THURS-047 - Rooted in Place: Training Future Change Makers Through History, Community Engagement, and Health Equity

Brief Abstract Summary: This session introduces the Health Equity Bonner Fellowship (HEBF), a cohort-based paid student leadership development program that integrates community engagement, workforce preparation, and interprofessional education. Attendees will understand how the program was adapted using the Bonner framework to center high impact practices, health equity and local needs, and a snapshot of evaluation findings from students and community partners. Attendees will learn how strategically designed mentorship programs can simultaneously enhance student career readiness, deepen community-campus partnerships, advance health equity initiatives, and create a financially sustainable model that provides mutual benefit while preparing the next generation of health professionals. During this presentation, attendees will not only understand the impact of HEBF but leave with practical strategies to start a similar program within their community.

Detailed abstract description: Since 2018, North Carolina has faced hurricanes, social unrest, and a global pandemic. These events have repeatedly exposed deep health inequities in New Hanover County (and beyond). New Hanover County has a rich history and challenges that are often unknown to University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) students. To prepare future leaders, higher education must create opportunities to foster equity-center mindsets and interprofessional collaboration.

This session introduces the Health Equity Bonner Fellowship (HEBF), a cohort-based student leadership development program that integrates community engagement, workforce preparation, and interprofessional education. HEBF integrates high-impact practices (HIPs) in a co-curricular model for students across disciplines. Research shows HIPs are especially impactful for first-generation, low-wealth, and students of color, yet often inaccessible for students who must balance work and school (Kuh, 2008). Specific to the health education professions, traditional workforce development often lacks the sustained community engagement and interprofessional collaboration necessary to address complex health equity challenges facing our communities. This gap in preparation may hinder the effectiveness of public health’s ability to build trust, foster leadership, and prevent chronic disease (Akintobi et al., 2025). HEBF, modeled after the Bonner program, addresses these gaps by leveraging federal workstudy to increase access to HIPs and places students in long-term, paid positions with community organizations to address the medical and non-medical drivers of health. Weekly workshops complement their work, offering engaging lessons in health equity topics, leadership development, and local history. In addition to topic-based content, workshops include career coaching, wellness activities, and strength-based mentoring.

Attendees will learn how HEBF evolved from a semester-long pilot with three students into a multi-year program accepting ten first year students annually and partners with 20 community placement sites. This session will provide an overview on how the program was adapted using the Bonner framework to center HIPS, health equity and local needs, and a snapshot of evaluation findings from students and community partners. While career outcomes await the graduation of the inaugural cohort, attendees will learn how strategically designed mentorship programs can simultaneously enhance student career readiness, deepen community-campus partnerships, advance health equity initiatives, and create a financially sustainable model that provides mutual benefit while preparing the next generation of health professionals. During this presentation, attendees will not only understand the impact of HEBF but will leave with practical strategies to start a similar program within their community.