Dr. Jack D. Osman Health Education Award

The Dr. Jack D. Osman Health Education Award provides financial support to undergraduate students in the Health Sciences Department at Towson University. Each year, a student develops their professional knowledge and skills by working with a faculty mentor on a project relevant to public health and health education.

For the 2024-2025 school year, the selected student will organize one or more events to be held on the Towson University campus during National Public Health Week. The primary purpose of the event(s) is/are to promote health and wellness among students, and the second purpose is to highlight the field of public health. The student will engage in approximately 65 hours of work with Dr. Jillian Fry, this year’s faculty mentor. The award amount is a thousand dollars ($1,000), and the funds will be dispersed in Spring 2025.

In 2025, National Public Health Week (NPHW) will be April 7-13. The American Public Health Association leads the effort to observe this week to “recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues that are important to improving our nation’s health”.

Eligibility requirements:
-Full-time undergraduate student in the Health Sciences Department; must be an Allied Health, Gerontology, Health Care Management, or Public Health major
-Cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher, new students who do not have a TU GPA yet can upload an unofficial transcript from a previous institution (e.g., high school, community college)
-Demonstrated financial need as defined by the Financial Aid Office

Application process:
- Apply through TU Foundation system
- Personal statement (400-word limit)
- Optional AI statement (75-word limit)
- A committee will evaluate applications and select a few students to be interviewed before making the award
- Due date: December 4, 2024

Award
Varies
Deadline
12/04/2024
Supplemental Questions
  1. In 400 words or less, please address the following:

    - Why are you interested in the position/award?

    - What do you most want to learn from the experience?

    - How would you balance this position and other responsibilities?

    - If you are the awardee, what health issue would you highlight during National Public Health Week, and why? (Please focus on one issue to show your thought process; the issue may change and will be selected in collaboration with Dr. Fry.)

  2. AI Statement (75-word limit) We understand students may use generative artificial intelligence software in crafting written work. It is important that this statement reflects your personal voice and experiences. Priority will be given to essays written in students’ own words, and mostly or completely AI-generated essays are not considered competitive.

    If you use an AI tool (including Grammarly, ChatGPT, Claude.ai, etc.,) or any other resources when writing your essay, we require transparency and proper attribution. If applicable, include a disclosure statement describing how generative AI contributed to your essay. The AI statement is not included in your essay’s word count and should not exceed 75 words.

    Here is an example AI statement: “I used ChatGPT to create an outline for my essay. I used the prompt: [include your prompt] I also used ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas for how to say XYZ and used the following prompt: [include your prompt].”

  3. If you are an incoming or transfer student, please enter your GPA from your previous institution
  4. Please upload a copy of your unofficial transcript from your previous institution, if applicable.