Elgibility Requirements

In order to be eligible for a PHLOT Tuition Award, all applicants must:

-Be a full-time employee at either a NYS local health department (LHD) or Department
of Health (DOH);
-Pursue and utilize tuition assistance through their employer/union, if available;
-Be accepted/enrolled in one of the following University at Albany School of Public Health Programs:

        Certificate in Public Health Fundamentals & Principles
        Master of Public Health 
        Online Master of Public Health in Public Health Practice
        Doctor of Public Health 

Tuition Awards

In-state graduate tuition awards are available to NYS LHD or NYS DOH employees only.

-Awards are accepted and issued on a first-come, first-serve basis.
-Awards are based on availability per semester and are issued in the priority order below, which is
 determined between SPH and NYSDOH on the funding agreement:

1. LHD Directors who are required to complete the certificate or MPH
2. LHD staff pursuring their first graduate degree in public health (certificate, MPH, or MS)
3. NYSDOH staff pursuring their first graduate degree in public health (certificate, MPH, MS)
4. LHD or NYSDOH staff taking non-degree courses with the intent to pursue a certificate or degree
5. LHD or NYSDOH staff pursuing a DrPH or PhD
6. LHD or NYSDOH staff registering for an independent study and/or internship (non-PHLOT funded)

-Due to the limited funding, tuition awards are limited to a maximum of three (3) credits per student per semester. You are responsible for payment of tuition above and beyond the three (3) credits.
-Awards cover TUITION ONLY. All other fees, (Student fees, late fees, books, etc) are the student's
  responsibility.
-Students who drop or withdraw from courses after the last day to drop a semester length course will be responsible for payment of tuition and incurred fees for the dropped course. Unless you can demonstrate extenuating circumstances, future funding will be impacted.

Application Requirements

All interested applicants must apply and be accepted to one of the School of Public Health Progams.

To view admissions requirements and apply, click on the link to the appropriate program, below:

Certificate in Public Health Fundamentals & Principles
Master of Public Health
Online Master of Public Health in Public Health Practice
Doctor of Public Health

1. A Tuition Award Request Form during each semester you enroll in courses
2. Provide documentation of tuition assistance pursued/used through your employer/union
3. Provide verification of full-time employment status (e.g., copy of ID)

Additional Program Information

-Timely course registration and submission date of the PHLOT Tuition Award Request Form also
 determines tuition awards.
-With the significant reduction in PHLOT funding and increase in the number of students enrolling in
 our programs, it is not gauranteed that your tuition request will be honored each semester.
-Any changes in contact information or program status must be communicated to the Coordinator.
-Those applying and who accept a PHLOT Tuition Award must review and adhere to the guidelines
  found in the PHLOT Tuition Award Fact Sheet.

                                        For more information on Tuition awards, contact:

                                                      Susan Bernardi-Bain, Coordinator
                                             School of Public Health, University at Albany
                                                        One University Place, Room 118
                                                               Rensselaer, NY 12144
                                                            sbernardibain@albany.edu
                                                                    (518) 408-2341

Internship Support & Stipends

The PHLOT program recognizes and supports the added value of practical, real world public health experience to the academic programs at the UA SPH. The experience gained by internships is immeasurable, providing mutual benefits to students and host organizations alike. In keeping with its central mission, PHLOT provides a number of internship stipends to students taking on selected practice-based positions each semester. Preference is given to internships based at local health departments throughout New York State, but other practice based positions at the NYS DOH and non-profit organizations are considered and funded as well, as funds allow.

Student Eligibility for PHLOT Internship Stipends:

• Satisfactory academic achievement
• Demonstrated interest in public health service at the local or State level 
 
• Registration of the experience for University at Albany academic credit

Value of Internship Awards for NYS DOH and Local Health Departments
Internships provide excellent opportunities for LHDs and the NYS DOH to host students who have completed a full year of graduate coursework seeking full-time six to twelve week internship positions.
Students successfully matched with an internship may be eligible to receive a stipend through PHLOT at no cost to the host organization.

Potential mentors interested in hosting a student intern should contact:

Katrina L. Chamberlain, MS, MPH
Director, Internship and Career Services
University at Albany School of Public Health
KChamberlain@albany.edu
518.402.0404

Internship Awardee Testimonials

CORE Student Leadership Program

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The CORE Student Leadership Program was designed to provide intensive leadership team-building skills, professional mentorship by local public health leaders, and additional practice-based experience to a select group of MS or MPH students committed to public health practice. Competitive admission to the program was based on academic achievement, overall potential for leadership in the field of public health and demonstrated dedication to future employment in NYS.

