Strengthening Public Health Infrastructure
Will build and revitalize existing infrastructure and help to recruit, retain, and train the current and future public health workforce.
A partnership between the Shelby County Health Department and the University of Memphis School of Public Health, led by Drs. Michelle Taylor (Director, Shelby County Health Department, Shelby County Government) and Ashish Joshi (Dean, School of Public Health, the University of Memphis), was awarded $13,837,767 over five years from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to strengthen Shelby County's public health infrastructure.
This grant funding is a game-changer for the University of Memphis School of Public Health, the Shelby County Health Department and Shelby County residents, as it will allow funding to invest in the public health workforce by enhancing public health competencies that allow for better community service and improved health outcomes. Specifically, the funding will build and revitalize the existing public health infrastructure and help to recruit, retain, and train the current and future public health workforce.
This funding is designed to address under-resourced communities like Shelby County that are economically challenged and have high-risk and underserved populations.
Ashish Joshi, Ph.D., MBBS, MPH, Dean of the School of Public Health said, “The University of Memphis School of Public Health is so excited to collaborate with the Shelby County Health Department on such an important and timely initiative. The work of this grant will contribute to preparing the next generation’s public health workforce to address 21st century public health challenges. This initiative will also strengthen Shelby County’s public health data infrastructure, which will have positive impacts both locally and beyond.”
Jasbir Dhaliwal, Ph.D., Executive Vice President for Research & Innovation at the University of Memphis said, “The University of Memphis is committed to serving the residents of Shelby County. For that reason, the University is very excited about this partnership with the Shelby County Health Department. As the implementation partner for each of the grant goals, the University will assist the Shelby County Health Department in its effort to promote, protect, and improve the health of the residents of Shelby County via this public health workforce initiative. We look forward to all that we will accomplish together over the next five years.”
For more information on this project, contact Research Development at researchdev@memphis.edu.