VCU news

By Malorie Burkett

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine’s graduate program in public health was one of 12 universities in the United States selected to participate in the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Engaged Institutions initiative, which will focus on eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities.

The initiative will bring together the institutions and their communities to build upon their strengths and capacities to address the health disparities that persist between whites and people of color.

The U.S. Health Resource Services Administration recognizes health disparities as population-specific differences in the presence of disease, health outcomes or access to care and has evidence that certain groups receive less complete and less intensive health care.

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health at the University of Washington will work collaboratively with teams from each school, made up of academic administrators, faculty, staff, students and community partners as they develop and implement their strategic plans.
It also will provide additional support through the CCPH Consultancy Network, its training and technical assistance arm. In addition, the initiative will sponsor teleconferences, identify promising practices and produce resource materials.

VCU along with the following schools and their graduate public health programs will take part in the initiative: the University of Arizona; the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; San Jose State University; the University of South Florida; the University of Hawaii; Morgan State University in Maryland; Boston University; the University of Nebraska; the University of North Carolina; the University of South Carolina; and an Oregon consortium of Portland State University, Oregon Health and Science University and Oregon State University.

VCU’s graduate program in public health is the first fully accredited master of public health program in Virginia. VCU is currently establishing the School of Public Health, which will address emerging public health issues such as bioterrorism and the risks of biological and chemical weapons, as well as new infectious diseases. It also will help meet the need for interventions and public education for health issues in Virginia, including obesity, substance abuse, cancer prevention and interpersonal violence.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 by breakfast cereal pioneer W.K. Kellogg. During his lifetime, he donated $66 million in Kellogg company stock and other investments "to help people help themselves." Over the years, the Kellogg Foundation’s programming has evolved, striving to remain innovative and responsive to the ever-changing needs of society. Today, the organization ranks among the world’s largest private foundations.