The overall goal of the program was to cultivate personal and professional growth in the areas of leadership, teamwork, interpersonal communication, academic achievement and success among students dedicated to serving in the public health practice arena.

COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT

In addition to participation in leadership development activities, the CORE team members designed and implemented a year-long community service project to create a sustainable public health impact in the surrounding community with a non-profit organization in the Capital District.  This year, members collaborated with Equinox, a non-profit organization that provides advocacy, outreach and prevention services to youth and families living in Albany.

Click here to learn more about the project.  

For more information, contact:

Public Health Leaders of Tomorrow Program
University at Albany School of Public Health – One University Place
Rensselaer, NY 12144
518.402.0404
phlot@albany.edu

PHLOT CORE Alumni Testimonials

Local Health Department Leadership Development Support

PHLOT awards a limited number of scholarships to current LHD employees selected to participate in the Northeast Regional Public Health Leadership Institute (NEPHLI). NEPHLI is a year-long experiential program which builds and enhances leadership skills of current and future public health practitioners. Through three retreats, distance learning and networking opportunities, NEPHLI provides Scholars with opportunities to gain practical experience from experts in the fields of leadership, public health and risk communications. Scholars learn to assess their own leadership styles and develop personal plans for improvement. Out of the 26 NYS public health professionals who have received PHLOT scholarships to attend NEPHLI through 2009, 13 from 8 different local health departments attended.

For more information about NEPLHI or available scholarships, please contact Dwight Williams 518.402.0370 or visit the NEPHLI site: http://www.albany.edu/sph/nephli/index.html

Management Training Institute (MTI) To improve the management skills of ten recently appointed public health commissioners, directors, deputies and other key members of local health department (LHD) leadership teams, PHLOT sponsored the Pilot Management Training Institute (MTI) in 2009-10. MTI was developed for ten participants from nine different LHDs to:

• assess their relative strengths and weaknesses as a senior manager in their current role; (their strengths and weaknesses correspond to leadership and management skills as well as public health subject matter content)
• establish development goals tailored to their individual needs that are actionable over the course of the program
• integrate lecture, discussion and readings into their daily management roles
• attempt new behaviors consistent with development goals and, with faculty and cohort members, assess effectiveness
• use new public health subject matter content in their communications with organizations and constituencies.

Webinars, mentoring and coaching was incorporated into the curriculum to facilitate the learning process. Mentors and coaches included active and retired public health officials.

PHLOT Local Health Department (LHD) Testimonials

Dwight C. Williams
Director, NEPHLI

Since 2008, PHLOT funding has provided scholarships for eleven county health department managers and three DrPH students to complete the Northeast Public Health Institute (NEPHLI) experience. Without PHLOT support, these 14 emerging public health leaders would not have had opportunities to participate in NEPHLI's year-long, experiential training program. NEPHLI provides leadership development to public health practitioners in eight states: Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Most recently, with the assistance of PHLOT resources, NEPHLI created the Management Training Institute (MTI) to provide management training to ten rising local public health leaders. When MTI began in 2009, seven of the 10 participants had been in their managerial positions for less than two years.

Whereas NEPHLI's curricula is designed to improve leadership competencies based on the Ten Essential Public Health Services, the MTI focus is to improve management, supervisory and communication skills; expand knowledge base of public health law and ethics; and enhance their ability to craft organizational vision to manage in uncertain times.

Mary Fran Wachunas
Rensselaer County Public Health Director

The Public Health Leaders of Tomorrow Program (PHLOT) since it was founded in 2006 has provided the Rensselaer County Department of Health (RCDOH) a wealth of resources. Since the creation of the program the RCDOH has been able to accept MPH students for internships. These internships really have contributed to the overall success of this local health department. The MPH students that we have had have learned a wealth of knowledge on the basis of local public health by being exposed to every division. Their specific projects have included help with particular New York State grant funded deliverables in our emergency preparedness program, researching and developing community health assessments, creating new environmental policies and procedures, developing epidemiology just-in-time training and exploring new ways for public health education in the community. They have also experienced various other public health issues that have transpired during their internship that they were able to contribute. PHLOT has also been an important resource in providing RCDOH staff the opportunity to enroll in certificate programs to increase their skills in public health.