute and Videoconference on Minority Health sponsored by the school’s Minority Health Project and the Kellogg Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Public Health Program.

The Emerging Leaders program, managed jointly with UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, provides individualized leadership coaching, onsite training and distance-based education to equip minority public health leaders to manage and lead in times of crisis.

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Relevant links:

W.K. Kellogg Foundation: www.wkkf.org.

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health: www.ccph.info.

UNC School of Public Health: www.sph.unc.edu.

For further information please contact Ramona DuBose either by phone at 919-966-7467 or by e-mail at ramona_dubose@unc.edu.

 

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