Walden University Awards Six Scholarships to Recognize Public Health Leaders

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Six Walden University public health students who have promoted positive change by helping to save lives and money through a specific public health initiative in their community are now also recipients of Advancing Public Health Excellence (APEX) Scholarships. Awarded to new students in Walden's online doctoral, master's and bachelor's public health programs, the scholarships were started last year in recognition of extraordinary accomplishments in the field and profession of public health.

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"While I have accomplished much, my mind remains focused on the fact that there is still more work to do, more communities in need, and a whole nation to empower," said Ebony Jackson, one of the scholarship recipients. "I want to learn how my work can extend to promote positive health changes for entire populations. Earning my Ph.D. will allow me to continue my mission as a public health visionary.

 Public Health Visionary Scholarships to Ph.D. in Public Health students were awarded to:

• Pamela Lyons Taylor, Lutz, Fla., a full-tuition scholarship. Vice president of advocacy and community-based programs at Comprehensive Health Management Inc., and executive director of WellCare Community Foundation in Tampa, Fla., she created the HealthConnections model to address the social barriers confronted by needy families and provide access to the healthcare they need.
• Crystal Glover, Aiken, S.C., a $10,000 scholarship. She is a spinal cord injury nurse educator at Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Ga., and the first registered nurse on the spinal cord injury team at her hospital to become a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse (CRRN). She developed curriculum for other staff nurses to complete the same certification.
• Ebony Jackson, Upper Marlboro, Md., a $10,000 scholarship. A health education specialist at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., she has provided more than 4,800 educational interventions in the emergency room since 2011, helping families transition from the emergency room to receiving care from specialty clinics and referral programs.

Public Health Leader Scholarships to Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) students were awarded to: 

• Brian Atuhaire, Kampala, Uganda, a full-tuition scholarship. A public health coordinator at World Vision in Kampala, he has mobilized community leaders and led latrine-building projects, public education sessions and friendly competition between villages, which resulted in increased latrine access and reduced disease rates.
• Saeeda Rafiq, Toronto, a $10,000 scholarship. Co-founder of Al Aleem Global Development Strategy, she was active with the World Health Organization in the 1990s and  most recently is involved in improving access to health education for girls and women in Pakistan.

A Public Health Advocate Scholarship to a B.S. in Public Health student was awarded to:

• Carlos Garcia, San Francisco, a full-tuition scholarship. Currently a parent/community coordinator for the Translation and Interpretation Unit of the San Francisco Unified School District, he noticed a gap he could fill through translation services between doctors and Spanish-speaking patients as a cancer patient in California.

Walden's School of Health Sciences offers programs that can help students develop the critical and creative thinking skills required to address the health needs of individuals as well as local and global communities through healthcare services, research and education. For more information, visit www.WaldenU.edu/health.

About Walden University
For more than 40 years, Walden University has supported working professionals in achieving their academic goals and making a greater impact in their professions and their communities. Today, more than 50,000 students from all 50 states and more than 145 countries are pursuing their bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees online at Walden. The university provides students with an engaging educational experience that connects them with expert faculty and peers around the world. Walden is the flagship online university in the Laureate International Universities network—a global network of more than 75 campus-based and online universities in 30 countries.

Walden offers more than 75 degree programs with more than 385 specializations and concentrations. Areas of study include health sciences, counseling, human services, management, psychology, education, public health, nursing, public administration and information technology. For more information, visit www.WaldenU.edu. Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, www.ncahlc.org.

SOURCE Walden University