USF College of Public Health Named Scholarship Awards

• One $1,000 award for a COPH graduate student (MPH, MSPH or PhD) in either the Environmental & Occupational Health, Health, Safety & Environment, or Occupational Exposure Science concentrations

• Eligible students must be enrolled full or part time during Spring 2024 semester

• This scholarship is weighted in favor of students who display outstanding academic achievement, commitment to the field of environmental health, toxicology or risk assessment through their involvement in community outreach, research and/or educational programs, and demonstrated leadership within the University of South Florida College of Public Health

• Link for application is available here.

Carl A Gelin – Mr. Gelin and his wife Gracil moved to Clearwater from Washington, D.C. in 1963. He was a retired engineer form the civil service who had served in the Navy during WWII. Gracil also worked in civil service. An unassuming couple, the Gelins lived modestly and quietly during their years in Florida.  They had no children and no close relatives. However, they did create a trust, and upon their deaths, a bequest in the amount of $200,000 came to USF to create a scholarship for USF St. Petersburg, the College of Public Health, and USF Honors Program.

• One $2,500 award for COPH graduate students studying Health Care Administration 

• Eligible students must be enrolled full or part time during Spring 2025 semester

• Selection of the scholarship recipient will also be guided by academic performance and financial need

• Link for application is available here.

Dr. Carol Bryant – Dr. Bryant dedicated more than 30 years to improving lives through community-based prevention marketing, a form of social marketing that she helped create. Bryant, Distinguished University Health Professor in the USF College of Public Health’s Department of Community and Family Health and former director of the Florida Prevention Research Center — a center she played a vital role in establishing — retired in August with emeritus professor status. This scholarship honors her contributions by supporting students studying social marketing at USF.

• At least one $1,000 awards for a College of Public Health graduate student

• Eligible students must be enrolled full or part time in a degree or certificate program during Spring 2025 semester

• The recipient will have shown outstanding academic achievement and leadership within social marketing

• Link for application is available here.

• At least five $1,000 awards for a graduate student in the College of Public Health

• Eligible students must be enrolled full or part time during Spring 2024 semester

• Link for application is available here.

• At least one $500 award for a College of Public Health graduate student

• Eligible students must be enrolled full or part time during Spring 2024 semester

• Link for application is available here.

Dr. Alexander helped to define the entire field of perinatal epidemiology in public health and medicine – the clinical science behind ensuring health births and healthy babies. Notably, he developed fetal growth curves for national use to measure and prevent health disparities at childbirth. Through hundreds of major articles, book chapters and technical reports, Dr. Alexander has helped to identify and characterize racial and socio-economic disparities that have become empirically correlated with poor pregnancy outcomes and adverse, post-birth health problems. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Donna Petersen, Dean of the College of Public Health, University of South Florida, daughters Kerry and Morgan, sister Marva Paige and mother Mary Williamson Alexander of Chesapeake, Virginia.  He was a fabulous cook with several published recipes.

• Up to two $3,500 awards for PhD or DrPH candidates within the College of Public Health

• Eligible students must be enrolled full or part time during Spring 2024 semester

• Preference will be given to candidates who plan to focus their doctoral research in the fields of maternal and child health or perinatal epidemiology and who intend to work in the field of maternal & child health, in any setting, post-graduation

• Link for application is available here.

Lee Leavengood Senior Programs Endowed Scholarship – Originally wanting to thank the College of Public Health for allowing them meeting room space, individuals in the Learning in Retirement program created a scholarship to benefit COPH students. In 2001, SeniorNet and Tuition Waiver joined Learning in Retirement to add to the endowed total. The name was changed to honor Lee Leavengood, the founding director of Senior Programs, who took membership in the organization from less than 50 to more than 1,000 participants.

• At least two $2,000 award for a COPH graduate student

• Eligible students must be enrolled full or part time during Spring 2024 semester

• This scholarship is weighted in favor of students majoring in a field and displaying an interest in studies relating to aging

• Link for application is available here.

Dr. Barbara Orban- Dr. Barbra Langland Orban has been a professor in the USF College of Public Health since 1997. During that time, she has served as Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management and Director of the Master of Health Administration (MHA) Program.  She is passionate about health services management and continuously improving the MHA Program.  This scholarship was created in her honor by colleagues in the College of Public Health for a student in the MHA Program who demonstrates leadership and strong academic performance.

• One $500 award for a College of Public Health student pursuing a Master of Health administration (MHA)

• Eligible students must be enrolled full or part time during Spring 2024 semester

• The awarding criteria is based on merit and applicant demonstration of leadership and academic performance

• Link for application is available here.

• One $500 award for a College of Public Health graduate student

• Eligible students must be enrolled full or part time during Spring semester

• Not awarding in the 23-24 cycle

Mr. Bell earned degrees from both Dartmouth College and Duke University. From 1974 to 1988, Mr. Bell represented Volusia County in the Florida House of Representatives, where he rose to prominent leadership positions. His colleagues named him the most respected member of the House. After his legislative career, he moved to Tallahassee, eventually merging his law firm with the Pennington law firm in 1998. In both his law practice and legislative career, Mr. Bell maintained a strong interest in land use, growth management issues and health care matters. He was credited as being one of the initiators in establishing a college for public health in the state of Florida. He served as President of the newly created Florida Public Health Foundation. Mr. Bell was married to Betty Castor, former President of the University of South Florida.

• At least three $1,000 awards for COPH doctoral (PhD or DrPH) students

• At least four $500 awards for COPH master’s degree (MHA, MSPH, MPH) student

• Eligible students must be enrolled full or part time during Spring 2024 semester

• Link for application is available here.

Dr. Rita G. Bruce -To honor the memory of one of the founding faculty in the College of Public Health, the family of and the COPH faculty, staff, students and alumni have created a scholarship fund in her name.

• One $500 award for a College of Public Health graduate student

• Eligible students must be enrolled full-time during the Spring 2024 semester

• The recipient will have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, a commitment to the field of public health through involvement in community outreach, research, and/or educational programs, and demonstrated leadership within the University of South Florida College of Public Health

• Link for application is available here.