Thank You to Our Donors! Scholarships, Programs, and Research
For 20 years, our donors have powered the College to grow, educate students, and deliver better public health for Arizona.
Scholarship Students, 2018
20 years ago, the founding donation from Mel and Enid Zuckerman made it possible to launch the College of Public Health at the University of Arizona. Ever since then, the Zuckerman family and so many others have provided vital funding. Those donations have enabled the College and its many programs to grow, they have helped to educate students from diverse and underserved communities, and they have powered the expansion of health and wellness programs that reach more people with the best in public health practice. Those donations are making our world a healthier place, and we are so grateful for them.
Today we dedicate to our donors. We could not do it without you. Your passion to improve the health of all Arizonans and the world inspires us!
"Thanks to our donors, we are training the next generation of public health leaders. Thanks to them, we are helping more communities with more effective health promotion programs, and we’re engaged in research that guides us on the path to better public health,” said Dean Iman Hakim, “From the whole College, we want to send a big Thank You to all our donors who do so much for the health of the community."
Scholarships
Scholarship student Graciela (Zonnie) Olivas, 2019
At the Zuckerman College of Public Health, we make the connection between public health research and community engagement. We translate research findings into community health programs, and we transform community needs into basic and applied public health research. This educational approach provides our future leaders with a powerful understanding of how public health policy and practice improves the lives and health of people locally, nationally and globally. Scholarships provide a foundation for this approach to public health education. They provide vital support so our students can learn, implement, and lead.
Right now during the COVID-19 outbreak, MEZCOPH students are working closely with faculty and community partners. They are supporting the Pima County Health Department, contact tracing for the University of Arizona, working on COVID-19 research studies, and assisting service providers from first responders to food bank workers. This is real-world experience during a pandemic, and it shows how our dedicated students respond in a time of need – providing public health services that preserve health and save lives.
Our students come from all walks of life, and from all around the world. Scholarships help maintain the outstanding diversity of our student body. That diversity of students brings public health to a diversity of communities.
Today we thank our donors for their support of the scholarships that empower so many of our talented, passionate public health students. Those scholarships provide the education for the next generation of public health leaders!
Scholarship luncheon, 2011. Left-to-right: Jim Dalen, Mel Zuckerman, Priscilla Dalen, Joan Cole, Enid Zuckerman, Deanna Lewis, Betty Anne Sarver, Iman Hakim, Janet Lang, Barry Lang.
For specific support of Native American Scholarships, we thank Casino del Sol and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, and the Desert Diamond Casino and the Tohono O’odham Nation. For the Joel Valdez Scholarship we are thankful for the support of Mrs. Janet and Mr. Barry Lang. We send our full gratitude to Sue and Bob Vaughan for their support of public health scholarships for veterans.
Scholarship luncheon 2016. Left-to-right: Jennifer Flores, Donna Knight, Maribel Gonzales, Iman Hakim, Bob Vaughan, Sue Vaughan.
Scholarships Support Our Diverse Students
Over the past 20 years, the number of scholarships offered, thanks to the dedication and generosity of our donors, has grown steadily and substantially. We now offer an impressive number of scholarships that has a real impact on public health.
- Chicanos Por La Causa/Zuckerman Family Foundation Scholarship
- Cliff and Penny Crutchfield Scholarship
- COPH Advisory Board Scholarship
- Dr. Erlinda Tejada Rodriguez/Victoria Foundation Scholarship
- Dr. Robert Garcia/Victoria Foundation Scholarship
- Elbridge and Genevieve Morrill Memorial Scholarship
- George H. Dean/Victoria Foundation Scholarship
- Helen and Raymond Sarocco Scholarship
- Hispanic Women’s Corporation/ Zuckerman Family Foundation Student Scholarships
- Joel S. Meister Endowed Scholarship
- Joel Valdez Scholarship/ Zuckerman Family Foundation Student Scholarship
- Lorraine H. Lee Chicanos Por La Causa Scholarship
- Maureen and Edward Mangotich Scholarship
- Mel and Enid Zuckerman Scholarship
- Russell H. Swanson Public Health Scholarship
- SueBob Scholars Endowment
- Zuckerman Family Foundation Hispanic Scholarship
- Zuckerman Family Foundation Scholarship Endowment
- Zuckerman Native American Scholarship
- Zuckerman African American Scholarship
Internship Awards
Scholarships luncheon 2016. Ann Nichols (blue dress)
with public health students.
In addition to scholarship funding, internship awards enable students to pursue internship opportunities that greatly enhance their education and would otherwise be out-of-reach for financial reasons. This can have a significant influence on the student experience and the career path of our graduates.
