{"id":218736,"date":"2022-11-04T15:10:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-04T19:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=218736"},"modified":"2023-12-05T22:23:02","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T03:23:02","slug":"sph-commits-1m-to-support-student-practica","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2022\/sph-commits-1m-to-support-student-practica\/","title":{"rendered":"SPH Commits $1M to Support Student Practica"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin sphnews-block-editorial-leadin is-style-text-over-image has-media has-box has-media-focus-center-middle has-text-position-x-right has-text-position-y-bottom has-light-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1280\" height=\"802\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2022\/11\/Generation-Health.png\" class=\"\" alt=\"Students gather around a table, blurry behind glass\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2022\/11\/Generation-Health.png 1280w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2022\/11\/Generation-Health-636x398.png 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2022\/11\/Generation-Health-1024x642.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2022\/11\/Generation-Health-768x481.png 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2022\/11\/Generation-Health-755x473.png 755w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2022\/11\/Generation-Health-900x564.png 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2022\/11\/Generation-Health-1200x752.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner has-opacity-60\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">school news<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSPH Commits $1M to Support Student Practica\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">The new SPH\u00a0initiative, called Generation Health, will fill gaps in available funding for students seeking practicum experiences in support of community-based organizations doing critical public health work.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar js-block-editorial-metabar sphnews-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">November 4, 2022<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/authors\/mallory-bersi\/\">Mallory Bersi<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p>As a mission-driven institution, the School of Public Health\u2019s work centers around a number of key commitments. Among them is a commitment to ensure equitable opportunity for all students, as well as a commitment to engage with community organizations whose work aligns with the school\u2019s values of improving health at the local, national, and global level. To advance these commitments and the school\u2019s collective effort to improve the health of populations, SPH <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/?post_type=announcement&amp;p=218657\">is pledging<\/a> one million dollars over the next two years to support student practicum experiences with community-based organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new SPH initiative, called Generation Health, will fill gaps in available funding for students seeking practicum experiences in support of community-based organizations doing critical public health work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At SPH, the 240-hour practicum experience is a practice-based internship that provides all <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/education\/degrees-and-programs\/master-of-public-health-programs\/\">Master of Public Health<\/a> students with the opportunity to gain experience applying what they learn in the classroom to real-world public health problems. While all students must complete a practicum to fulfill their degree requirements, many face restrictions and financial challenges when pursuing their practicums due to a lack of funding. Currently, less than half of SPH students receive funding for their practicum, consistent with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naceweb.org\/uploadedfiles\/files\/2021\/publication\/executive-summary\/2021-nace-internship-and-co-op-survey-executive-summary.pdf\">more than 40%<\/a> of unpaid higher education internships across the country. This lack of funding leads the students who are unable to accept an unpaid position to seek out additional job opportunities to makes ends meet or pursue practicum experiences that do not align with their own public health interests in order to obtain some financial security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, the smaller, community-based organizations that would greatly benefit from the capacity, skills, and expertise that SPH students bring to the table may not have the funding to support a paid practicum opportunity. This, unfortunately, can leave these organizations overlooked and under-resourced. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By subsidizing unpaid and underpaid practicum opportunities, the Generation Health initiative aims to reduce financial barriers for students seeking practicums while supporting organizations in recruiting students to help advance public health and equity in communities, both locally and globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGeneration Health acts as a bridge between students and the community, working to make community-based public health work more equitable and accessible for the growing public health workforce\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/profile\/julia-lanham\/\">Julia Lanham<\/a>, assistant dean for careers and practicum. \u201cThis is also a concrete example of SPH living up to our values as a school, equity in all that we do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The initiative will expand upon SPH\u2019s previous <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2022\/sph-launches-practicum-access-award-to-support-students-in-need\/\">Practicum Access Award<\/a>, which launched last spring and financially supported 35 students in fulfilling their practicum requirements. Now, with significantly more funds available, Generation Health will allow more SPH students than ever before to seek out practicum opportunities that align with their public health goals without worrying about financial barriers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Starting in Spring 2023, students will be able to apply for up to $5,000 in funding for their practicum. Application windows will be open three times a year, and funding will be allocated throughout each application cycle. This year-round funding comes as a welcome change from the Practicum Access Award, which previously only provided funding for students over the summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMany of our students look to do their practicum over the summer because they are not taking classes, but this is not the case for everyone, as many students use the summer to travel or visit their friends and family,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/profile\/ryan-wisniewski\/\">Ryan Wisniewski<\/a>, assistant director of the practicum program. \u201cThis expanded, year-round funding now gives our students more flexibility over when and where they seek out their practicum experience without sacrificing their professional goals or personal needs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Funding for Generation Health is made possible by the philanthropic support of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/give\/\">SPH\u2019s alumni and friends<\/a>. While the school\u2019s two-year commitment is a necessary first step toward creating both opportunity and equity within community-based practicum experiences, SPH has set an ambitious goal to reach complete funding for all students over the next several years. To meet this goal, further support from industry partners and leaders of public health is essential. As part of the Generation Health initiative, those partners who make financial contributions to advance this work and build a more diverse and equitable public health workforce will be named Generation Health Champions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGeneration Health is an investment in the future of public health,\u201d says Dean <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/profile\/sandro-galea\/\">Sandro Galea<\/a>. \u201cTogether, we can provide new opportunities for our students to further their professional development and create a world where all students can work with organizations whose work aligns with our collective mission to build a healthier world for all.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>To learn more about Generation Health partnership opportunities, the application process, or how to donate to support our students, please reach out to the Career and Practicum Office at <\/em><a href=\"mailto:sphpract@bu.edu\"><em>sphpract@bu.edu<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories is-style-card has-two sphnews-block-editorial-relatedstories\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-title\">Related<\/h3>\n\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/4C4A5317-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Pink flowers on a tree outside of the Talbot building\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/4C4A5317-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/4C4A5317-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/4C4A5317-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/4C4A5317-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/4C4A5317-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/4C4A5317-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/4C4A5317-755x503.jpg 755w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/4C4A5317-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/4C4A5317-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/4C4A5317-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/4C4A5317-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/4C4A5317-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/4C4A5317-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>Generation Health<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2023\/generation-health-initiative-bears-fruit\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Generation Health Practicum Initiative Bears Fruit<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">April 7, 2023<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a mission-driven institution, the School of Public Health\u2019s work centers around a number of key commitments. Among them is a commitment to ensure equitable opportunity for all students, as well as a commitment to engage with community organizations whose work aligns with the school\u2019s values of improving health at the local, national, and global [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14852,"featured_media":218746,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"school news","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[1899,3214],"bu-publication":[3516],"sphnews-article-category":[],"sphnews-topic":[],"bu_edition":[4613],"media_type":[],"profile_tax":[2738],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/218736"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14852"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218736"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/218736\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":234532,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/218736\/revisions\/234532"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/218746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218736"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=218736"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-article-category?post=218736"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-topic?post=218736"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=218736"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=218736"},{"taxonomy":"profile_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile_tax?post=218736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}