NEPHTC Health Equity Stipend Program for Undergraduate and Graduate students in health/Pre-health degrees
NEPHTC provides stipends of $3,500 to 27 students per year for field placements and faculty-student collaborative projects throughout New England. To qualify, you must be a graduate or doctoral student pursuing a degree in a health profession, or a 3rd- or 4th-year undergraduate student pursuing a public health degree, and work with a public health or nonprofit agency supporting underserved areas and populations.
Diversity: NEPHTC’s Health Equity Stipend Program supports the Diversity & Inclusion Oath of the Boston University School of Public Health, including the shared mission to improve the health of local populations, particularly the disadvantaged, underserved, and vulnerable. Read more about BUSPH’s statement on diversity and inclusion. NEPHTC’s Health Equity Stipend Program aims to increase the supply and diversity of the public health workforce through student field placements, especially placements serving rural or medically underserved communities. As such, we encourage applications from students with underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds and/or with project characteristics that include serving medically underserved/rural areas or populations.
Field Placements
Health Equity field placements are structured opportunities for students to apply their acquired knowledge and skills in a public health practice setting working in or with a medically underserved area/population. Field experiences are expected to contribute to the mastery of public health competencies, with a focus on balancing the educational and practice needs of the students with the needs of the community.
Faculty-Student Collaborative Projects
These are research projects or community interventions identified by a governmental public health agency or other public health service entity. Students and faculty advisors collaborate with the agency to enhance public health services to medically underserved communities, and address specific public health issues among a specified target population.
What is a Health Equity Project?
Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Health equity projects focus on removing or reducing barriers to health caused by race or ethnicity, education, income, location or other social factors. Proposed projects must benefit medically underserved populations and may address any health or social problem. Highly desired are projects for agencies located in medically underserved areas or rural areas.
Eligibility:
- Must be a U.S. citizen or a non-citizen U.S. national or foreign national possessing a visa permitting permanent residence in the U.S.
- Must be a graduate or doctoral student pursuing a degree in a health profession or a 3rd or 4th-year undergraduate student pursuing a public health degree.
- Must have an internship project planned in the New England region.
Program requirements:
- Internship projects must address medically underserved communities or populations. Whenever possible, agencies should be in medically underserved communities or rural areas.
- Students applying for the NEPHTC Health Equity stipend must have their project approved and confirmed by their university (if for school credit) and field placement site before submitting their application.
- Students are expected to work 200 total hours. If using this project for a school requirement, students can instead work the number of hours that fulfills their degree requirement for an internship/practicum at their academic institution.
- All internships require the following deliverables:
- A photo or image
- An executive summary
- A report that must include the following sections: abstract, introduction, methodology, findings, conclusions, and discussion.
- The report will be shared with HRSA, and all three deliverables may be shared publicly on the NEPHTC website.
- In addition, all interns must provide a signed work plan and complete a mid-point survey response during their internship to keep NEPHTC updated on the status of their project.
- Students must complete an evaluation at the end of their internship and are responsible for having their agency supervisor complete an evaluation of their work.
- All internship projects and administrative requirements must be completed no later than June 1, 2024.
- Students must respond to a follow-up survey one year after completing their project (2024-2025).
