Health Equity Bonner Fellowship

Health Equity Bonner Fellowship Health Equity Bonner Fellowship

The Health Equity Bonner Fellowship at the University of North Carolina Wilmington is an up to four-year leadership development program. Our mission is to provide students the opportunity to strengthen their leadership and engagement skills to support the Wilmington community and beyond. We holistically uphold the belief that health equity and community engagement are fundamental education benefits that enhance students' academic experience and fosters a free exchange of ideas from multiple perspectives.

The Health Equity Bonner Fellowship is modeled after the Bonner Program, taking after its emphasis on developing students into well-rounded members of the community through various service, education, and reflection opportunities.

The Health Equity Bonner Fellowship is powered by the New Hanover Community Endowment.

^{Health equity is as the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health.}

The UNCW-based Health Equity Bonner Fellowship models the Bonner Leaders Program, a nationally recognized student service-learning model for college students. Aptly named the Health Equity Bonner Fellowship, our focus is on improving health equity within the Wilmington Community (and southeastern North Carolina). The Health Equity Bonner Fellowship is a four-year, scaffolded leadership development opportunity in which a cohort of college fellows participate in collaborative mentorship, weekly educational programming, and community-engaged, high-impact applied learning activities. As available, fellows are paid for their service using the Federal Work-Study program. In developing this Fellowship, the team works alongside faculty, staff, fellows, and designated community partners to co-develop and facilitate a sustainable model of scaffolded community-engaged applied learning activities.

Empower fellows through excellence in teaching and learning.
Foster excellence in research, scholarly activity, and innovation.
Engage in strong academic community partnerships.
Facilitate involvement in professional service activities and leadership roles; and
Promote sustainability and continuous quality improvement.

Housed within CHHS is the Community Engagement professional team, including the Center for Healthy Communities and the Center for Workforce Development. These two centers share in leading the Heath Equity Fellowship. The Center for Healthy Communities seeks to improve health and well-being by addressing community identified needs through collaborations between campus resources and community agencies. The Center for Workforce Development (CWD) aims to enhance the health and quality of life of our community, CWD facilitates the exploration, preparation and development of the health and human services workforce.