New Exchange scholarship - Australian-European Public Health Education
These exciting new undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships are designed to develop capacity and resources for a global public health workforce, in particular for developing and maintaining Australia's educational relationship with Europe. The project theme is aligned to human rights and social inclusion.
The generous $10,000 student scholarships will commence in 2009 (September) and will be available each year until 2011. There is the opportunity for 10 Griffith University public health students to undertake a semester exchange in Europe by 2011.
Student selection will not be based purely on academic merit. Scholarship applications will require students to demonstrate a clear motivation to travel in line with public health interests. While all European study programs will be delivered in English, successful applicants will be expected to develop functional language and a cultural understanding of the host country and act as ambassadors for Griffith University.
The scholarships are available for a one semester student exchanges for study with one of the following:
- University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg, Germany
- Kaunas University of Medicine in Kaunas, Lithuania
- Jagiellonian University , Krakow, Poland
- University of Southern Denmark, Esbjerg, Denmark
For more information about the scholarships please contact the Project Coordinator, Ms Kathleen Lilley on k.lilley@griffith.edu.au
Sr Angela Mary Doyle Academic Award for Health Services Management Students from the Australian College of Health Service Executives
ACHSE are awarding a new yearly prize to student(s) who complete the requirements of the award of Master of Health Service Management at Griffith University, by completing the Master of Health Service Management in one year of full time study (or equivalent).
Sr Angela Mary Doyle Academic Award 2007 awarded to Kristen Lengkeek who graduated in December 2006 with an Academic Award for excellence in the Master of Health Services Management
What is the prize?
The prize will be registration at the next available Queensland State Conference, and/or a one-year membership of ACHSE, and/or a book voucher up to a total maximum value of $500. Multiple prizes will be awarded in any one year if there is more than one student achieving the same GPA. The prize will also be accompanied by a certificate and a citation on the history of Sr Angela Mary. For further information contact Program Convenor Dr Gary Day at g.day@griffith.edu.au
Eberhard Wenzel Scholarship for International Public Health
The School of Public Health has recently established the new Eberhard Wenzel Scholarship for International Public Health. The Scholarship (valued at $2000) may be awarded annually to a student who is enrolled in either the Master of Public Health (research option) or an honors program within the School of Public Health, Griffith University. The purpose of the scholarship is to facilitate the conduct of research of promising young public health researchers who are interested in International Public Health; Indigenous Health; Equity and Inequality in Health and/or Globalisation, Development and Health.
The scholarship was established to honour the late Dr Eberhard Wenzel, an academic in Griffith's School of Public Health at the time of his death in 2001. It facilitates the studies of young public health scholars into topics relevant to the academic interests of Dr Wenzel. Dr Wenzel was well known and widely respected for his contribution to international public health. He had a tremendous understanding of public health issues facing humanity and his establishment of the Virtual Library for Public Health and International Public Health Watch websites provided important means for him to engage with others who shared his passion for the field.
For more information on the Eberhard Wenzel Scholarship for International Public Health, please see the Griffith Scholarships site.
Eberhard Wenzel Scholarship Winner 2006 Kristy Hill
Study of 'fly-in, fly-out' health days in remote north Queensland attracts dual honours
A former occupational therapist now working as a health promotion officer for the Royal Flying Doctor Service has received two separate honours from Griffith University.
Master of Public Health student Kristy Hill has been awarded the Eberhard Wenzel Scholarship for International Public Health and has also been accepted as one of four inaugural research fellows in Griffith's new Primary Health Care Research Unit.
Ms Hill's research is evaluating the field days delivered by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to remote communities in North Queensland.
In addition to their traditional focus on aeromedical emergencies, the RFDS introduced the field days in 2001 as a strategy to increase their role in preventive health and health promotion.
Usually held on remote cattle stations, often three hours drive from the nearest town, the field days incorporate a health education session in the morning and medical and child health clinics in the afternoon.
"There has been no formal evaluation of the service but feedback from the community is excellent and shows they are very popular days. The RFDS have been extremely supportive of this study and I am really enjoying the mix of both service provision and research," Ms Hill said.
"I want to investigate how the field days contribute to building community capacity for health. Have field days assisted communities to be better able to identify and address their health needs? Does it enhance their ability to problem solve on health issues such as obesity? Are field days helping develop local leaders in the community?"
