UNC School of Public Health - Available awards

Awards and funding

Available awards

School, University and Other Awards

The SPH Office of Student Affairs maintains a listing of grants and awards sponsored by the School, the University and other resources. We also offer additional information about financing your education on our website. These awards utilize a self-nomination process and are open to any currently enrolled MCH graduate student.

The UNC GrantSource Library, which provides resources and information for anyone looking for external or internal funding, has developed a Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Funding Guide for graduate students.

MCH Department Awards (Guidelines)

The Department of Maternal and Child Health is pleased that so many of our students receive competitive awards through the Graduate School, the University and other sources. Our Department also provides limited support through two Maternal and Child Health Bureau Training Grants - Leadership Education in Maternal and Child Health (SPH/MCH) and Doctoral Training in MCH and Epidemiology.

In addition, we have several scholarships that are competitively awarded each year through our MCH Awards Committee. These awards have been made possible through the commitment and generosity of private MCH donors with the goal of promoting and celebrating excellence in maternal and child health.

The John and Sallie Shuping Russell Scholarship in Global Health
This award was established in 2002 to support an endowed scholarship in global health, with a special emphasis on infectious disease and children's health. Masters and doctoral students committed to global health may apply. The scholarship may fund an international field placement.

John and Sallie Shuping Russell are UNC alumni. This scholarship reflects their belief in the importance of public health in improving and advancing the health of communities and families throughout the world.

The Katherine Ann Wildman Memorial Scholarship
This award was established in 2003 to support a scholarship in maternal and child health, in honor and memory of Dr. Katherine Ann Wildman. Outstanding masters and doctoral students with a demonstrated commitment to the study of MCH may apply.

Katherine Ann Wildman received both her MPH and PhD degrees in Maternal and Child Health from UNC focusing as a student and as a promising young investigator in the area of perinatal health and epidemiology. Dr. Wildman's research explored health systems factors associated with maternal morbidity and mortality during pregnancy and understanding how to provide health care that responds to the needs and desires of pregnant women. From her BA in International Relations to her dissertation about Tanzania and her work in Europe, Katherine Wildman showed an interest in travel, other cultures, and a strong commitment to being truly global.

The Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute Scholarship
This award was established in 2006 to support a scholarship for a student with potential for leadership in mother/child health, especially as related to infant and young child feeding and care.

The Institute is dedicated to identifying and disseminating evidence, policy and practices that most benefit the mother/child unit. Its goals include enabling women to make the best health choices for themselves and their children, increasing understanding of the policy and program interventions that impact on the health and survival of mother and child, and documenting and disseminating the evidence of the impact of infant and young child feeding and care practices on maternal survival and health.
Outstanding masters and doctoral students with a demonstrated commitment to the study of the mother/child dyad domestically or internationally may apply.

The Edem Effiong Memorial Scholarship for Student Travel

This award is being established in 2007 in honor and memory of Edem Effiong, a dedicated community advocate who embraced public health as the means to promote social justice for women, children, and adolescents in Nigeria and around the world. Edem was respected for her intellectual engagement, giving voice to those on the margins. Just days before Edem passed away from leukemia, she received her MPH degree in MCH, demonstrating once again what one individual can achieve through perseverance and spirit.

The genesis of this student travel award was gifts from MCH donors and alumni, matched dollar-for-dollar by Professor Gary Koch, in recognition of the important role of field travel in enriching the graduate studies experience. Outstanding master's and doctoral students with a demonstrated commitment to leadership and advocacy in MCH may apply. The award must be used toward domestic or international travel.

MCH Global Health Internship Fund
This award was established in 2008 to support basic student expenditures of travel and subsistence for global health field placements that integrates international and domestic MCH issues and solutions.

Lynn Knauff, an MCH alumna, established this fund recognizing that teaching and training our MCH students to work effectively in global health - acknowledging a world where health issues and concerns, particularly those affecting children, mothers and women and families - a borderless world includes ground-truth experience, primarily through internships preferably outside one's comfort zone.

The Earl and Gladys Siegel Student Support Fund in MCH

This award was established by Professor Earl and Mrs. Siegel to support students. In recent years the focus has been to provide financial support, especially travel, for student field placements.

The Cynthia H. Cassell Doctoral Dissertation Award in MCH

This award was established in 2007 by Dr. Gail Cassell and Mr. Ralph Cassell to support dissertation expenses in the field of reproductive health, broadly defined.

Last updated May 17, 2012