The Herbert J. Winokur, Jr. Fellowship in Public Health for the Mississippi Delta (“Winokur Fellowship”) is available for one or more opportunities every year with a partner organization. These opportunities are developed and posted on a rolling basis.
Current Winokur Fellowship Opportunities
Children's Foundation of Mississippi
Children’s Foundation of Mississippi Project Information
Fellowship Award: $7,500.00
Number of openings: 1
Timeframe: Summer 2023
Eligibility: Graduation date of March 2024 or later
APPLICATION INFORMATION
The student selected for the Winokur Fellowship in Public Health will be working minimum of 6 weeks full time onsite at the Children’s Foundation of Mississippi (CFM) in Jackson, MS.
The Children’s Foundation of Mississippi (CFM) is an independent operating foundation, focused upon improving the policies and systems that affect the well-being of children in Mississippi. Founded in 2019, CFM serves as a convener, facilitator, advocate and catalyst for positive change. As of January 1, 2020, CFM is also home to Mississippi KIDS COUNT.
The student will join the Foundation’s team of policy advocates, researchers and analysts to build upon CFM’s ongoing efforts to improve outcomes for Mississippi’s children. These include:
- Mental Health of Youth: The Foundation has been conducting analysis of surveys conducted with youth transitioning out of Mississippi’s Child Protective Services (CPS) to understand the mental health/behavioral health needs of young people who are aging out of the system. The student may be involved in developing a policy brief on youth in the system and assist in organizing meetings with the Child Welfare Advisory Committee (CWAC) to the CFM. The CWAC, comprised of a diverse group of stakeholders, will inform the CFM on opportunities for child welfare systems change in Mississippi, in concert with CPS.
- Early Childhood Services: The Foundation is represented on the Statewide Early Childhood Council (SECAC) with a specific role on the data and policy subcommittee. SECAC advises the governor on an array of early care and education issues. Additionally, the Foundation has a particular interest in providing information to a recently appointed taskforce on policies and procedures pertaining to transition from early intervention services to preschool services. The student may be involved in conducting a landscape analysis of models and best practices in other states, with a focus on outcomes for child populations. Additionally, CFM is working closely with the Mississippi Department of Human Services Child Care Division with the recently federally funded Preschool Development Grant and there will be opportunities to work on the needs assessment and systems change opportunities.
- Early Childhood Councils: The CFM has launched planning grants to establish Early Childhood Councils in nine counties across the state. ECCs are pivotal in engaging local community input on planning and implementing programs toward improvement of outcomes for children 0-5. During summer, 2023, the CFM plans to bring on nine additional counties. There are a number of opportunities to conduct listening sessions with the ECCs for both process and outcome evaluations with the first cohort and provide opportunities to work across communities for seeking additional funds for sustainability.
Project scopes and deliverables will be finalized through discussion with CFM Executive Director, Dr. Linda Southward and Fellowship Staff. Typically, students will work on research that involve data analysis, stakeholder engagement and developing policy briefs to be presented to CFM’s Board of Directors and leadership of partnering organizations.
Students are expected to attend the Delta Directions Regional Forum in Clarksdale, MS. June 22-23, 2023.