For support of the Nichols Initiative Scholars Fund for the Promotion of Rural and Border Health, we are especially thankful for the support of Dr. Ann W. Nichols. During his lifetime, Andrew Nichols, MD, MPH, sponsored and inspired significant positive changes in health care programs and public health policy. As a physician working in public health, as a teacher and as a member of the Arizona Legislature, Dr. Nichols spent his entire career developing programs to benefit communities in rural and border areas of the Southwest. This fund will help support students of public health and medicine who will further this work.
Thanks to our donors, we are able to offer the following internship awards.
- Arizona Prevention Center: Internship Award
- Drachmann Prevention Fellowship
- Nichols Initiative Scholars Fund Award
Global Health
Studying the impact of mining, oil production, and development
on the environment and public health in the Albertine Rift Valley
in Uganda
In our increasingly interconnected world, a global approach to public health is more important than ever before. Our students must develop cultural competence skills, learn global awareness through service learning, and develop the ability to analyze and solve public health challenges from different perspectives and in different settings. Global Health scholarships develop these core skills for the next generation of population health professionals who will lead us to solve the global health challenges of today and tomorrow. Students and fellows can now work on collaborative research and practice-based projects with academic institutions and health service organizations in other countries, vital experience that will build their knowledge and capacity.
Currently our students have the opportunity to engage with MEZCOPH’s network of international partners, including academic health centers, community health care organizations and NGOs, worldwide in Mexico, Latin America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Funding for international scholarships and internships expands our reach and brings our graduates into the vanguard of global public health, building the talent that will change the world. Learn more about our Global Health Institute.
Thanks to our donors, we are able to offer the following international internship awards
- Carlos “Kent” and Elizabeth “Liz” Campbell International Internship Endowment
- Michael Mikhael and Iman Hakim Family Global Health Fund
Programs
Students in the Growing Girls program, 2019
Many of the programs that are designed and delivered by the College to improve community health are made possible by funding from our donors. Among those are Project Healthy Schools that teaches kids about the health benefits of a balanced diet and exercise, the Healthy 2B Me Summer Camp that engages underserved kids with health and wellness, the Mujeres y Ninas program that provides health education to Latina mothers and daughters, the GAME! program that teaches boys about healthy masculinity and conflict resolution, and the Growing Girls program that engages girls with health and wellness practices.
Many of these successful health promotion programs grew out of initial funding from Dr. Frank Marcus for the Childhood Obesity Prevention Initiative, a coordinated approach to obesity prevention education for youth that drew together regional partners in Tucson. Ultimately, the Childhood Obesity Prevention Initiative provided the foundation to grow the programs, and the programs in turn attracted more donors to support health and wellness in our communities. These programs are coordinated by the Canyon Ranch Center for Prevention and Health Promotion (soon to be renamed the Zuckerman Family Center for Prevention and Health Promotion), that brings together the knowledge and expertise of the College to design effective public health programs based on the best scientific data.
For the Healthy 2B Me Summer Camp, we are grateful for the support of Casino del Sol, the Zuckerman Family Foundation, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona.
Research
Students work in the ESRAC lab
Some of our donors support research that generates data to show the impact of different health promotion programs and practices. That research data can drive policy changes, build support for effective programs, and shift priorities for state and federal agencies.
Dr. Jim Levin provided support for the One Health program, and related research conducted by the Environment, Exposure Science and Risk Assessment Center (ESRAC) that will support innovative education and research at the College. “Thank you for your generous gift for the development of the Environmentally Acquired Illnesses course and research initiative. I am grateful for your commitment to this effort and for entrusting MEZCOPH to help advance the knowledge of this field,” said Kelly Reynolds, PhD, Director of ESRAC, “My team has made substantial progress on this important research and I look forward to partnering with you to make a substantial change in our recognition, understanding and prevention of environmentally acquired illnesses!”
We greatly appreciate Dr. Levin’s support, and Dr. Kelly Reynolds expressed her thanks in this video.
Mr. David and Mrs. Dianna Freshwater provided support for the Nurtured Heart Approach research study in 2017 that applies a behavioral method to address hyperactivity and impulsivity which are associated with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), among children ages six to eight years old. The study is guided by Velia Leybas Nuno, MSW, Assistant Professor and Program Director, Family and Child Health. This behavior approach to AD/HD and other childhood disorders has proven especially beneficial and continues to be used effectively in the Growing Girls and GAME! programs.
Together We are Building a Healthier World
In so many ways, our donors have made a profound difference for public health in Arizona. Their generosity has expanded opportunities for our students at the Zuckerman College of Public Health, and those students go on to bring their knowledge and expertise to communities around the state and the country. From scholarships to programs to research, the support of our donors makes our world a healthier place. Thank you to our donors!
Thank you to our presenting sponsor Arizona Complete Health!
