Science & Technology

UWF Foundation announces $100,000 endowment from Partnership for Public Health

Partnership for Public Health, Inc. – a non-profit corporation with a mission to support local organizations interested in improving public health – recently established a $100,000 endowment to support the University of West Florida Master of Public Health program.

The UWF Partnership for Public Health of Pensacola, Florida Fellowship Endowment will support qualified students completing the UWF Master of Public Health degree program by covering costs associated with internships and related research activities.

“One of our most important goals is to provide outstanding opportunities for our students to learn from and engage with public health professionals,” said Dr. Rodney Guttmann, chair of the public health, clinical and health science department. “This endowment focuses on students conducting work in our region and helps to solidify and grow new regional relationships that serve our students, as well as the citizens they serve during their internship.”

Dr. John Lanza, president of Partnership for Public Health, understands the financial difficulties of graduate school and knows how helpful any support can be. PPH’s members felt that supporting the University was a beneficial way to utilize its funds and help students.

“It is important for students to know that there are groups out there that want to help and provide encouragement,” said Lanza.

“Public health is an honorable calling,” he continued. “You don’t usually hear about us until something bad happens, but we’re working every day to keep the bad things from happening. We’re behind the scenes doing lots of things that nobody has any idea are out there.”

Eligible students must complete the MPH/PPH Fellowship application and agree to the fellowship requirements to be considered. Selection is based on completion of core courses, as defined by the MPH program, and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater. Preference is given to Escambia County residents and projects benefitting Escambia County, and then extended to Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties.

The Master of Public Health at UWF is offered entirely online and provides students with a high quality, multidisciplinary perspective on public health to prepare them to be public health professionals. This year, the program was ranked No. 37 in the “50 Most Affordable Online Master of Public Health Programs 2015” by Top Master’s in Healthcare Administration and No. 30 in the “Top 50 Best Online Public Health Master’s Programs” by OnlineMasterPrograms.org. To learn more, visit uwf.edu/mph.