NHHF Scholarship Program Targets Growing Demand for Diversity Among Health Care Professionals; Students Selected From New York and New Jersey

Students Pursuing Health Care Careers Receive $26,000 in Scholarships

From National Hispanic Health Foundation

    NEW YORK, Nov. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ten health professional
 students from New York and New Jersey won $5,000 and $2,000 scholarships
 from the National Hispanic Health Foundation (NHHF), a nonprofit group
 affiliated with the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at
 New York University. The scholarships will be presented at the Fourth
 Annual Hispanic Health Professional Student Scholarship Gala at 7 p.m. Nov.
 29 at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel, 1535 Broadway.
 
 
 
     This year's scholarship program was expanded with the support of the
 United Health Foundation, who donated $15,000.00 for $5,000.00 awards to
 the top three students. Other generous contributions were made by American
 Express, AMGEN, Empire Blue Cross, Johnson and Johnson, the NY City Health
 & Hospital Corporation, and other partners.
 
 
 
     Three prominent leaders will also be honored at the Gala, Jo Ivey
 Boufford, President, NY Academy of Medicine, Alan Aviles, President,
 NYCHHC, and Ron Williams, CEO, Aetna. "We are thrilled because this year we
 are honoring health leaders who are role models for our scholars," said Dr.
 Elena Rios, president and CEO of NHHF.
 
 
 
     This year's Hispanic Health Professional Student Scholarships were
 awarded to outstanding students who have demonstrated academic excellence,
 leadership and a commitment to the Hispanic community, the nation's largest
 minority group. The scholarship targets students who have made a commitment
 to improving the health of Hispanic communities. Their disciplines are in
 five areas: medicine, nursing, dentistry, public health, and health policy
 and management.
 
 
 
     "We at NHHF are honored to help these remarkable students in achieving
 their goals," Rios said. "By doing our part today, we are nurturing future
 health professionals and role models who will be tomorrow's leaders."
 
 
 
     The winners of the 2007 Hispanic Health Professional Student
 Scholarships are: Noe Romo, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Hector
 Aguilar, Albany Medical College; Monica Sianez, Columbia University Mailman
 School of Public Health; Karen Florez, Columbia University Mailman School
 of Public Health; Keila Torres, Columbia University School of Nursing;
 Carla Calcaterra, University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine; Erginio
 Fernandez, UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School; Cruz M. Ortiz, UMDNJ-New Jersey
 School of Nursing; Jason Caraballo, NYU Wagner and Ginseng Torres-Chae, NYU
 Wagner.
 
 
 
     The winners were selected by a prestigious panel of health care
 officials from the Wagner School, the National Association of Hispanic
 Nurses, the Latino Caucus of the American Public Health Association, the
 Hispanic Dental Association, and the NHMA. Since the scholarship program
 was launched in 2004, NHHF has awarded 28 scholarships totaling $57,000.
 Also this year, NHHF established the scholarship program in Sacramento,
 California that will occur January 22, 2008 and provide 10 more
 scholarships.
 
 
 
     NHHF is the 501(c)(3) arm of the National Hispanic Medical Association
 (NHMA), a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, and representing
 Hispanic physicians across the U.S. NHHF is affiliated with NYU's Robert F.
 Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, which is a center of academic
 excellence for public service, including health policy and management,
 leadership and health services research.
 
 
 
     For information on the National Hispanic Health Foundation, go to
 www.nhmafoundation.org
 
 
 
     National Hispanic Health Foundation
 
 
 
     The National Hispanic Medical Association established the National
 Hispanic Medical Foundation in 1994 to provide research and educational
 activities focused on Hispanic health. In 2000, the name was changed to the
 National Hispanic Health Foundation (NHHF), and, in 2004, NHHF officially
 affiliated with the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New
 York University. A Congressional Earmark was awarded to develop the
 Hispanic Health Professional Leadership Network and a new list- serve
 system as well as strategic planning for the Foundation. Future NHMA and
 NHHF programs include Policy Research and Research Training targeting
 Hispanic health, expanding the Hispanic Health Professional Student
 Scholarship Program and Leadership development. Currently we are developing
 research on diversity in the health workforce for USDHHS/OMH - both at the
 entry level, the HCOP program, and looking at executive leadership for
 Hispanics in major health care organizations. The NHHF Hispanic Health
 Professional Student Scholarship Program 4th Annual Gala Dinner will be
 held on November 29, 2007, Marriott Marquis, New York City and the First
 NHHF Annual Scholarship Gala at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento on
 January 22nd, 2008. See www.nhmafoundation.org for more information.
 
 
 
     National Hispanic Medical Association
 
 
 
     Established in 1994, the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA)
 represents licensed Hispanic physicians in the United States. The mission
 of NHMA is to improve the health of Hispanics and other underserved. The
 Association's programs support physicians and advocate for quality health
 care at the national level.
 
 
 
     Physician Support: In 1998, the NHMA Leadership Fellowship was
 developed in collaboration with the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of
 Public Service, New York University, with the support of the U.S.
 Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) to develop the leadership
 skills of member physicians selected from across the nation. NHMA also
 developed the NHMA Resident Leadership Program and the Medical Student
 Mentorship Program. NHMA developed media training, a media breakfast series
 with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus with support from the U.S.
 Department of Transportation and speakers' bureau for media interviews and
 conferences. NHMA developed its cultural competence project in NYC with
 focus groups of faculty, community organizations, and residents to
 determine future direction for community-based training in Graduate Medical
 Education programs and the promotion of linkages to develop research in
 Hispanic communities, and a September 2004 meeting with USDHHS Office of
 Minority Health (OMH) with the USMLE, AAMC, JAHCO, NCQA, NQF on current
 evaluation of cultural competence training. In 2005, NHMA started its
 Obesity and Diabetes campaign and portal. In 2006, NHMA established the
 Medical Society Leadership Institute. NHMA also nominates its members to
 national committees in the public and private sectors.
 
 
 
     Advocacy: NHMA serves as a resource to the White House, USDHHS, and the
 Senate and House of Representatives. In 2002, NHMA, in collaboration with
 USDHHS, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), the Robert Wood Johnson
 Foundation and others, convened the National Hispanic Health Leadership
 Summit with 175 participants nominated by HHS and Congress and partners.
 NHMA has been supported by the Commonwealth Fund for symposia with Members
 of Congress, State officials and health leaders to discuss strategies to
 increase insurance coverage among Hispanics and by the California Endowment
 to convene "Hispanic Health Congressional Briefing Series" on cultural
 competence, health professions, community based research, and US-Mexico
 binational insurance. NHMA also serves on the National Hispanic Leadership
 Agenda, with the largest forty Hispanic organizations in the country, and
 the AMA Disparities Commission.
 
 
 
     NHMA's 12th Annual Conference, "Health Reform: A National Priority for
 Hispanics and Health Disparities" will be held on April 17-20, 2008 in
 Washington, DC. Visit the website www.nhmamd.org for more information.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

SOURCE National Hispanic Health Foundation