Second-year student Katie George has been selected as the 2023 recipient of the Dr. Ruth Allen Scholarship.
The annual scholarship is named for Dr. Ruth Allen, a former Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Health Professions at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
A native of Pittsfield, Maine, George is currently completing her final Capstone project with Arkansas Rural Health Partnership. She is creating a program plan and evaluation for an initiative that combines existing ARHP programs, with the goal to increase mental health resources in Arkansas high schools by utilizing young adults trained in mental health first aid.
Last summer, George traveled to Flora Tristan, Arequipa, Peru, for her International Public Service Project. Working with Helping Overcome Obstacles Peru, she completed an evaluation for the organization’s community-based psychological support efforts and determined areas of possible program improvement and expansion.
As a first-year student, George was part of a team of students who worked with the UAMS Center of Health Literacy to produce a summary of the literature surrounding evidence for the inclusion of specific health literacy competencies; assess the current inclusion of evidence-based competencies in national and state K-12 health education frameworks; and identify and evaluate existing resources to facilitate teaching of recommended competencies.
George is a graduate of Colby College with a degree in psychology. Before enrolling at the Clinton School, she served in the Peace Corps in Malawi as a community health specialist and worked with National Health Corps Florida as a health educator at the New American Welcome Center.
Dr. Ruth Allen, who passed away in September, worked in various academic leadership roles, including the UAMS Office of Educational Development and as an educational evaluator in the Department of Geriatrics. She earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Michigan in 1959 and master’s degree in biochemistry from Michigan State University in 1961. She then served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malaysia, teaching chemistry and physics for three years.
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