Voorhees University proudly announces that it has been awarded a significant grant totaling $500,000 from the South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare (CRPH) at USC. The HBCU Health Discovery Grant, to be distributed over a two-year period in $250,000 increments, marks a pivotal moment for Voorhees as it strives to advance healthcare initiatives within its campus and neighboring rural communities.
With this funding, Voorhees University will embark on multifaceted endeavors geared towards providing a healthier and more equitable environment for all. The grant will enable Voorhees to implement a range of initiatives, including: providing students with exposure to critical health equity issues, offering healthcare leadership training to students, contributing to the development of a robust medical pipeline, and creating a comprehensive needs assessment to empower students and community stakeholders in engaging with the healthcare system.
The Voorhees’ Rural Healthcare grant writing team includes Dr. Kendall Williams, Assistant Professor of Public Health and Executive Director of the Liberal Arts Innovation Center (LAIC), Ms. Suzanne Williams, Director, Health Services, and Ms. Cathy Scarborough, Director, Rural Community Development Institutes. They are a committed team dedicated to making this initiative a success. “This grant not only represents a significant financial investment but also underscores our unwavering commitment to advancing healthcare initiatives that uplift our students and communities,” remarked Dr. Kendall Williams.
The HBCU Health Discovery initiative will have collaborative leadership, guided by a steering committee comprised of student ambassadors, rural health experts, representatives from the partnering universities, and legislative representatives. This program will underscore the pivotal role HBCUs play in shaping the health landscape for their communities. “The communities are designing programs that positively impact health not only for their campus community but for the larger community in which they reside. At the same time, it is developing and training student ambassadors to lead efforts to reduce health inequities and disparities for all of South Carolina,” said CRPH Associate Director Michele Stanek.
For more information on this Grant, please contact Cathy Scarborough at cscarborough@voorhees.edu or call 803-780-1157
According to a White House initiative, “HBCUs offer all students, regardless of race, an opportunity to develop their skills and talents. These institutions train young people who go on to serve domestically and internationally in the professions as entrepreneurs and in the public and private sectors.”
“Building an inclusive community of support is foundational to the mission and the vision of NPA,” said NPA chair of the board of directors, Caleb C. McKinney. Starting immediately, the NPA will offer free access to all of its resources to individuals at HBCU institutions to broaden understanding in the Black community of the pathways opened through postdoc positions.
As the national voice of the postdoctoral community, the NPA provides professional development, networking, skills education, and leadership opportunities to postdocs following a path to top academic, industry, entrepreneurial, nonprofit organization, and government positions.
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The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) educational association headquartered in Rockville, MD. Founded in 2003, the NPA envisions an inclusive community where all postdocs are empowered, valued, recognized, and supported in their current and future endeavors. The NPA serves the entire postdoctoral community, including its 20,000 individual and 230 organizational members.
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