Project Description:
Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP), known as the Students in Training, in Academia, Health and Research (STAHR) Partnership is a five year, $2.5 million project that will provide students with academic, social, and financial support to complete their degrees and enter the health workforce. UMKC-IHD will serve as the evaluator for this initiative to prepare UMKC students from disadvantaged backgrounds for careers in the health professions. IHD will work closely with the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy to evaluate the program's impact on retention and graduation rates, grades and scores, and overall student experience.
The overall purpose of the HCOP Program is to increase the number of students from educationally and/or economically disadvantaged backgrounds who are prepared to enter, persist, and graduate from a health sciences degree program at UMKC. The program will achieve this goal through structured pipeline programs, which include hands-on experiences, academic support and supplemental instruction, student psychosocial and emotional development, financial literacy training, and mentorship. The specific programs include the STAHR Scholars Program for high school and college students, and the STAHR Ambassador Program for students admitted to the School of Medicines six-year B.A./M.D. program or the university's pre-dental, pre-pharmacy, pre-health, biology, chemistry, health studies, or other health-related programs. These programs will serve as a pipeline to expand and diversify the health care workforce in Missouri and regionally, especially in underserved areas with a shortage of highly-qualified, primary care providers. By funding the STAHR Partnership, the UMKC Health Sciences District, specifically the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy, will be able to support students in overcoming academic, economic, and social barriers, while having an impact on the diversity in our educational environment and the success of disadvantaged students in UMKC health sciences.
IHD will conduct the evaluation of the project.
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote
