University’s First SEPA Grant to Guide Future Health Leaders

Health equity improves when the health sciences workforce reflects the diversity of the community and health care systems invest in marginalized communities. The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at UVM, along with the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and the College of Education and Social Services, has recently been granted a substantial award by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to sponsor a new mentorship and science enrichment cohort program, New American Youth on the Rise (NAYR), aimed at guiding girls from immigrant backgrounds into college careers in health sciences.

The project began in 2021 with Anne Dougherty, M.D., M.A., director for gender equity in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at the Larner College of Medicine, and Rachel Wetchi, M.P.H., NAYR’s outreach coordinator. Dougherty, along with Paula Deming, Ph.D., M.S., associate dean for faculty affairs and research and associate professor of biomedical and health sciences at the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, are the Principal Investigators of the NAYR project, which will roll out in Winter 2024. The NIH’s R25 Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) will provide more than $1.3 million in funding to the program over the next five years to introduce health science career options to middle and high school girls from immigrant and first-generation American backgrounds throughout Chittenden County, Vermont. The NIH grant is particularly notable as it is the university’s first SEPA. In addition, the University of Vermont Health Network will contribute support and funding to NAYR. 

Although New American Youth on the Rise is a direct response to local immigrant community needs, the issues the project plans to address are nationwide. Currently nearly 80 percent of the health care workforce comprises women, yet only about 21 percent of health executives and board members are women and only about a third of doctors are women. “Women, particularly women of color, hold up the health care industry,” stated Dougherty. “But they are disproportionately seen in supportive roles—such as LPN and other health care support occupations, as opposed to diagnostic or directorial roles—and are more likely to be in unpaid or underpaid positions.”

To address this issue, NAYR developed a comprehensive support system for students and their families. This includes a health science mentor who can provide insight into the experiences of scientists and clinicians. Additionally, an academic advisor or home-school liaison bridges the gap between school and family. Importantly, NAYR also assists participants with scholarships, financial aid, and guidance through the college prep process.

Dougherty and Wetchi, herself a new American whose medical education was disrupted by a lack of guidance and support navigating the system, spent countless hours on the ground performing needs assessments and listening to immigrant families’ concerns. By directly engaging with the local community, Wetchi and Dougherty designed NAYR to address specific needs while uplifting the community it serves.

This three-pronged approach—engaging the student, her parents/guardians, and teachers/counselors—is unique to the program. NAYR thrives on interprofessional collaboration and acknowledges the diverse career paths in health sciences, from nurse to physician, basic science researcher to speech language pathologist, and medical laboratory scientist, among others. Throughout their participation, girls gain exposure to these assorted careers, as well as an understanding of the team-based nature of these fields. The program also aims to develop participants into mentors as they progress in their education and careers.

“Our overarching goal is to promote health equity in our region by increasing representation in the health care workforce that reflects the racial/ethnic backgrounds and lived experiences of our immigrant communities in Chittenden County, Vermont,” said Deming. “We are thrilled that our project was funded by the NIH and are excited to have the opportunity to work with this group of girls as they move through middle and high school. We hope to see some of them eventually here as students in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences!”

Watch the team discuss NAYR with WCAX and ABC22/FOX44.