About the Health Equity Challenge

Winner from 2024 Health Equity Challenge pose with check
Health Equity Challenge

About the Health Equity Challenge

About the Health Equity Challenge
What is the Health Equity Challenge?
  • What is the Health Equity Challenge?
  • Eligibility and Awards
  • Key Dates

An opportunity to create change in our community by developing solutions to California’s most pressing health equity concerns.

Many students are imagining a future where they can change the world, often starting with their local community. For those with a vision of improving health equity, a competition from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR), MolinaCares, and California Health Care Foundation, provides that opportunity — the Health Equity Challenge.

Research continues to shine a light on significant inequities in many aspects of health: insurance coverage and affordability, social determinants of health, and structural barriers to high-quality care. With the signs of inequity more obvious than ever, the increased focus has also spurred ideas from those who are closest to the problems.

Each year, UCLA graduate students are invited to turn their ideas into action and develop innovative community-based solutions to improve health equity in California.

UCLA graduate students are invited to submit a two-page application that identifies a current health equity issue in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, or Riverside counties, and a short description of an intervention that could be executed by a local community-based organization to address it. Proposals can span direct interventions, program development, policy changes, or other innovative ideas. Concept proposals are welcome from many disciplines that intersect with health, including policy, education, law, urban planning, and others.

Up to 15 applications will be selected for the full competition, in which each student will be awarded a $2,500 stipend and 15 weeks of mentorship to develop a full project proposal that a community organization can implement. An independent review committee will review the proposals and up to four students will be awarded an additional $2,500 stipend and the community organization will receive up to $50,000 to implement the project.

  • September 30, 2024: Applications open.
  • October 11, 2024, Noon–1 p.m.: Information session webinar. Register to attend.
    October 28, 2024: Applications due.
  • Early/Mid-December 2024: Up to 15 UCLA graduate students will be selected to participate in the program and receive a $2,500 stipend.
  • Week of January 6, 2025: In-person orientation.
  • January 9, 2025–April 18, 2025: Students will work with their mentors to develop their full project proposal. Students will participate in health policy and program development trainings and workshops, and create blog posts.
  • April 18, 2025: Final proposals due.
  • Late May/Early June 2025: Four (4) winners will be announced at an awards ceremony and their community organization will receive up to $50,000 to implement the project. The four finalists will receive an additional $2,500 stipend.

Meet the Team

Ninez A. Ponce, PhD, MPP, is the director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and a professor and chair in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. She leads the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), the nation’s largest state health survey, recognized as a national model for data collection on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), and immigrant health.

Kathryn Kietzman, PhD, MSW, is the director of the Health Equity Program and a senior research scientist at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, and an associate researcher at the Department of Community Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Her research focuses primarily on the long-term health and social care needs of physically, socially, and financially vulnerable populations.

AJ Scheitler, EdD, is the director of development, engagement, and strategic planning at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. AJ also manages several large programs at the Center, including a national network of population health survey leaders and data users promoting the improved collection and dissemination of critical local and state health data.

Tiffany Lopes is the director of communications and publications at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Tiffany oversees the strategy and direction of the Center’s internal and external communications, including production of the Center’s publications, media relations, marketing, branding, email communications, website content, and social media.

MolinaCares Health Equity Challenge Team

Carolyn Ingram is the executive director of the MolinaCares Foundation and executive vice president for Molina Healthcare, Inc. As the executive director of MolinaCares, Carolyn leads the strategic direction and giving of the foundation. Prior to Molina, Carolyn notably served as the New Mexico Medicaid director for almost a decade, helping reform critical aspects of the program for Medicaid beneficiaries across the state.

Abbie Totten is the Molina Healthcare of California Plan president and has almost 20 years of Medicaid and California healthcare experience. Abbie has served in various public policy and Medicaid-centric roles, all focused on advancing care for low-income Californians.
 

California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) Health Equity Challenge Team

Kara Carter is senior vice president of strategy and programs at the California Health Care Foundation, where she develops strategies, provides overall guidance, and leads the program teams in the development, execution, and assessment of CHCF’s work. In this role, Kara provides thought leadership and support to CHCF’s grantmaking programs and priorities, as well as CHCF’s program-related investments and learning and impact functions.

Gina Martinez, PhD, is a learning and evaluation officer for the California Health Care Foundation’s Learning & Impact team, which aims to optimize the foundation’s impact by supporting organizational and field learning and evaluation. Prior to joining CHCF, Gina worked as a social impact researcher for 11 years at the intersection of community needs and public policy, most recently at Resource Development Associates Consulting, where she focused on behavioral health program evaluation.
 

 

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