Health Equity Scholars Program

In 2021, the Scholars Strategy Network, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, introduced the Health Equity Scholars Program. The program's creation was motivated by fostering healthy communities and a commitment to policy and health equity. Now in its third year, SSN is committed to the ongoing support of this program and its primary goal of promoting health equity throughout the United States.

The Health Equity Scholars Program made its debut in 2021. The program is designed to share insights and strategies for conducting and disseminating rigorous and actionable research on public health. The program includes a mid-year convening, group activities, and one-on-one support that aims to equip cohort members with the tools and skills to share their findings with policy stakeholders, develop professionally, and build critical relationships with their peers. 

The program is structured to enable cohort members to disseminate their research findings among peers, senior scholars, policymakers, media, and practitioners. This sharing of diverse perspectives aims to shed light on how to conduct rigorous and actionable research and apply it to public health. This collaborative environment fosters a sense of inclusion and cross-disciplinary communication, encouraging participants to push the boundaries of their research and its real-world applications.

Through our trainings and one-on-one coaching sessions, cohort members in the Health Equity Scholars Program will have the tools to:

• Successfully communicate research findings to audiences outside of academia
• Identify, engage, and build relationships with target policymakers and community organizations to improve the likelihood that research is used in the policy process
• Communicate research findings through the media
• Incorporate a community-centered and equity-focused approach to their research
• Develop strategies for successful grant applications
• Balance professional development goals with time spent on public engagement

To learn more about the program or to get involved, please contact SSN Director of Policy Andrew Pope at a[email protected].