Sullivan University PA Student Selected as Paul Ambrose Scholar
Melissa Grimes, a Physician Assistant student at Sullivan University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, has been selected for the 2020 cohort of the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research (APTR) Paul Ambrose Scholars Program. Each year, approximately 35 health professions students from across the country are selected for this competitive program. Scholars are selected based on proposals to implement community-based public health projects addressing U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2020 Leading Health Indicators. The program prepares students to be leaders in public health and exposes them to a pool of public health professionals.
Mentored by Katie Leslie, PhD, MS, Associate Professor in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Grimes’ projects centers on Access to Health Services. She is partnering with Mission Frankfort Clinic, the free clinic she interned at as an undergraduate student, to assess barriers to adequate insurance coverage among patients. In addition to this research, Grimes also wants to improve clinic volunteer recruitment and retention.
The 2020 cohort program kicked off in March with a Student Leadership Symposium in San Antonio, Texas.
You can learn more about the 2020 cohort of scholars here.
QUOTES FROM MELISSA
As a future PA I stand on the front lines of patient advocacy. I can implement change in communities by partnering with like-minded healthcare professionals. The symposium allowed me an opportunity to connect with people from a multitude of professional backgrounds with various interests in addressing needs in their communities. We discussed our plans and helped others to refine theirs.
What I will be doing through my project is studying the patterns and similarities of issues facing a community to better understand the challenges facing the uninsured and underinsured. I am addressing these issues through research with the intention to implement change on a broader scale and supporting it with data.
