CONNECTICUT’S FIRST HEALTH LEADERSHIP FELLOWS PROGRAM NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2006 CLASS
An Introduction to the 2005 Inaugural Class of Health Leadership Fellows--Connecticut’s Future Public Health Leaders
NEW BRITAIN (1/10/06) -- The Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health) is now accepting online applications for the 2006 Health Leadership Fellows Program, which hopes to foster, support and promote leadership and learning among the next generation of public health pioneers in the government, private, and nonprofit sectors, Vice President of Program & Evaluation Will Crimi announced Tuesday. Online applications – available at www.cthealth.org – must be submitted by May 1, 2006.
The Leadership Fellows Program is a year-long (October to June) knowledge and skill-building program designed to create leaders, especially from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic communities, who will pursue careers in public policy, public health practice, community advocacy, academia, or any other related field.
“The Foundation is dedicated to eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities in Connecticut and we believe cultivating leadership among those people who receive unequal health care and report poor health outcomes will be an effective strategy,” said Crimi. “We selected 20 fellows in our inaugural class, recognizing that they can contribute significantly as future public health leaders —given their diverse talents and fields of influence.”
The 2005 Health Leadership Fellows include:
Rose Abréu-Sánchez (New Haven) Yale Center for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Gina Leean Calder (New Haven) MATRIX Public Health Consultants
Sunil D’Cunha (Waterbury) StayWell Health Center
Magdaly Font-Díaz (Hartford)Making Connections in Hartford
Stephenie R. Guess (New London)Sound Community Services, Inc.
Debra J. James (Wallingford) Community Health Network of Connecticut
Karina Jiménez Lewis (Hartford) Department of Children and Families
Dorothy Jones (Windsor) East of the River System of Care
Laurie Julian (Hartford) Connecticut Primary Care Association
Anne S. Klee (West Haven) VA Connecticut Healthcare System
Matthew LeMaster (Manchester) Community Health Resources
Tung Nguyen (Hartford) City of Hartford Department of Health and Human Services
Diann Pertillar (Middletown) Community Health Center/Middlesex
Linda S. Smith (Bridgeport) Bridgeport Community Health Center
Michael A. Smith (Hartford) CT Department of Public Health
Gerardo Sorkin (Norwich) United Community and Family Services
Deborah Thomas-Sims (Bridgeport)Charles Smith Foundation
Jacqueline Torres (East Hartford) Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Richard Torres (Bridgeport) Bridgeport Community Health Center
Kari White (New Haven) Yale University—Department of Epidemiology and Public Health
The 2006 fellows, who will be selected through a competitive process, must make a one-year commitment to attend two weekend retreats, monthly seminars, and other educational activities. Each fellow also will receive a stipend of $1,500 to aid in their personal or professional development. In addition, those who are employed by a nonprofit organization will receive a $500 gift for their employer.
The second class of fellows is expected to include up to 20 Connecticut residents whom represent various professional and educational backgrounds. They include women and men whose professional work includes:social workers, physicians, advocates, community leaders, researchers, administrators, educators, and epidemiologists.
Eligible applicants must:
Be a resident of Connecticut or primary work must directly impact the people of Connecticut.
Have experience or interest in working with the health needs of minority populations.
Show strong evidence of leadership experience or potential, especially as related to community projects or health policy, and
Intend to pursue a career in public health practice, policy, academia, or community advocacy.
The Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health) is the state’s largest independent, non-profit grantmaking foundation dedicated to improving the health of the people of Connecticut through systemic change, program innovation and health policy analysis. Since it was established in July of 1999, CT Health has awarded 269 grants in 37 cities and towns totaling close to $21 million in three priority areas – children’s mental health, reducing racial and ethnic health disparities, and oral health.
For additional information about the Health Leadership Fellows Program contact Will Crimi at 860.224.2200 or will@cthealth.org. Please contact Maryland Grier, Public Affairs Officer, at 860.224.2200, ext. 32 or Maryland@cthealth.org for photos of the 2005 Fellows or information about the Foundation.
