COMPLETED PROGRAMS

Moving to Action: Addressing Cervical Cancer in South Carolina

South Carolina is a state with excess cervical cancer mortality, a disease closely associated with high-risk or cancer-causing types of genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Recent innovations in HPV prevention and control, including HPV testing and vaccination, have raised the profile of HPV in cervical cancer prevention and control efforts. The audience has expanded to include pediatricians, parents, policymakers, and many others. As a result, stakeholders, including researchers, public health practitioners, clinicians, community- and faith-based leaders, survivors, and advocates, from across the state have started an effort, “Moving to Action: Addressing Cervical Cancer in South Carolina,” to develop, implement, and evaluate a strategic plan to address excess cervical cancer mortality from prevention, control, and policy perspectives while continuing to support discovery work in the field of cervical cancer. “Moving to Action: Addressing Cervical Cancer in South Carolina” is supported by funds received by the USC Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities and USC-Claflin EXPORT Center. A statewide event was held June 2008 to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to identify ways to address cervical cancer and most importantly implement such solutions on the local level. Below are the events and activities that have occurred as a result of the Moving to Action initiative.

For more information click here.

EXPORT: Center of Excellence in Cancer and HIV Research

The Center of Excellence is a partnership between the University of South Carolina and Claflin University and is designed to reduce health disparities in HIV/AIDS and HPV/cervical cancer, particularly among minorities in rural areas of South Carolina. The partnership is a result of a federally funded grant from the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHHD).

The Center of Excellence goals are to contribute to the reduction of health disparities in South Carolina and in the United States by developing researchers who can address the diagnosis of HIV/AIDS and HPV/cervical cancer in African American populations. In addition, the center works with the Orangeburg, SC community to assist with research activities and to design community-led programs and resources to educate and promote awareness about these health conditions.

For more information please visit the website at http://www.sc.edu/export

The MATCH Project

The MATCH Project is a community-based preparedness initiative of the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health and the USC Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities.  This initiative aims to protect the public's health now and in the future by preparing for new and emerging infectious diseases.  The MATCH Project is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to address the collaboration/coordination issues that hinder effective preparation and planning for the treatment of animal-to-human transmission of disease - particularly among underserved populations and disenfranchised communities.

Click here to read news: Kellogg grant aims to contain threat of viral outbreak

For additional information visit http://sph.sc.edu/match

W. K. Kellogg Public Health Fellowship and Development Program

Funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Michigan, this project is (1) building a synergistic research network to increase interactive health disparities research and (2) increasing the number of African American students and professionals prepared for public health careers and engaged in research activities related to health disparities. These individuals are preparing to assume leadership positions in state and community organizations at the front line of health disparities research.

Kellogg Projects

Our Partners:
Allen University
Benedict College
Claflin University
Morris Collegee
South Carolina State University
Voorhees College

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, our state’s public health agency, will provide multiple opportunities for linkages with a variety of community initiatives in virtually all major health disparities areas, access to various educational programs, professional mentors for students, presenters for training activities, and guidance in cultural competency, health education and promotion.

The Health Professions Partnership Initiative
Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the purpose of the Health Professions Partnership Initiative (HPPI) is to increase the number of African Americans in public health training at the University of South Carolina (USC) and in the public health workforce in the Columbia, SC, area. The partnership serves one Columbia area school district, along with Benedict College and South Carolina State University. Program activities designed to introduce students to public health careers and training programs include: health career clubs, an academic intervention program for middle school students, career exploration tours, summer enrichment programs for high school students, as well as internships, service learning, and shadowing for high school and undergraduate students. College students can enroll in public health seminar courses located on their campuses.

Our Partners:
Sanders Middle School
Keenan High School
Benedict College
South Carolina State University
Mid-Carolina Area Health Education Center
South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control

The Palmetto Health Alliance Scholarship Program
The Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities staff manages and facilitates the awards process for the Palmetto Health Scholarship Program. Palmetto Health has committed to awarding scholarships to minority students pursuing a master’s degree in health services administration. The scholarship covers the cost of tuition, technology fees, and provides a graduate assistantship. Awards are made to students who demonstrate academic excellence and financial need.

The South Carolina Biomedical Research Infrastructure Project (SC BRIN) –  
    Supplement 9
Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the purpose of this research project is to facilitate and enhance research partnerships between one of South Carolina’s major research institutions and one of its Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The Arnold School of Public Health and South Carolina State University will work collaboratively to address issues of health disparity in rural and minority populations in the state through a pilot study that will lead to interventions that will address the increase in childhood obesity and risk for type-2 diabetes in rural and minority populations.

Palmetto Health Office of Community Services
The Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities collaborates with Palmetto Health in its efforts to improve the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of the communities it serves. The Institute serves as the central point-of-contact, responsible for identifying and coordinating a team of Arnold School of Public Health faculty, staff, and students who will provide a variety of services to include: the evaluation of community services programs sponsored by Palmetto Health, technical assistance, program planning, data analysis/reporting, and information resources.
 

The African American Faculty Development Institute
Funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services, the goal of this project is to provide the framework and financial resources to support the Arnold School of Public Health efforts to facilitate the development of African American faculty committed to eliminating health disparities and to increase the number of inter and intra-institutional research partnerships focused on health disparities.

In order to reach this goal, three primary objectives have been identified:

Objective 1: To develop and implement an integrated information system to support multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary research and access to lifelong learning to address the disparate health conditions within South Carolina.

Objective 2: To establish a certificate program in health disparities studies at the University of South Carolina that would be made accessible to masters and doctorally prepared HBCU faculty in South Carolina by utilizing distance education technology.

Objective 3: To establish a dedicated distance education and on-site resource library in the proposed Arnold School of Public Health building that would be dedicated to scholars and students interested in eliminating health disparities through research and professional outreach.

Program activities will focus primarily on existing faculty at the South Carolina’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which are Allen University, Benedict College, Claflin University, Morris College, South Carolina State University, and Voorhees College. Training and education in public health would be offered to faculty with an interest in public health for the purpose of enhancing their knowledge of the field and to engage in research activities related to health disparities via distance learning mediums.