Health Equity Scholars Program

A comprehensive, virtual program to develop the next generation of Diverse Health Equity and Racial Justice Leaders.

Program Description

It is more urgent and important than ever that we develop diverse health leaders with the passion, skills, and power to advance health equity. In March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, persistent racial and socioeconomic inequities, and over 150 in-person internship cancellations, Health Career Connection (HCC) created a new virtual Health Equity Scholars Program (HESP).

HESP provides a robust, virtual experience that empowers students from throughout the country with knowledge, skills, opportunities, and connections to become health equity leaders. Health Equity Scholars primarily come from under-resourced communities that have experienced the most significant health inequities and have a disproportionate impact from COVID-19.

Health Equity Scholars engage in the following elements:

• Professional and leadership skill development including Excel and data visualization, needs assessment, literature review, qualitative analysis, making effective presentations, project management, problem-solving, working in teams, and leadership styles.
• Frameworks, strategies, and interventions to advance health equity
• Training in cultural and linguistic competency
• Forums and training on unconscious bias, structural racism, and racial justice
• Life-career planning workshops to assist scholars to make well-informed health career choices and to secure post-graduation jobs and engagement with industry leaders.
• Mentorship from leading health equity researchers at UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC Merced and from practitioners advancing health equity work in communities.
• Graduate school preparation workshops with leaders and HCC alumni from top public health and medical schools.
• Networking skill development and events
• Mental health awareness, skill training, and support
• Informal discussions with HCC alumni and partners in public health, philanthropy, healthcare and

Team Consulting Projects

A major program component is scholar engagement in team consulting projects with client organizations. Scholars work on team consulting projects to highlight the root causes of health inequities and propose innovative solutions with academic, community, and private sector
partners. Projects focus on developing practical solutions and/or research to address health equity, diversity equity, and inclusion, COVID mitigation, or community health improvement.

Teams of 4-5 scholars work on a weekly basis with leaders from client organizations to complete projects and strengthen skills acquired with workshops. Teams develop final presentations and reports for clients and peers.

Project examples include:

• An Examination of California Hospitalization Rates of COVID-19 and Their Relation To Diabetes
• Food Accessibility as a Means of Diabetes Prevention: An Analysis of Farmers Markets That Accept WIC and SNAP Redemptions and the Relationship with Diabetes Rates
• Sugarbreak Diabetes Supplements: Expanding Access to Product for Eastside
  Communities
• Virta Health Diabetes Treatment: Company Roadmap for Expanding Virta’s Services to Eastside Communities
• Virta Health Diabetes Treatment: Exploring Medicaid Reimbursement to Expand
  Treatment Access to Eastside Communities Disparity in Community Resource Allocation
• Analysis of Private Nonprofit Hospital Community Benefit (CB) Spending and Social Vulnerability Indicators Across California and if they are Related
• Homelessness Care and Services in the Inland Empire: An Assessment of Current
  Capacity and How it Can be Improved
• Investigating Philadelphia Nonprofit Hospitals’ Processes of Assessing Community Spending Needs
• Law Enforcement-Based vs Community-Based Emergency Response and Their Effects on Arrest Rates and Health Outcomes
• Covid-19 Cases and Death Rates by Race/Ethnicity across the state of California
• Obstacles to Telehealth Implementation in Communities with Low Technology Access During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

Time Commitment:

The Health Equity Scholars Program is an 8 week, 20 hours per week commitment.

Scholars receive an educational stipend for program completion.

Testimonials: