Special Olympics Health Professions Student Grants Program: Engaging the Next Generation Special Olympics Health Professions Student Grant Program recipient Jana Peterson shares research findings with former Surgeon General Richard Carmona at the 2006 Special Olympics USA National Games in Ames, Iowa. [Photo by Darcie Mersereau] Even today, most health professions training programs have a gap in their curricula when it comes to working with patients with intellectual disabilities. The Special Olympics Health Professions Student Grant Program, created in 2004, is one way that Special Olympics is trying to fill in that gap, by engaging health professions students in research or programmatic projects with people with intellectual disabilities. The program promotes short-term projects exploring issues that impact the health and well-being of all people with intellectual disabilities, including Special Olympics athletes. Healthy Athletes Update  Vice President's Corner  Spotlight AMSA Screenings Promoting Health Literacy Funding Alert Testifying Before Congress Support from Capital Hill Newsbytes Success Stories Special Olympics currently has 30 active student grants, held by students in audiology, dentistry, pre-med, medicine, nursing, optometry, physical therapy, podiatry, public health, social work and other programs. Many of these grants relate directly to Healthy Athletes disciplines; for example, we are currently funding the creation of a DVD for inclusion in FUNfitness training, another project examining outcome measures for the New Hampshire Healthy Hearing program and a third analyzing Healthy Athletes Software to understand the oral health status of Special Olympics Italy athletes. Other projects relate to the wider field of intellectual disability and health. One student is creating a Web-based health education tool for women with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Another is researching and recommending enhancements to current diagnostic tools for autism. While these projects may not have direct applicability to Healthy Athletes programming, they still provide students with an opportunity to engage with our population. They also carry the potential to impact the wider field of intellectual disability research and practice. How can you get involved? Student grants are awarded to academic institutions, on behalf of students and their faculty advisors. We need more individuals with personal connections at universities to help us market the program. Particular areas where we need assistance: International Grants: Most student grants thus far have been awarded to U.S. universities; only 17 percent of current grants are held by international institutions. We are currently interested in marketing the program more widely to English-speaking international students. Particular Health Professions Programs: We have funded relatively few grants to pre-med, nursing, vision care and podiatry students. Inroads into those communities would be especially helpful. The student grant program is available to health professions students at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels. It offers small (up to US$3,500), short-term (up to 12 months) grants to fund student-designed and student-led projects. Proposals are accepted year-round. Details about the student grant program, including an application template are on the Special Olympics Web site, at: www.specialolympics.org/studentgrants Darcie Mersereau, Special Olympics Senior Manager of Research and Evaluation, oversees this program and can be contacted at dmersereau@specialolympics.org or +1 (202) 715-3600 with any questions about the program or application process. She can also forward you a copy of an announcement that you can pass on to your colleagues at academic institutions. Coming issues of the Healthy Athletes Update newsletter will highlight findings from recently-completed student grants. Return to Healthy Athletes Update, Spring 2007