Kathleen McCarty, a kinesiology doctoral student in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences, has been inducted into the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Health Policy Research Scholars program.
The program is designed to equip leaders across the country to collaborate and make communities healthier and more equitable. The four- to five-year program provides her with an annual stipend of up to $30,000.
Kathleen will evaluate access to sport and physical activity opportunities to collegiate students with disabilities. “Within the U.S., there are only a handful of universities providing sporting opportunities to collegiate students with disabilities,” Kathleen says. “My aim is to research best practices and logistics of these programs in hopes of uncovering some success characteristics to help inform future programs.”
Her ultimate goal is to create legislation to ensure more equitable options for collegiate students with disabilities. “The hope is that the legislation would have a similar impact as Title IX has had for women in universities,” Kathleen says.
Kathleen will also benefit from curricula and coaching from national leaders, and collaborate with others to build a culture of health.
“This program has a rigorous curriculum that will broaden my knowledge on policy and how to translate my research findings to drive real change,” Kathleen says.