Dr. Susan Keane, Professor and Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology, has received a continuation award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as part of the project “Recruiting, Retaining, and Supporting the Training of Clinical Psychologists from Disadvantaged Backgrounds to Enter Primary Care Settings and Medically Underserved Communities.” The project, with total funding of $1.1 M, began in 2020 and is slated to run through 2025.
Learn more about Dr. Keane’s work.
Learn more about the Clinical Psychology program.
Project Abstract:
This project will be used to support high achieving students with demonstrable financial need who are pursuing their graduate degree in clinical psychology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. All funds from this grant will be used to provide scholarships to a total of 17 students annually. These scholarships, along with both existing and new programmatic supports, will support the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minorities (URM) and disadvantaged students (DIS) with the goal of increasing enrollment to 60% DIS and 35% URM. In addition to addressing these financial barriers, the project will also support the placement of those students in primary care and in medically underserved communities with the goal of exposing 100% of program graduates to coursework and clinical experiences in these settings. We hope to address workforce development needs by increasing graduates entering Primary Care to 40% and maintaining 70% of graduates entering MUCs.
The project strategy leverages a multi-pronged approach including recruitment, retention, and didactic and practicum training to support graduates working in MUC and primary care settings. The project includes a local and national recruitment plan with a focus on providing opportunities for exposure to students from Historically Black Colleges/Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, fellow Minority Serving Institutions, and national pipeline programs.
In order to meet the demonstrable need, students will be exposed to primary care and MUC settings through internal and external clinical placements, including those focused on geriatric care and pain management. Coursework, mentorship, and seminars support student development and knowledge of these disciplines and the job opportunities they provide. The project will build on our innovative and successful NextGen model to provide DIS and URM students access to peer, alumni, and faculty mentorship networks, and continue to foster the supportive and stimulating climate necessary to train talented, diverse, and mission-focused clinicians.
