LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 13, 2021) — The University of Kentucky’s Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET) recently announced the recipients of its first Equity Changemaker Award for Graduate Students, Professional Students and Postdoctoral Scholars and Undergraduate Essay Competition. The two new awards honor UK scholars who are advancing health equity.
The Equity Changemaker Award recognizes research by UK postdoctoral scholars, graduate and professional students. The award honors scholars whose research seeks to understand health disparities and inequities and whose mentorship has contributed to the next generation of health equity leaders.
This year’s recipients include Jardin Dogan, a counseling psychology doctoral candidate in the College of Education whose research focuses on health disparities in Black communities.
“It’s imperative for me to disseminate research and resources to Black populations in translatable and digestible ways,” Dogan said. “Achieving health equity requires a multifaceted prevention and intervention approach to help Black people who encounter barriers and challenges on multiple levels.”
CHET’s first Undergraduate Essay Competition was launched to implement programming focused on health equity and anti-racism. Students were invited to reflect on the quote, “Critically intervene in a way that challenges and changes.” Essays focused on the intersection of health and justice to illustrate the importance of health equity.
Undergraduate Essay: Kayla Woodson, Second Place
Woodson is a political science major in the College of Arts and Sciences. Her essay focused on the impact of medical racism on Black women’s health and its relationship to historic injustices. Woodson also led the UK Student Government Association’s response to the racial injustices happening across the nation, specifically crafting a statement voicing support for justice for Breonna Taylor.