  {"id":11423,"date":"2024-02-19T20:31:04","date_gmt":"2024-02-19T20:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/?p=11423"},"modified":"2024-02-19T20:31:04","modified_gmt":"2024-02-19T20:31:04","slug":"three-augsburg-students-receive-scholarships-to-serve-rural-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/2024\/02\/19\/three-augsburg-students-receive-scholarships-to-serve-rural-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Augsburg Students Receive Scholarships to Serve Rural Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_11426\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11426\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/02\/michaela-althaus.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11426 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/02\/michaela-althaus-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"In this headshot, Michaela Althaus is wearing a black blazer and dark hair half pulled back.\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11426\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michaela Althaus \u201924 MSPAS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11427\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/02\/evan-bloyer.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11427 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/02\/evan-bloyer-150x150.jpeg\" alt=\"In this headshot, Evan Bloyer is wearing a blue collared shirt and clear, plastic-framed glasses.\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11427\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Evan Bloyer \u201927 PsyD<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11428\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11428\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/02\/gwen-hermanson.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11428 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/02\/gwen-hermanson-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"In this headshot, Gwen Hermanson is wearing a patterned neck scarf, a black top, and glasses against a purple background.\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11428\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gwen Hermanson \u201924 MSW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"> Three graduate students in Augsburg University\u2019s health professions programs have been awarded competitive scholarships to encourage their future plans to serve in rural communities. Michaela Althaus \u201924 MSPAS, Evan Bloyer \u201927 PsyD, and Gwen Hermanson \u201924 MSW will each receive $25,000 to support their studies this academic year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Provided in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Health\u2019s Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, each scholarship includes an agreement with MDH to practice in a rural area of Minnesota for two years following graduation. The funding for the scholarships is a new opportunity for Augsburg students, in addition to a larger health equity grant awarded to Augsburg\u2019s Physician Assistant Program in 2023 to train students to practice in rural and underserved communities. When students train in rural and underserved settings, they are more likely to return upon graduating.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">For each of the three scholarship recipients, the commitment to serving rural communities represents a return to their roots. \u201cWorking in rural healthcare settings over the past 10 years with underserved populations as both a nursing assistant and counselor for adolescent mental health and addiction has provided me with a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities inherent in these areas,\u201d said Althaus. \u201cFrom remote clinics to close-knit communities, I have witnessed the resilience and cultural richness that define rural Minnesota and the health systems within.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Associate Professor and PA Program Director Vanessa Bester applied for the grant on behalf of Augsburg\u2019s health professions programs. \u201cWe are proud to support outstanding Augsburg students like Michaela, Evan, and Gwen in their journey to address healthcare disparities in rural Minnesota,\u201d she said. \u201cThese scholarships are more than just financial assistance; they are a testament to Augsburg\u2019s collective commitment to ensuring equitable access to healthcare for all. With this program, as well as several additional Minnesota Department of Health grants, Augsburg\u2019s health professional graduates are set to make a real difference, shaping a healthier future for everyone in Minnesota.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/2023\/09\/25\/confronting-the-health-care-shortage\/\">Learn more about how Augsburg\u2019s health professions programs are working together to address the rural health care shortage.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three graduate students in Augsburg University\u2019s health professions programs have been awarded competitive scholarships to encourage their future plans to serve in rural communities. Michaela Althaus \u201924 MSPAS, Evan Bloyer \u201927 PsyD, and Gwen Hermanson \u201924 MSW will each receive $25,000 to support their studies this academic year.\u00a0 Provided in partnership with the Minnesota Department &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":499,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3228,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kudos","category-students"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/499"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11423"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11431,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11423\/revisions\/11431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}