Dr. Shark Bird has issued a challenge to contribute to a scholarship fund for students in the College of Health. Dr. Bird is a double alumnus, with an undergraduate major in Exercise Science & Wellness in PE (’90) with a graduate degree in Physiology (’95), who has faithfully served on the COH External Advisory Council. To attract and retain high quality students, scholarships like this are essential. The External Advisory Council invites your contributions to the College of Health Advisory Board Scholarship Endowment
As a secondary challenge, Dean Scott Rutledge will give up to $500 to this scholarship fund. To meet this challenge, students, faculty, and staff must take a selfie with Dean Rutledge’s (cardboard cutout), which will be available all day in the lobby of the Health Professions Building. He will give $5 per selfie posted on X (formerly Twitter) with the hashtag (#COHscholarships) for up to 100 selfies.
The College of Health prepares students for fulfilling and extraordinary careers in healthcare. Through interprofessional education and practice — in our simulation, research, and skill labs — we provide a safe environment for our students to become leaders in collaborating across disciplines in patient-centered healthcare and social services. Ultimately, our graduates improve patients’ and families’ experiences to maximize outcomes, reduce health disparities within communities, increase provider well-being, and make healthcare affordable.
The College of Health and our students are dedicated to making a difference. Our Interprofessional Community Clinic, which features services in Audiology, Speech Pathology, Counseling, and the Healthy Lifestyle Center, had nearly 11,000, patient appointments booked annually. The ICC partnered with the East Central Indiana Health Education Center to put on Health Fairs which has allowed the clinics to do outreach in underserved and rural populations. Your gift to Interprofessional Community Clinic, keeps programs like this running to provide opportunities for students to impact their communities.
Your gift to the college of health general fund makes a difference in the lives of our students. This fund supports around 3,000 students enrolled in majors within the College, as well as another 4,000+ students taking service courses within our academic areas. Our faculty, staff and students are making big things happen, like:
- The School of Nursing partnered with the YWCA and the IU School of Medicine to address infant mortality among African Americans in Delaware County Indiana, through creating a community based educational program, and resource booklet for families.
- The Human Performance Lab is going on 59 years of assessment and prescription exercise programs for thousands of local residents ages 6 to 93.
- Four students represented the College at the Indianapolis Statehouse, talking with politicians about vital resources in the Interprofessional Community Clinics. They demonstrated Grip Strength, and the Food Quality Screener as diagnostic tools of health.
The College of Health is a vital health resource for Indiana and beyond for preparing health professionals and researchers through interprofessional education. Ultimately, our goal is to equip our students to become health care providers, social service professionals, researchers, and educators who believe in the power of compassionate and evidence-based patient care.
Our students embody the value of Beneficence. They maintain high standards of scholarship and excellence. They are honest and act with integrity. They are socially responsible. And perhaps most importantly, they value the worth of every member of the community.
Our generous donors are key partners in ensuring students continue to have impactful experiences both in and out of the classroom. Together, We Fly.
