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Date:  Tuesday, April 11, 1995
Contact: Bonnie Aikman, HRSA (301) 443-3376

First prize of $5,000 was awarded to Tana Fishman, a fourth-year medical student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Her proposal describes an innovative approach to promoting patient compliance with hypertension treatment regimens by enlisting the support of family and friends.

Ms. Fishman began her medical training much later than most, after establishing a family and having widely varied work experiences, including practice as a family therapist in community mental health settings. A resident of Philadelphia, she is the daughter of Frances Sensabaugh of Colony Heights, LaVale, Md.

Three students tied for second place, each receiving an award of $4,000. They are:

• Rosemary Flores, a fourth-year medical student at Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif. Her proposal describes a "Dance for Health" program to improve physical fitness among African-American and Hispanic adolescents by providing dance-oriented physical education classes three times a week, along with a twice-weekly health education curriculum.

  Ms. Flores attributes her concern for the medical needs of people in inner cities and her research interest in preventive medicine bearing on low-income minority communities to her background as a third-generation Mexican-American woman from inner-city Los Angeles. She is the daughter of Mrs. Geneva Flores of Huntington Park, Calif.

• Dierdra A. Forte, a master's degree candidate at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Public Health. Her proposal describes a program to increase breast cancer screening awareness among African-American women age 50 and over, using the culturally familiar setting of local beauty salons. The program makes available culturally sensitive educational pamphlets and calls for a breast cancer prevention video to be shown in salon service areas. A mobile mammography van is periodically stationed at the salons.

  A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Ms. Forte has research interests in breast cancer intervention and detection of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs among pregnant African-American women. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Forte of Oakland.

• Ellen-Marie Whelan, a doctoral candidate in nursing and public policy at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Her proposal describes the "Health Corner," a nursing-based model of primary health care delivery now in place in Philadelphia that addresses the health needs of an inner-city community. The project is innovative in its nontraditional setting in a well-used community center, and in its broad collaboration among a variety of health and service providers to maximize access to health care.

  Ms. Whelan is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and a certified registered nurse practitioner and pediatric nurse practitioner. A resident of Penn Wynne, Pa., she is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Whelan of Bala Cynwyd, Pa.

Third prize of $3,000 was awarded to Maria Faer, who is completing a doctoral residency at the University of California at Berkeley, School of Public Health. Her proposal of a 38-week intergenerational life history project creates a collaboration in a lower socioeconomic neighborhood between individuals aged 80 years or older and high-school seniors who write down the elders' oral histories. Through reciprocal social support and mentoring, this program addresses negative factors affecting high-risk behavior in adolescents and physical and mental functioning in the elderly.

Ms. Faer holds a B.A. degree from Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., and a master's degree in health policy and administration from the University of California at Berkeley, School of Public Health. She resides in Piedmont, Calif., and is the daughter of Mrs. H.O. Jones Jr., of West Columbia, S.C.

In addition to the top prize winning entries, 15 proposals received honorable mention, which includes a $300 cash award.

This year, 1,684 schools of health professions participated in the competition.

The competition is co-sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Federation of Associations of Schools of the Health Professions. It is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration, one of eight Public Health Service agencies within HHS.