The competition honors innovative student proposals that generate creative strategies to promote healthy living or prevent disease. Cash awards are presented to the top three entries in two categories, interdisciplinary and single discipline. A single discipline entry is one from one or more authors in the same health professions discipline while an interdisciplinary entry is one in which students from two or more health professions disciplines collaborate. A story on the 2001 winners is available on HRSA’s News Room site.

The program is sponsored by HRSA in collaboration with the Federation of Associations of Schools of the Health Professions, and is coordinated by FASHP-member the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Student proposals are judged on innovation, feasibility and potential impact on a community or target population. Competition is restricted to students enrolled in FASHP-member schools who are studying allied health, chiropractic, dentistry, health administration, health education, medicine, nursing, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine, pharmacy, public health or veterinary medicine.

Students must submit entries to schools by Jan. 25, 2002. Schools submit entries to participating associations by Feb. 5; associations submit entries to the Secretary's Award program by Feb. 25, and Secretary Thompson will present awards in June 2002.

For more information, visit http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/interdisciplinary/innovations.htm on the Web.

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