May 17, 2005
CHAPEL HILL — The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded a $501,657 grant to support a national University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill-based program designed to identify and train minority public health professionals who show promise for significant leadership in the field.The W.K. Kellogg Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Public Health program is a partnership of UNC’s School of Public Health and Kenan-Flagler Business School. The foundation launched the program in February 2004 as a pilot with a $193,646 grant, and the recently announced grant will fund the program for two more years.

With the theme “Managing through Turbulent Times,” the program is especially geared to African-American, Hispanic and American Indian high-potential public health professionals. In its first year, 32 emerging leaders graduated from the nine-month program. Applications are now being accepted for the next class, which begins in the fall.

“We are thrilled to once again be given this opportunity to change lives with this phenomenal program,” said Mekeisha Williams, director of the W.K. Kellogg Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Public Health. “Minorities are underrepresented in leadership positions in public health. We believe this investment in future leaders will enhance their leadership skills.”

Williams was named director in March, previously serving as the director of professional development for the Granville County School System. Faculty from both UNC Kenan-Flagler and the N.C. Institute for Public Health, the School of Public Health’s link to those working in public health, conduct sessions face-to-face and online.

Topics covered include management and leadership, problem analysis, teamwork, reflective and continuous learning, evaluation, communication and finance.

“The program has successfully recognized that future public health leaders need a variety of high-level skills that cut across many diverse areas of work,” said Dr. Jim Johnson, a management professor at UNC Kenan-Flagler who created the program with Dr. Janet Porter, associate dean of UNC’s School of Public Health. “The intensive fellowship training focuses on dealing with crises in finances, human resources and communication.”

For application information on the program, visit http://publichealthleaders.org/.

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UNC News Services contact: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 or deborah_saine@unc.edu

UNC Kenan-Flagler contact: Kim Spurr, (919) 962-8951 or spurrk@unc.edu

For further information please contact Emily Smith by email at emily_smith@unc.edu

 

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