The University of Washington’s Department of Health Systems and Population Health (HSPop) has received a generous gift from Dr. Jeff Harris and Dr. Judy Wasserheit specifically designated to provide support for students in the Health Services PhD program who have experienced an unexpected loss of funding.
Dr. Harris, former chair of the department, shared the motivation behind the gift. “Every degree program in the department is important and crucial to improving the public’s health, from our undergraduate program in health information, to our master’s programs in health administration, health information, and public health, to our PhD program, and Judy and I have been fortunate to be able to support each of them, principally through the Health Services Excellence, Equity, and Distinction (HSEED) awards,” said Harris. “Still, the PhD program stands out in importance for a research-intensive university, particularly at this chaotic time of precipitous funding loss.“
Department Chair Dr. Megha Ramaswamy highlighted the immediate impact the gift will provide for students in the program.
“Never before has higher education and public health suffered a seismic change like it has this year,” said Dr. Ramaswamy. “Drs. Harris and Wasserheit have a very strong grasp on the processes involved in these types of student success mechanisms, and chose to put few stipulations on how this gift was used, allowing us to more quickly provide the needed financial support to our students. It’s so critical that we train future public health leaders right now, and this gift will allow us to continue to do that.”
The criteria for the Harris/Wasserheit Scholarship include:
- An unexpected loss of promised funding, including cancelation of an award or an RA appointment on a project that received a stop work order;
- Financial Need, shown through FAFSA/WAFSA need calculator and brief essay from student with details on their need;
- Merit and progress in the program, as defined in Section 4 of the PhD Program Handbook;
- A statement on financial need and other efforts made to secure other funding.
Detailed criteria information and the award application can be found here.