The ongoing disparities between the health status of minority populations and non-minority populations, particularly in preventable deaths and illnesses, demands greater attention. The shortage of minorities in the public health professions exacerbates problems of access and problems relating to cultural competency in areas such as program and policy planning, research and evaluation, and direct care.

Participate in the Minority Public Health Summer Fellows Program of Morehouse School of Medicine by providing a six-week practicum experience for a Fellow each summer in one of the Jane Fonda Center community-based public health research projects.

Over the last four years, four minority Fellows have engaged in hands-on participation to learn:

• study design
• research tool development
• data collection
• data entry and
• data analysis

Most of the Fellows have been involved in community-based projects aimed at increasing minority access to health information using technology. In particular, Fellows have been involved in helping to develop and test computer-based health interventions.