October 19, 2009

Scholars in New Program Focus on Underserved, Vulnerable Populations

In May the School announced the launch of Kaiser Permanente Public Health Scholars Program, an ambitious initiative designed to meet the increasing need for highly educated public health workers. Funded by a $5 million grant from a fund established in 2004 by Kaiser Permanente at the East Bay Community Foundation, the program is expected to expand California's public health workforce, with an emphasis on recruiting students from underserved communities and placing them in health departments and other organizations that serve vulnerable populations.

Investing in future leaders

"Kaiser Permanente's generous gift through the East Bay Community Foundation sends a positive signal to the larger Bay Area philanthropic community about the importance of greater investment in public health," said Dean Stephen Shortell. "We must increase our capacity to protect and enhance the health of all Californians, particularly those living in our most vulnerable communities."

In a declining economy, this grant increases enrollment, focuses on diversity, and supports graduates going into public health departments and underserved areas to meet society's health needs. Specifically, the funds will be used to provide scholarships that will help recruit top students from underserved populations to the School of Public Health and provide additional teaching support to UC Berkeley faculty.

"After graduating from UC Berkeley, these public health professionals will play an important role in protecting our population's health, and making our environment healthier for everyone," said Raymond J. Baxter, senior vice president for community benefit, research and health policy at Kaiser Permanente. "Investing in the training of these future leaders is a critical step toward addressing the growing health challenges in California and the nation."

Scholars express gratitude, commitment to service

The first class of 14 Kaiser Permanente Public Health Scholars entered the School this fall. At the Scholarship Tea, an annual event that brings together scholarship recipients and their sponsors, two of the Kaiser Permanente Public Health Scholars spoke to those assembled—a group that included their fellow Kaiser Permanente Public Health Scholars, representatives of Kaiser Permanente and the East Bay Community Foundation, other School of Public Health scholarship sponsors and recipients, alumni representatives, and the dean.

The first student speaker was Karemi Alvarez, an M.P.H. student in Health and Social Behavior with a specialty in Multicultural Health. Most recently she was the Latino campaign coordinator for the Network for a Healthy California (formerly California 5 a Day Campaign) where she provided underserved communities throughout San Diego County with access to culturally-sensitive nutrition education and health-conducive built environments. She has worked with a variety of stakeholders, such as agricultural workers, elected official, and community leaders. Alvarez led the revitalization of a vandalized park in a low-income community in Chula Vista, California, where she collaborated with English- and Spanish-language media, community-based organizations and elected officials. This collaboration resulted in the City of Chula Vista providing $500,000 to restore the previously vandalized park.

"I realized in my previous position that I needed the academic training that a master's degree provides, especially from a school like UC Berkeley, in order to better serve low-income communities," said Alvarez. "My goal, when I graduate, is to work again with low-income communities, mostly focusing on Latinos, and focusing on the built environment."

Katherine Lao, the second student speaker, graduated from UC Berkeley with a bachelor's degree in public health and has returned to earn her M.P.H. in Health Policy and Management. She immigrated to the United States from the Philippines at the age of 14 and participated in several health pipeline programs, which are designed to encourage and prepare underrepresented students early in their schooling to pursue careers in public health.

Her interests include diversity in the health care workforce, sustainability of public health programs, and strengthening the relationship between medicine and public health. She has worked with health pipeline programs such as FACES for the Future at Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland and the UCSF School of Medicine Post Baccalaureate Program. Recently she assisted in the design of a pediatric advocacy curriculum, as well as the development of a farmer's market at Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland. She has also conducted research on violence and urban youth and has participated in community development work in rural South America.

"My personal experiences of growing up in urban Manila, as well as being a first-generation immigrant, and my work experiences in the rural provinces of South America and the underserved areas of Berkeley and Oakland have become my greatest strengths and my chief sources of inspiration to pursue a career in this field," said Lao in her remarks. "For that, I want to extend my thanks to all of you who share my vision, and especially acknowledge your commendable acts of generosity amidst tough economic times when protecting one's own resources is the priority of many. Your acts of generosity provide many students, like me, the opportunity to 'pay it forward'—to give back and work toward creating opportunities for many who face challenges of poverty, poor education, political strife."

Loel Solomon, national director of community health initiatives for Kaiser Permanente, addressed the students, saying, "When we think about health care reform, there are a lot of fireworks around some elements of coverage and care, but there is another really important part of health reform we need to keep our eye on—the pieces related to primary prevention and the public health workforce. Those elements are so important if we're serious about addressing HIV, chronic disease, H1N1, and the other major issues that challenge our health and drive health care costs.

"Any amount of medical care, no matter how perfectly delivered, no matter how high quality it is, isn't going to be able, by itself, to address underlying cost issues and morbidity and pain that our families feel. We need to get upstream and take a public health approach. That's where you all fit in. And it's why Kaiser Permanente has appreciated the importance of developing a public health workforce that is not only strong and well trained, but that is culturally competent and as diverse as the population we live in."

 

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