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Health Justice Scholars

The Center for Health Equity (CHE) created an inaugural Health Justice Scholars Program to support the development of Pitt Public Health scholars who have interests and/or projects in health equity and justice. This includes, but is not limited to, health equity research, policy, and practice in areas such as:

Chronic disease
Violence prevention
Maternal and infant health
Mental health
Interventions focused on Black, Latinx, and communities of color

All Pitt Public Health students were eligible to apply for this inaugural cohort.

Scholars have access to professional development and training opportunities with their peers and CHE-affiliated faculty and experts.

Scholars have the opportunity to work closely with a CHE faculty member/researcher conducting work in areas such as chronic disease, violence prevention, maternal and infant health, mental health, and interventions focused on Black, Latinx and communities of color, and will benefit from professional development and training opportunities with their peers and CHE-affiliated faculty and experts. Scholars engage in monthly meetings to network with other Health Justice Scholars and CHE faculty.

CHE provides scholars with a maximum stipend of $1000 during the spring 2021 term with an average time commitment of 2-4 hours per week.

Meet Taylor Robinson, Health Justice Scholar

Research with a health disparities focus is the core of Taylor Robinson's (EPI MPH '22) pursuits. She has been involved in research throughout college and in high school. In college, she was an intern in the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Internship and was a 2019 Amgen NIH Scholar. Her research topics have included patient-physician communication bias, linear regression correlates of behavioral change techniques for smoking cessation on Twitt...

Meet Julia Donnelly, Health Justice Scholar

Julia Donnelly (BCHS MPH '21) is a second-year student who is also pursuing a Certificate in Health Equity. "After taking the Seminar in Health Equity, I developed an interest in studying the incarcerated and reentry populations. I am specifically interested in how racial disparities in policing, sentencing, incarceration, and lack of investment in social services supporting re-entry efforts affect the health of offenders, their families, and th...

Meet Jamie Martina, Health Justice Scholar

"Over the summer, I conducted my first qualitative research study to gauge the experiences sex workers have had with health care professionals and the barriers to obtaining regular health care," said Jamie Martina (BCHS MPH '23). "Preliminary findings showed that there was a desire to trust health care providers but that trust was not there due to historically being stigmatized in a health setting. So I applied for the Health Justice Scholars pr...

Meet Haley Director, Health Justice Scholar

Through the Health Justice Scholars program, Haley Director (HUGEN MPH '22) looks forward to engaging with the Spanish-speaking population in the Pittsburgh area to assess and address their needs. She plans to use her privilege and knowledge of the health care system to bring about systemic change and support those who have been historically marginalized and overlooked.

Meet Phoebe Balascio, Health Justice Scholar

Phoebe Balascio (EPI MS '21) is excited to participate in the Health Justice Scholars Program so that she can broaden her knowledge in health equity issues and deepen her critical thinking in her areas of interest.