Public Health & Health Sciences

SPHHS student scholarship winners pose with Dean Anna Maria Siega-Riz and SPHHS faculty.
Education and scholarship for a healthier world.
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Public Health & Health Sciences

Your gift makes a difference!

The School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS) is accelerating the pace of progress in areas ranging from preventing chronic diseases to promoting healthy aging and battling the opioid crisis. Our faculty and students are committed to changing lives and strengthening the future of health care.  Learn more about how the SPHHS is accelerating change at UMass Amherst here.

Financial support of the SPHHS directly impacts the school’s ability to fulfill its mission of promoting health equity and improving population health through education, research, and community engagement. Contributions help provide scholarships and financial aid that make education accessible to all of our students, reducing the burden of debt and allowing them to focus fully on their academic and professional goals. Support also fuels groundbreaking research, innovative programs, and hands-on learning opportunities that prepare students to become leaders in public health and health sciences. In a rapidly evolving health landscape, continued financial investment ensures the SPHHS can attract top faculty, advance critical public health initiatives, and drive positive change locally and globally.

We invite you to lend support in personally meaningful ways that will inspire and shape the future of the School by making a gift now. If you have questions or would like more information about giving options, please contact David Catrambone, Executive Director of Development, by phone at 413-545-1766 or by email at dcatrambone@uma-foundation.org.

Thank you for your support!

A New Home for the School of Public Health and Health Sciences

Slated to open spring 2026, the SPHHS Hub will serve as a central space for learning and innovation that will benefit students and communities both inside and outside the commonwealth. This marks the first time in SPHHS’s more than 50-year history that the school’s six departments will have a central space, which will have a direct impact on student learning. The Hub will allow students and faculty to engage inside and outside the classroom and will serve as a common area for shared learning experiences and course offerings, community building, and interdisciplinary opportunities. Learn more.

Graduate Support:

Dr. Diane J. Mundt Memorial Scholarship annually supports a PhD student in Epidemiology in with professional interests in science and policy, specifically how epidemiology informs decision-making. Preference is given to female, non-traditional students (e.g., those returning from the workforce to pursue advanced studies), and/or those demonstrating significant financial need as demonstrated by the Financial Aid Office.

Virginia A. Beal Fellowship is awarded to doctoral students studying Nutrition. It provides financial support to students to help lower the cost of their academic pursuits.

Photo of scholarship winners Pablo Fernandez and Natalia Putnam with faculty advisor Nicole VanKim

Undergraduate Support:

Patty Freedson Undergraduate Health and Wellness Scholarship provides financial support for an undergraduate junior in the Kinesiology Department who demonstrates interest in entering the field of corporate health and wellness.

Frank Rife Kinesiology Opportunity Scholarship provides financial support to first generation students and students who demonstrate financial need as determined by the Financial Aid Office. The fund supports undergraduate students’ internship expenses for both domestic and international internship opportunities.

Corinne A. Johnson Memorial Scholarship is awarded to undergraduate and/or graduate students, with a preference for awarding two equal scholarships each academic year. The scholarship is given to those who exhibit the qualities and spirit of Corinne A. Johnson, including a commitment to community service, volunteerism and leadership.

Diversity: 

William A. Darity Sr. Graduate Scholarship provides financial support to public health students who demonstrate Dr. Darity’s commitment to social justice and is focused on supporting minority and first-generation students in pursuing advanced degrees in higher education.

Harry and Charlena Seymour Scholarship for Diversity provides financial support to those students who have been historically underrepresented due to race, ethnicity, gender, and economic reasons in higher education and to foster greater awareness and understanding of multicultural issues in communication disorders by the infusion of information about linguistic/cultural diversity in the curriculum of the Department of Communication Disorders.

Hands-On Research:

Priscilla M. Clarkson Graduate Endowment Fund provides financial support to Kinesiology graduate students and enables them to pursue research and opportunities that will expand their professional horizons.

The Stewart Fellowship provides financial support to graduate students enrolled in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences whose academic concentration is exposure science/assessment in the occupational or general environment. Recipients will conduct research in exposures due to emerging technologies such as e-cigarettes, 3-D printers, nanotechnology, fracking, and/or mathematical modeling of exposures.

The Yablonski Fellowship provides financial support to Master’s level students enrolled in either the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Environmental Health Sciences, or Health Promotion and Policy. The fund supports students who demonstrate strong leadership skills through extracurricular activities like athletic, community, or other volunteer commitments, in order for them to pursue research activities.