CDC MCHC/RISE-UP National Minority Undergraduate Training Program

Project Description

The Maternal and Child Health Careers/Research Initiatives for Student Enhancement (MCHC/RISE-UP) Program provides undergraduate students from disadvantaged and/or under-represented racial and ethnic groups with opportunities for enhanced public health and related training to encourage and support the pursuit of graduate degrees in public health and related fields.  Funding from this program is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office of Minority Health and Health Equity Undergraduate Public Health Scholars Program and was awarded to the Kennedy Krieger Institute (KKI) at Johns Hopkins University.

MCHC/RISE-UP is a consortium of three UCEDD/LEND programs at KKI (Baltimore, MD), the University of South Dakota, and the USC UCEDD at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and their university partners of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Minority Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges.  The ultimate goal of the MCHC/RISE-UP Consortium is to increase the number of highly qualified graduate students from underrepresented groups entering the public health and related systems workforce to promote health equity.

The MCHC/RISE-UP Program enrolls up to 50 under-represented racial and ethnic (URM) undergraduate junior, senior, and recent baccalaureate degree students in a 10-week summer mentored comprehensive public health experience (Summer Leadership Institute) at one of three sites: Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, the USC UCEDD/CSULA Minority Partnership in Los Angeles, and the University of South Dakota UCEDD/LEND program.  Students spend two days at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins University, for an introduction to the program, followed by three days at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA, and nine weeks at one of the three MCHC/RISE-UP sites.

Cross-sectional themes which run throughout the LA-based curriculum include:

• Los Angeles as an Urban Cultural Laboratory
• Health and other disparities associated with race, ethnicity, language, and the presence of a disability
• Equity and Social Justice
• Systems of care for low-income, uninsured, underserved, ethnically diverse populations
• The 3 core functions of Public Health: assurance, assessment, policy development and 10 essential services of Public Health: assure competent workforce; evaluate; monitor health; diagnose and investigate; inform, educate, and empower; mobility community partnerships; develop policies; enforce laws, link to/provide care.

Students participate in weekly didactic lectures and interactive teaching experiences on topics related to the three content strands and the themes which flow throughout the curriculum.  Lectures are provided in clusters by faculty at university campuses where graduate programs in public health or related disciplines are offered to expose students to different academic environments where they might apply to graduate school, i.e., USC Institute for Prevention Research, USC Schools of Public Policy, Gerontology, Law, Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, Department of Pediatrics and Division of Adolescent Medicine at CHLA, UCLA School of Public Health, Cal State LA, and the USC UCEDD.  Students participate in 24 hours of internships with faculty or staff in a variety of settings working with, studying, and/or advocating for vulnerable populations.  All MCHC/RISE-UP students receive assistance with development of timeline for graduate school application, personal statements, and curriculum vitae.  Finally, students participate in two full days of Leadership training followed by activities to explore and reflect on their own strengths and assets as a leader and how to maintain and sustain their cultural values and identity within mainstream environments.  Mentorship is a critical component of our training.

Important Things to Know

• The anticipated outcome of this program is successful admission to a graduate program in Public Health or related field.
• The program is a full-time, 400 hr summer program.
• $3,500 stipend is provided to students who are accepted.
• Applications for the 2015 Summer Leadership Institute close January 31, 2015.
• Who should apply:
  • Juniors, Seniors, and students who received their baccalaureate degree within 12 months of MCHC/RISE-UP program from disadvantaged groups currently underrepresented in higher education, public health and related fields.  All majors are encouraged to apply.
  • GPA 2.5 or better on a 4.0 scale.
  • Students interested in addressing health disparities, equity, and social justice.
• Applications can be found at: http://www.kennedykrieger.org/rise-up
• Interested students may apply to any of the other three grantees that deliver this program by visiting the CDC Minority Health Internships page and clicking on any of the following links:
  • Summer Public Health Scholars Program (Columbia Medical College (NY, NY) 
  • Future Public Health Leaders Program (FPHLP) University of Michigan School of Public Health (Ann Arbor, MI) 
  • Project: IMHOTEP Morehouse College (Atlanta, GA)

Click here for video of MCHC-RISE-UP LA summer 2014, produced by MSI partner, Cal State LA College of Health and Human Services

Additional Information

Barbara Wheeler, PhD, RN, Project Co-Director
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Project Co-Director

Funding: Sub-contract with Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins University

Project Duration: 2012 - 2016