Ms Hill said between 10 and 35 men, women and children attend their local field day. Each site receives between one and three visits a year.
"Because of the diverse range of health topics delivered at field days, RFDS also incorporates other services such as Relationships Australia, Farm Safe Queensland, and Queensland Cancer Fund. For field days which have a family focus the Remote Areas Family Services run a playgroup for the children, which allow time for parents to participate fully in the days activities."
Ms Hill has previously worked on a number of international health projects including a child trafficking project and a school based health promotion program for children affected by HIV/AIDS in Thailand.
More recently she has also worked on a suicide prevention project with an indigenous community in Queensland.
"I have an interest in international public health, indigenous health and inequalities in health. This research will hopefully help inform the structure and implementation of other health promotion activities in remote areas of Australia and internationally."
Ms Hill said the Eberhard Wenzel Scholarship and the primary health care fellowship will provide practical support for her research and allow her to travel to Griffith's Logan campus near Brisbane for more visits with her supervisor Mr Neil Harris.
She enrolled in her Master of Public Health in 2002 and because of the geographical remoteness of her work, has done most of her study externally.
Eberhard Wenzel Scholarship Winner 2005
Eberhard Wenzel Scholarship winner to focus on casemix
Griffith University has awarded the inaugural Eberhard Wenzel Scholarship for International Public Health to Master of Health Services Management student Madhan Balasubramanian. Mr Balasubramanian, who has been at Griffith for about 12 months, said he was delighted to receive the scholarship which would help with his research expenses. He will spend two months in the Indian city of Jaipur collecting data from the local hospitals for his dissertation on casemix.
Mr Balasubramanian's study will investigate the potential applicability of Australian casemix strategies and policies in Jaipur. "Casemix, a health care information management tool which has been widely adopted in the western world including Australia, is one option for health service management in India. However there could also be better options for the subcontinent," he said Mr Balasubramanian's study is being supervised by Associate Professor Peter Howard with the assistance of Mr Stephen Cole, a principal policy officer with Queensland Health. The study also has the support of the Indian Institute of Health Management and Research.
Border Gavaskar Masters Scholarship
Scholarship student with vision
Recipient of the prestigious inaugural Border Gavaskar Masters Scholarship, Dr Sonali Sapkale of Mumbai, India, is quickly settling in to life at Griffith University's Nathan campus.
The Master of Public Health student was awarded the academic scholarship after a six-month selection process which attracted high quality candidates from across India. She demonstrated academic excellence, exemplified integrity of character, and met the application requirements.
The scholarship covers university fees, living costs and travel expenses. As its name suggests, the scholarship honours two great cricketers who served their countries through sporting excellence with distinction and pride. The cricketing greats presented Dr Sapkale with this significant award at the Cricket Club of India late last year.
After obtaining her medical degree, Dr Sapkale, 25, worked at Harilal Bhagvati Municipal Hospital in Mumbai and was posted to a variety of rural areas where she has dealt with pressing local health needs.
Griffith University Dean (International Quality and Policy) Professor Patrick Weller said Dr Sapkale had a real vision for the future of public health in India. "She has an excellent academic record and a long-term desire to work with the underprivileged communities in India, helping to create higher standards of public health and the treatment of infectious diseases," Professor Weller said.
"We are delighted to endorse the Border Gavaskar Masters Scholarship and look forward to when Dr Sapkale will be able to contribute to public life in India after she has successfully completed her study at Griffith."
Dr Sapkale said she chose Griffith because of its world renowned faculty and the amount of research that is carried out in health related fields. "The Masters degree at Griffith will be the first step towards realising my dream goal of starting an non government organisation. My aim is to start a non-profit organisation for the unserved population in Mumbai," she said. "Developing countries like India still deal with infectious diseases outbreaks like plague, malaria, polio and HIV. The burden of limited resources to serve the growing population is unimaginable and hence my dream to make a difference to this world through my education."
Dr Sapkale has come from a modest economic background where she was raised by her grandparents who have had to make great sacrifices to fund her education thus far. The Border Gavaskar Masters Scholarship will be awarded on each occasion that Australia and India play for the coveted Border Gavaskar Trophy.