Ready to Serve: Building a Day-1-Ready Public Health Workforce for Kansas and Beyond

The K-State MPH Program was awarded the Public Health Scholarship Program by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA, Award Number: 1 T52HP46763-01-00) in 2022. This scholarship program aimed to prepare the public health workforce who live and work in Kansas, to promote the expansion of public health systems through strategic scholarships. A U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration grant allowed Kansas State University to offer scholarships for tuition, supplies, books and travel for part-time and full-time students in the K-State Master of Public Health program.

Objectives of the program included expanding public health systems' capacities by recruiting and training day-one-ready public health workers; facilitating career planning for public health trainees through a career readiness and mentoring program using public health partners; and identifying and delivering practicum sites for public health trainees with public health partners, and experiential-learning exposure to career opportunities.

Students pursuing a public health graduate certificate, a Master of Public Health degree, and in accelerated degree paths such as the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine/Master of Public Health degree program or public health bachelor's degree/Master of Public Health program were awarded scholarships.

From 2022 to 2025, scholarships were awarded to 77 scholars living and working in Kansas, including 11 Public Health Certificate students and 66 Master of Public Health (MPH) students. This student group included 9 Food Safety & Biosecurity, 39 Infectious Diseases & Zoonoses, 17 Public Health Nutrition, 7 Public Health Physical Activity MPH students. In addition, 14 students were in the accelerated BS/MPH programs and 6 students were in the accelerated DVM/MPH program. These scholars and graduates are currently working in public health in Kansas and other states, with 37 scholars being full time employed while they are working on their studies. 37 of our public health scholars have graduated, and of these, 4 scholars are pursuing further education (2 MD, 1 PhD, 1 PA).

 

For more information, contact:

Dr. Ellyn Mulcahy

K-State MPH Director
Email
785-532-2117