Director of Equity and Grants Entomological Society of America Annapolis, Maryland
To increase diversity and inclusion in the Public Health entomology profession, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Cooperative Agreement and Entomological Society of America (ESA) created Public Health Entomology for All (PHEFA). PHEFA is funded by a CDC Cooperative Agreement.Through PHEFA, students and graduates of Minority Serving Institutions were placed in 10-week internships and one- and two-year fellowships in the Arboviral Disease Branch, Bacterial Disease Branch, Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch of the Division of Vector-Borne Diseases and the Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria. PHEFA successfully recruited a diverse class of interns and fellows from Minority Serving institutions and exposed them to Public Health Entomology with the CDC. Evalution shows that interns and fellows were satisfied with their experience, learned core entomological skills, developed professional skills, and increased their STEM network.