One of the core functions of every UCEDD is to engage in the interdisciplinary training and education of self-advocates, family members of individuals with disabilities, students, and providers – including people whose professional and personal identities transcend these categories. As such, Center for Leadership in Disability (CLD) faculty work with a number of graduate students each year to prepare them for careers in disability-related research and service provision. We are delighted to announce that two CLD graduate students recently received external funding to support their goals.
Jessica Franks and Stephanie Meredith, DrPH students in the School of Public Health at CLD, both received a $1,000 Career Enhancement Scholarship from the Disability Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA). These scholarships can be used by the awardees as desired – including covering expenses to attend the annual 2021 APHA Meeting & Expo. Dr. Erin Vinoski Thomas serves as the faculty mentor for Jessica and Stephanie.
All graduate students focusing their studies on disability and health at universities in the U.S., including students involved in the work of CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities programs and initiatives, State Disability and Health grantees, LEND, UCEDD and IDDRC students, AUCD Network Trainees, disability studies students, health professional students, etc. were eligible to apply for this scholarship. Awardees were selected based in part on the quality of their abstracts, which were ranked on strength of research and extent to which the research meets the goals of the disability section.
The APHA Disability Section is a diverse group working in academic, community-based, and private institutions, federal and local government agencies, and non-governmental organizations. Together, they strive to raise awareness and promote actions related to improving the health and inclusion of people with disabilities.
Jessica Franks
Stephanie Meredith